Compromise over division. My summary after attending the Rally to Restore Sanity

[Soral]

I know "compromise" is a hot topic on this forum, but, ignore that for a moment, ignore "teams" and just take a read....

Here is my summary after being in DC Saturday....

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As my wife and I walked around the outside of the main barricade of the rally, we came to the realization... we are not getting anywhere close to being able to see or hear any of the rally... and looking back, I am glad.

What was broadcast was nice, but almost downplayed what the event was all about. But the speakers did the one thing needed to be done..... remained completely un-partisan. There was no left vs right on stage. MsNBC and FoxNews were both trashed for being "extremist" in the news... in a time where that is the only type of news out there.

This was a gathering not just in DC, but with huge satellite rallies in LA, Chicago, Austin, and hundreds of other cities, ranging in size from 14 in Danbury, CT, to 1000's in Chicago and LA.

Walking though the crowd of average attenders (not people with special passes up front) There was one overwhelming theme from talking with them, and seeing their signs.... let's just tone it down, and work together.

There were some douchebags with inappropriate signs, but for the most part, the theme was, we may disagree, but lets try to work together anyway.

Stewart put it the best.... When you are in traffic on the highway, we all work together to merge.. There are the douchebags that go along the side and try to bypass the traffic, but for the most part, everyone takes their turn, to get to our destination.

In politics, the same line of thinking needs to start happening. Taking turns and working together is not commonplace lately, and it needs to be.

For me, it was a fantastic moment of hundreds of thousands of people, from pro-Palestine supporters (who I had a nice chat with) to Libertarians, to ACTUAL socialist party members, we all agreed on one thing... lets find some common ground, and compromise on solutions to issues of the day.

The Rally to Restore Sanity was not what the Pundits wanted it to be.

It was not a left wing version of the right wing rally in a neat little package.

The Rally to Restore Sanity was a collective acknowledgement of the absurdity that any one group can try to lay claim to the right vision for America.

And here is me with my sign :)

[jaxx]

1. The fine art of compromise has been lost and needs to be found.

The idea of going no where because people refuse to listen is just wrong.

[flamingdem]

3. It's the Republicans who are not compromising and they needed to be called out for that strongly nt

[jaxx]

5. Yes, they do.

And watching the campaign speeches, they are being called out.

[flamingdem]

8. The future of compromise?

:hi: Let's hope the newly minted Repukes compromise with Obama, they will be on the spot and I guess that the Stewart rally is a good ramp up to that new dynamic.

[flamingdem]

2. Sure, but who is going to stop the Koch bros. and Citizens United from taking over?

In the end issues and CRITICAL THINKING matter. That would lead one to taking a stand.

[jaxx]

6. That would be the congress who would pass a law saying

they are reforming campaign finance.

[flamingdem]

9. Something has to happen before 2012

Maybe the dems can get some of that funding from India!

[warrior1]

4. nice sentiment

but the republicans will never compromise.

[xchrom]

7. If compromising makes us a more neolib body

And contemporary history suggest it has -- then
The Reagan/Thatchers have won.

It's the quality of each piece of legislation that is
The final judge.

[BeFree]

12. Compromise?

With what? We are broke. Our environment poisoned, all the good land owned by the richest.

Most people are threatened with prison, and usurped to the hilt by bankers.

Just what do we have left that we are supposed to compromise?

[TheKentuckian]

10. People cooperate in merging into the tunnel because they have a common goal

and method to achieve the goal. They want to drive to the other side. After that they are free to go where ever they like, get out and walk, park, or even sell the damn car on the other side.

They can even choose not to even take the tunnel or not to drive at all.

It sounds good and very moderate but it assumes common purpose and shared goals to be operative logic and I don't see it. I think it is a form of magical thinking. When somebody is saying they don't want to go to the other side and more will fight to the death anyone attempting to go to the other side then there is a significant obstacle to compromise and cooperation because you want mutually exclusive aims and methods.

[Soral]

11. America does have a common goal, we just don't agree on how to go about it

that is where the compromise comes in.

[SOS]

13. Recent history

Clinton had to deal with the loss of Congress in 1994.
For years he compromised with the Republicans.
DOMA, Telecom Act, repeal of Glass Steagall, welfare "reform", deregulation of derivatives etc.
And how did the Republicans treat him?
They impeached him on perjury charges and put him on trial in the Senate.

That's the thanks you get from reactionary ideologues.
They view compromise and bipartisanship as weak-minded liberalism to be exploited.

Compromise to give them the Sudetenland today and next year they will invade Poland.
That's just how they are.

[Soral]

14. Obviously we need EVERYONE to compromise, just 1 side (us) doing it doesn't work

[DirkGently]

15. The take away is that sanity and civility SHOULDN'T be a partisan issue. But look who showed up.

[Soral]

16. everyone showed up. Libertarians, actual socialist, moderates, etc... whats the problem?

[DirkGently]

17. Mmmm. Sure, if by "everyone" you mean "everyone but conservatives." 8)

The Rally to Restore Sanity apparently was not their cup of ... someting or another.

Speaks volumes, doesn't it?

;)