So far I’ve focused on the positives of the Bipartisan Panel event in Oklahoma last week. Today I’m going to talk about some things I felt were lacking.

I thought the panel did an excellent job of describing the circumstances polarized politics has left us in. The panel also provided some of the overall reasons polarized politics exists. It failed, unfortunately, to call out the specific groups enabling polarized politics.

In my opinion, each of the two major parties’ affiliation with certain groups is enabling the situation we have today. These groups fall into one of two categories. They are either

(1) Trying to achieve their social/religious goals through government (goals that should not be pursued through government) or
(2) Desiring to implement policies that, while altruistic in their intent, would be disastrous in practice.

Forty plus percent of American voters are so disgusted with both Democrats and Republicans they call themselves Independents. One would think the leadership of the two parties would think to ask themselves what it is that keeps so large a group of voters from wanting to identify with their party. For if one party could cast out the segment of itself whose goals and policies are so offensive, then perhaps that party could achieve a clear electoral majority. 

Instead, as former Senator Danforth said, the two parties have focused on pleasing their true believers. The centrist voters are being told to take it or leave it. Since, (as the panel pointed out) there is so little instruction in citizenship and government today, the centrist voter has no idea what to do.

This is why Lou Dobbs’ recommendation that more people register as Independents makes so little sense to me. If the common sense middle abandons the two major parties, then the two major parties will be dominated by extreme zealots. Those zealots within the parties will reinforce one another by becoming even more extreme. You may feel good about having given a figurative obscene gesture to the party you were formally a member of, but that’s about the most that will come from it. An “Independent Party” does not really exist in the same way that the Democratic and Republican Party exists. Yes, we’ve talked about other alternatives like Unity ’08 and GOOOH. We encourage you to fully investigate those alternatives. We hope they can bear fruit.

The reality, though, is that one of the best things you can do is to begin to participate in the existing political structure. Show up at local meetings and make your views known. Vote in your primary election. Vote for moderate, inclusive candidates and encourage others to do the same. Support these types of candidates with monetary contributions so they can survive the early states.

And if you’re looking for a way to sort out the rhetoric; a way to put a compass in your hand so you can know whether the direction the candidate is pointing is really south instead of north, then read our book, our blog and some of the other books we recommend. In fact, we should have a new page up on the web site shortly that will list even more books than we have right now.

We know your time is precious. We think Neither Liberal Nor Conservative Be is an overview of our problems that gives you 80% of the data you need with about 20% of your effort. If you want to validate what we’re telling you with the other 20% of the data (absorbing another chunk of your time), then be our guest.

And, in fact, if you have a book that you think gives a new and needed perspective then please let us know about it.