Truth vs. Politics: The Art of the Debate

By Allen J Duffis
Published: January 3, 2006

     I don’t think any concept is more misunderstood by the American people, in general, than that of Politics.  They continually tend to confuse ‘political opinion’ with the time-honored concept of “Truth”: the two have, at best, barely a passing acquaintance.

     Politics is all about the ‘Art of the Debate,’ and the debating process has little if more than an incidental relation to truth. 

     The point of a debate is to overpower your opponent in verbal combat, or by strident demonstration.  Therefore, it is easily possible to win a debate without entailing the inconvenience of a confrontation with the truth or, more to the point, actually having to be ‘right.’

     Skillfully employed against an opponent who is less talented in the art than you are, one can argue that the Earth is flat – and win the debate.

     Even obvious facts pose no serious impairment to the aims of a veteran of the political debate.  For such tripping points of reality are no more than a mere inconvenience; the proverbial ‘bump in the road’ so to speak.

     Talk Radio’s Rush Limbaugh, columnist/author Ann Coulter, and Republican Strategist Mary Matalin are prime examples of such individuals who are highly skilled in this art. They are in essence entities that can best be described as - Political Animals.

     Their type of highly effective news media ‘Projected Political Thought’ (PPT) is the reason we have 1,600 troops in Afghanistan engaged in combat with an enemy who attacked us on 9-11, versus 160,000 troops fighting and dying in Iraq; a nation that did not attack us, nor was in any way involved with that tragic event.  And these Political Animals, by their constant and consistent pro-Right ranting on televised news outlets and in print, are also in large part the reason a major portion of this country’s educated citizens are willing to accept the illogical, not as only fact, but reality.

     Politics is not a singular homogenous complex, but is actually a non-homogeneous mixture that, under the right social circumstances, can cause diverse groups among the populace to come together and act, for a time, as a single entity.  

     For the ideal function of politics in government, is to bring together all of the various factions resident in society, to a workable state of compromise. The result should be to achieve realistic social and economic solutions for the security and satisfaction of the governed.  But those who hold elected government posts (members of the Senate and the House of Representatives) are placed in power and held hostage to the elective process.  And more often than not their personal desires to retain these elective posts collides, destructively, with their personal prejudices and desires.  

     Unfortunately, in a republic akin to ours, such coming together can be an unwieldy and sometimes socially explosive civil process.  A process that, depending on the issues at stake, may automatically bring into play powerful commercial, social, ethnic, racial and educational groups, all ready to tear our constitutional union asunder, should they not gain controlling representation on pertinent legislation that, in their eyes, adequately, reflects their vested interests.

     These powerful civil and social forces are capable of raining down crippling blows onto the most honest and forthright of their elected representative, that often many are incapable of overcoming.  Their moral and intellectual compasses are sent askew, and rather then do what is logical and necessary; they choose instead the path to another term in office.

     Needless to say, at times of great social turmoil, the democratic system is not always capable of rendering a decision that is in the best interest of country or citizen.

     American Politics is in the throes of such troublesome times at present, and its political system has developed an identifiable structural anatomy; one that can be broken down to its various segments – reflecting clearly the present state:

     (a) Socio-economic Politics

     (b) Religious Politics

     (c) Ethnic/Cultural Politics

     (d) Educational/Scientific Politics

     This sort of volatile breakdown within the political makeup of a democratic society is a recipe for social disaster.  So like sharks attracted to the first drop of blood on the water, the Political Animals come in force for the kill.

     It is their sole agenda to convince a majority of the public, that an incompetent President who has, arrogantly and mistakenly, led the nation into a life and dollar costly war, and a Vice President busily engaged in selling off the country to the highest bidder, is the right leadership at the right time for America.

     For the first time since the founding of this country (and the resistance to the banning of slavery by the South), there has been a concerted effort, by both the Left and Right, to ‘edit’ the Constitution of the United States.

     One side, the Right, would like to overturn the separation of church and state provision, while the other, the Left, would like to over turn the right to bear arms. The Right would like to have the unborn given the constitutional right to existence, while the Left desires to have an amendment inserted to allow the welfare state to be extended, without any congressional limitations - ever.

     There are even those among us, both politician and fellow citizen, who would be more than willing to allow the President of the United States the power to eavesdrop on private electronic communications, while others feel there is nothing wrong with imprisoning foreign combatants for unlimited periods of time, without extending to them the right of a legal representation.  While still others feel that torture should be included in our constitution as a right of national defense.

     In such a rabid political atmosphere, compromise is not held in high regard.  In fact, with the prompting of the ‘Political Animals’ through their media outlets (like the Fox News Network), the public is urged to look upon those who advocate this line of reasoning as traitorous.

     It should be noted, however, that the Radical Left, through its most outspoken representatives, like comedy writer/author Al Franken and actress Janeane Garofalo (the lady who this year starred in political documentary film whose title is a four letter explicative), are no less politically avaricious or tolerant of the missionaries of the reasonable; the ones who advocate cautious thinking and compromise.  In fact, they can be downright vicious and intolerant of those who oppose them, even from within their own ranks.
 
      So if your politics concern bogus science concepts such as Intelligent Design or the desire to assign social security numbers and drivers licenses to unborn fetuses; or if they lead you to cling fanatically to belief in the unrealistic rehabilitation of child molesters, serial murderers and career criminals - or that the homosexual population constitutes a legitimate third sex, you are a participating member of the American ‘Ultra’ (Right or Left) political community. 

     If on the other hand your politics are in the Middle, I strenuously stress caution: beware of attack from the “Ultras.”  

     The one common meeting ground for both the Left and Right extreme movement, has been their unified unwillingness  to come to compromise with the Middle. And I harbor a nagging suspicion that, given the opportunity, they would be more than willing to come to agreement on a Flat Earth Theory,  just so that they can push those who hold to the ‘Middle of the Road’ politically - over the edge.