Third Way Dispatch

I really like David Broder. He almost always writes with common sense and clarity. He is one of the few political columnists with no obvious axe to grind and who brings genuine insight to a wide range of topics. And I’m grateful for the attention that he has given to Third Way’s products. I read him without fail.

And that’s why I almost fell off the exercise bike this morning when I read his column comparing Harry Reid to Alberto Gonzales.

In going after Harry Reid so viciously, Broder swings for the fences. But he whiffs badly.

Last week, as the news of the horror at Virginia Tech sank in around the world, Australia’s Prime Minister was quick to decry America’s “gun culture.” South Korean talk shows noted that the perpetrator was really an American, and that his violent act was no reflection on his South Korean roots. An Argentine newspaper opined that this was unsurprising in a nation that advocates the “use of violence to achieve liberty.”

Basically, the nations of the world have been quick to qualify their condolences with scorn, anger, accusations, and other unfriendly sentiments. What a contrast to the last major national tragedy on 9/11, when even the headlines in France read: “We Are All Americans Now.”

Why is it that when a mass murderer goes on a rampage, one of our first reactions after the grief and shock subsides is that nothing could have been done to stop this indiscriminate killing? We have 47 million Americans without health insurance, yet no one says that we can’t find a way to cover them. Even when a flood – an act of God – levels a city, we feel certain that if the proper steps were taken in advance we could have protected lives and saved billions of dollars in damage. Yet with guns and mass carnage we pronounce ourselves suddenly powerless to do anything.

This week was a “coming out” of sorts for Third Way. We released our first public paper marking our support for increased protections for gay and lesbian Americans. The strategy paper in support of civil unions – Four Steps to Winning Same-Sex Relationship Recognition – is meant to fill a vast hole. A large majority of progressive leaders in Congress and in State Houses support civil unions, but no group is really bent on providing the support, messaging, and guidance they need.

As is now painfully apparent, President Bush responded to the wake up call on Iraq that the voters delivered in November by hitting the snooze button. Firing Donald Rumsfeld, the barest minimum of a response that he could offer, was as far as he was willing to go. Since then, it’s been stay the course, as he’s simply ignored the will of the American people and reality on the ground. More of the same failed strategy, and still no plan from his Administration to end the war in Iraq and put America back on the offensive against al Qaeda and its allies.

The New Rules Economy of today demands that individuals and families increasingly take charge of their own financial futures. It’s a major challenge and source of anxiety for middle-class families, who are coping with the shift away from traditional pensions toward 401(k)s, and for whom real wealth now means owning a stock portfolio as well as a home.

It’s an even bigger challenge for low-income families, for whom having even a small amount to save is a far bigger concern than how to save it.