Conventional wisdom gets behind the times

Those using conventional political wisdom and experience from the past are out of step. They just don’t know it yet.

Past conventional wisdoms included the politics of division, that is, dividing large portions of the body politic to gain block votes. This practice ended up with divisions like rural-urban, black-white, north-south, individual rights vs. group rights, realists vs. idealists, school choices, and abortion. In a large country such as ours, divisions are normal. It is the choice of using the politics of division that is so disturbing and adverse to our country as a whole. That this politics of division continues is mostly because professional political managers have seen it work in the past, and they recommend replicating success using conventional wisdom. And in their past the definition of success was based on Party interests vice National interests.

Many things have brought about this change in conventional wisdom. Most profound is the information available to the entire body politic. Between internet connectivity and satellite TV, more Americans than ever have more informed opinions. And all this has happened quickly, as in the last ten years or so. Some of this quick cultural change is not so good. The old days of reading or playing scrabble in the evening have become watching DVD movies or the Disney channels or MTV.

More informed and interconnected members of the body politic means voters will increasingly consider National interests that will affect their families to include security and education. More narrowly focused Party politics will fade in priority over time as being less advantageous. Politicians using focus groups and polling to lead and garner votes will fail if they continue on the Party themes of the past. Rather, whether a voter lives in Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine or Portland, Texas will make less difference than the common bonds which unite us. No amount of the past politics of division will change this. And it is happening faster than many paid political managers may think.