According to Colin Powell, who on Sunday blamed both the media and the Tea Party for the divisive political tone in Washington.
He failed to bring up the "class warfare" by President Obama and which is stoked by the DemoRATic Party, nor the resulting Occupy Wall Street movement during this seven minute interview with Christiane Amanpour on ABC's This Week .
He failed to bring up the "class warfare" by President Obama and which is stoked by the DemoRATic Party, nor the resulting Occupy Wall Street movement during this seven minute interview with Christiane Amanpour on ABC's This Week .
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, HOST: What about this tone in the country right now? It's still very divisive. It's still very sort of brash, some say poisonous. I mean, you can barely get anything done on Capitol Hill, just behind me there. What needs to be done, to actually improve the tone and the ability of people to work together?
COLIN POWELL: The tone is not -- is not good right now, and our political system here in Washington, particularly up on The Hill -- Congress -- has become very, very tense in that two sides, Republicans and Democrats, are focusing more and more on their extreme left and extreme right. And we have to come back toward the center in order to compromise.
A story I like to tell is our Founding Fathers were able to sit in Philadelphia and make some of the greatest compromises known to man -- tough, tough issues. But they did it. Why? Because they were there to create a country, where we have a Congress now that can't even pass an appropriation bill, and we're running this country on a continuing resolution which is -- what else are they here for but to pass appropriations bills?
COLIN POWELL: The tone is not -- is not good right now, and our political system here in Washington, particularly up on The Hill -- Congress -- has become very, very tense in that two sides, Republicans and Democrats, are focusing more and more on their extreme left and extreme right. And we have to come back toward the center in order to compromise.
A story I like to tell is our Founding Fathers were able to sit in Philadelphia and make some of the greatest compromises known to man -- tough, tough issues. But they did it. Why? Because they were there to create a country, where we have a Congress now that can't even pass an appropriation bill, and we're running this country on a continuing resolution which is -- what else are they here for but to pass appropriations bills?
And so we have got to find a way to start coming back together. And let me say this directly. The media has to help us. The media loves this game, where everybody is on the extreme. It makes for great television. It makes for great chatter. It makes for great talk shows all day long with commentators commenting on commentators about the latest little mini-flap up on Capitol Hill.
So what we have to do is sort of take some of the heat out of our political life in terms of the coverage of it, so these folks can get to work quietly.
AMANPOUR: I get your point about heat and light, but what about the fact that, in fact, it is one of the political parties, although -- or rather the big political influence, which is the Tea Party, which quotes left and right the Founding Fathers? They say compromise is a dirty word, and they try to point to the Founding Fathers and the Constitution.
POWELL: They compromised -- the Founding Fathers compromised on slavery. They had to in order to create a country. They compromised on the composition of the Senate, of the House, of the Supreme Court, of a president -- what are the president's powers? Can you imagine more difficult compromises today?
Compromise is how this country was founded, and unless two people in disagreement with each other don't find a way to reach out to one another and make compromises, you don't get a consensus that allows you to move forward.
But the Tea Party point of view of no compromise whatsoever is not a point of view that will eventually produce a presidential candidate who will win.
AMANPOUR: General Powell, thank you very much indeed.
POWELL: Thank you, dear.
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/11/27/colin-powell-blames-media-and-tea-party-divisive-tone-washington#ixzz1fCmMv8aX
So what we have to do is sort of take some of the heat out of our political life in terms of the coverage of it, so these folks can get to work quietly.
AMANPOUR: I get your point about heat and light, but what about the fact that, in fact, it is one of the political parties, although -- or rather the big political influence, which is the Tea Party, which quotes left and right the Founding Fathers? They say compromise is a dirty word, and they try to point to the Founding Fathers and the Constitution.
POWELL: They compromised -- the Founding Fathers compromised on slavery. They had to in order to create a country. They compromised on the composition of the Senate, of the House, of the Supreme Court, of a president -- what are the president's powers? Can you imagine more difficult compromises today?
Compromise is how this country was founded, and unless two people in disagreement with each other don't find a way to reach out to one another and make compromises, you don't get a consensus that allows you to move forward.
But the Tea Party point of view of no compromise whatsoever is not a point of view that will eventually produce a presidential candidate who will win.
AMANPOUR: General Powell, thank you very much indeed.
POWELL: Thank you, dear.
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/11/27/colin-powell-blames-media-and-tea-party-divisive-tone-washington#ixzz1fCmMv8aX
Thoughtsjustoffcenter: I met General Powell when I was attending the Sergeants Major Academy, at Ft. Bliss, TX, in 1993. This was after the Gulf War and just after I had come home from 10th SFG's "Saving the World - Tour III" - as we called it. I found him to be a very personable individual, which I you must be to become a General Officer. However, between those ears, he was extremely disrespectful to the enlisted people he worked with, particularly if you weren't of the same color or sex. Brought to my attention by one of the female MP's that worked with him – whom later became a co-worker and friend ." To say that I was surprised is a complete understatement. It changed my view of our political leadership to this very day. I learned a valuable lesson and I now try to look at the whole individual before giving them any backing. To General Powell, “Sir – you need to step out of the public arena.”
However, he is correct in the fact that the job is to comprimise with each other. As the "Rolling Stones" sang, "You can't always get what you want!"
His parting comment, "Thank You, Dear." Is that respectful? (Just asking.)
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