The Voices of America

One of the interesting aspects of the current wide-ranging discussions about Ukraine is that there seems an American consensus about the topic and a shouting match in the discussion of it.  The consensus is that Putin has gravely violated the sovereignty of Ukraine, that he must suffer serious consequences for doing so, and that while military confrontation must be avoided, economic and political sanctions of all kinds are appropriate.  But you couldn't tell that from the shouting.  President Obama is talking about the costs Putin must bear, while apoplectic senators like McCain are screaming from the podium and senior statesmen like Kissinger and Albright are urging calm. Talk show hosts are, as usual, frothing.

Years ago I sang in an excellent A Capella chorus whose director kept impressing on us that one of the most difficult things in choral music is to sing in unison, “with one voice.”  We were very good at that, but it took hours of practice.  In American politics it’s much harder and may never be achieved.  It’s part of the American culture.  The first CEO of General Motors was known to break up a meeting in frustration because everyone agreed on an important topic.  He treated consensus as a sign that not enough thought had been given to the subject.  It’s part of our history: Massachusetts even threatened to secede over the War of 1812.

What makes it unduly hard these days is the perceived need of politicians of both parties for consistent disagreement with others. It reminds me of the teenager stage when constant disagreement with parents is an imperative.  But they grow out of that.  Emerson noted that ”a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds”, and I suppose the minds of some politicians are as little as any.  Politicians in our history had no such need.  Henry Clay was a notable hawk during the 1812 War but strongly opposed the Mexican War, as did Abraham Lincoln, who later led us into the Civil War.  And their eloquence did not require shouting.

This of course is just wishing on my part.  As noted, cacophony is part of the American makeup.  Speaking nonsense is one way we exercise our freedom of speech, and we could not endure it if it were gone.  But sometimes it is important that others not part of our culture understand what we are saying, and that is a responsibility that should be understood and accepted by all public voices.  What turned the opposing voices of our past into an American harmony was realistic principle which agreed or disagreed as necessary, without regard to positions taken by the other political party.  It’s been said that part of the current crisis is that Putin does not really understand America, and our political voices are not helping.

It used to be that in an international crisis, domestic political voices quieted down and left the talking to the President.  Talking stopped at the shore line.  It’s not that way anymore, but I can wish that some of our political voices old enough to remember that era would think to bring it back.