Why Doesn't the Main Stream Media Cover....

I'm a fan of Julie Mason and her excellent show "The Press Pool" on Sirius/XM's POTUS channel. Almost everyday she receives tweets or calls from listeners that go like this:

• Why isn't the main stream media (MSM) talking about Hillary's emails?

• Why isn't the MSM talking about Trumps Taxes?

• Why isn't the MSM talking about Hillary's health?

• Why isn't the MSM covering Trump's bankruptcies? 

Ms. Mason's response is typically a radio version of the eye roll followed by the question, "How did you hear about it?" Of course the MSM (however you define it) covers all of the above. How do listeners who are obviously engaged in the political discussion (they are listening to POTUS just like the Muse after all) come to believe that something is not being covered? What they are really saying is, "The coverage doesn't match what I perceive as the truth." The emphasis is wrong! It's really a struggle with internal dissonance.

As voters we come to believe the world is like us - or that it would be like us if only everyone saw the truth. This, more than any other thing, is the bane of modern politics. If you are a conservative with liberal friends, stop believing they will "understand if they ever get their head out of the clouds." If you are a liberal, quit saying of your conservative friends, "If they just picked up a book once in a while..." 

The truth is the gulf between us isn't a matter of education or a dearth of common sense. We have simply forgotten that those around us may see the world quite differently from us. We have been trying very hard to persuade people over to our world view - to get them to wear our prescription glasses instead of their own. I believe that's a fool's errand. Our task, should we choose to pick up the mantle and stop sniping at each other, is to put our shoulder to the same wheel and find middle ground. We need the politics of the possible.

What Then Shall We Do?

If you are dismayed by the level of vitriol coming from the Trump campaign, you might be tempted to throw his followers into the now infamous basket of deplorables. I suggest you consider what you intend to do. 

After the election these millions of people will still be with us. We aren't going to deport them or jail them. They are exercising their constitutional rights in proclaiming these values. Do we choose to create a permanent ideological underclass or do we encourage these folks to pay heed to the better angels of their nature? Do we make room for them at the table again? 

I'm not advocating that we give in to demands and ban Muslims, build a wall and put women's rights back to the 50s. I think these are expressions that come from the top and I find them reprehensible. But such crude and simple policies are not the only expressions. Conservatives have been responsible for much that is good in our society. Conservatism serves as break on change. That's sometimes bad, but often good. Revolution is painful and often hurts more people than it helps. The tension between left and right keeps us flexible and growing but also stable and thoughtful. There should be room for both. 

Book Recommendation

Finally, let me recommend that you pick up Nixonland by Rick Perlstein. Read the chapters that cover the events from 1968 to 1970. You will quickly realize that America has been here before and survived. As a student of history I never good too riled up - perspective helps!