Garnering Insight: Where’s the party?

By Phil Cobb | May 17, 2024 |

I’m ready to go out and find a party. Like seriously, I’m all dressed up and have nowhere to go, but I just can’t find a party that I’m comfortable with.

This isn’t about a social event, even though some of these parties are rife with socialites and people wanting to be seen. Also, I’m a little past my partying prime.

But where I’m not past my prime is in finding a party to loosely align myself with. I don’t need to be courted or receive some special invitation, what I want is some common sense. This isn’t a competition or an athletic event, although some do consider it a sport. It is the governing of our great nation.

Generally speaking, we are becoming more and more disenchanted with the whole political party system. Fellow readers, I’m afraid we have lost our way, but not so much that we cannot find it again.

There used to be compromise, which in itself it isn’t. Compromises are not designed for any one particular side to win. A compromise, whether used as a noun or a verb, is a settlement of differences by consent or an agreement reached by consent. No one side wins. It’s where each side gets something that it wants and is tolerable of what the other side gains. There is no winner or loser. The winner should always be the American people. However, that is rarely the case these days.

There are no real parties anymore as both Democrats and Republicans, not just elected officials, are fractured by ideologues and extremists who have no desire to really accomplish anything with the exception of getting headlines, soundbites, retweets and the “likes.” So many of our elected officials on both sides, including some in our own state, are routinely hijacking the government and hold up getting anything meaningful accomplished.

Today’s political movements do not want compromise, they want flat out annihilation of the “enemy.”

Indulge me a little, if you will, with a simple exercise. I want you to draw a straight line and at the end of each side put a corresponding L and R, then draw a small horizontal line in the middle. Finally, draw a circle around the vertical middle line.

The line is a representation of the political spectrum and it doesn’t matter which side you are on. Really it doesn’t, because in my opinion most people in the United States of America are somewhere within that circle.

It’s no secret, and I’m not afraid to say, that I lean a little to the right side of the line — not as far as I once did though — in my fiscal and social beliefs, but I am well within that circle. Also, I am always willing to have a civil conversation to see the other perspective and, God forbid, maybe even learn something.

I’m not only willing to have those conversations, but I truly want to hear from differing opinions. Not only does that make for open dialogue within our community it can also help us inform our own opinion when we can sit down with people and truly hear their side.

Truly listening to, not just hearing, others with differing thoughts actually helps us to make informed decisions and develop our own opinions because we are open to talking with others, instead of letting people dictate how you should think just because they are from your party.

So where’s the party? It may just be right down the street or next door. Start with a small personal gathering where you aren’t afraid to have a respectful personal conversation where everyone is willing to participate.

Now that’s a party I’m ready to be a part of.

Ken Garner is the owner and publisher of The Maryville Forum and The Post.