Burying The Hatchet

No matter how much times change and people change, some things remain the same. On Wednesday, in the midst of a surprisingly positive Democratic National Convention, we were reminded of that old Will Rogers quote, "I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat."

A small scuffle over some changes to the official Democratic Party Platform happened on the convention floor on Wednesday. Any member of the media, politician, or political pundit who refused to lie to themselves or their audience wasn't truly surprised by this kerfuffle. That said, more than a few media whores - especially those on the highly biased and barely professional right - attempted to make the molehill of a scuffle into a mountain of discontent.

We can assure you, from multiple contacts on the floor of the convention, Wednesday's platform tussle was not a big deal. The fact is, from time to time, we all fight with those we care about, over the topics we care about most. For example, our staff doesn't always agree about who's more to blame for the death of bipartisanship in American government - though the historical and statistical data gives significantly more blame to one side.

Those of us who care deeply about the truth even disagree about facts sometimes, on important topics like jobs, debt and deficits. That doesn't mean we want each other dead.

It was not so long ago that President Clinton himself held a grudge against Barack Obama. We can't say we blame him. Mr. Obama defeated Mr. Clinton's spouse, Hillary Clinton, in one of the most contested presidential primary elections over the last century, just four years ago.

Last night, however, it was clear that President Bill Clinton had chosen to take a different path than those who continue to drag out long-held grudges in the media, or frankly, many of those in the differing factions of each major political party.

President Clinton's primary address at the Democratic National Convention lauded and listed the many achievements of President Obama, and made it clear - there is no question as to where Clinton's support is in this election. Mr. Clinton's spirited and forceful defense of Mr. Obama's policies was not only brilliant, but a brutal smackdown to a Republican Party that has effectively made cooperation a political crime.

"What works in the real world is cooperation," said Clinton, as he praised Obama's history of bipartisan outreach, even while denouncing the scorched earth policies of the right. "Democracy does not have to be a bloodsport."

The barnburner of a speech - the second in two nights at the DNC - was less of a partisan beat down than one might think, though. At his best, President Bill Clinton is still a progressive moderate, the kind of folksy but honest politician who can act more as a referee than as a player.

In short, someone who can confirm the truth that Obama has been a bipartisan President, in an era of extremist Republicans.

There are still those who say the idea of bipartisanship is dying or is dead - that America itself has become so divided along party lines, economic lines, color lines, and any number of other divisions, that we should simply shovel the dirt into the metaphorical coffin, and bury the idea.

As was evident last night at the DNC, if we choose to follow our better angels, as President Clinton did, we may be able to bury something else instead - the hatchet of division.

Take A Flying Leap

While we're trying to stay away from much of the over-saturated coverage of the Democratic National Convention, it was somewhat difficult on Tuesday - and not just because of some of the personal political leanings of our staff.

Unlike the angry and aggressive tone we heard so much last week in Tampa from the Republicans, the atmosphere of the DNC this week has so far been positive. Much of the day's remarks focused on the topics and the details of the many positive changes that have occurred during President Obama's first term. Speakers tended to energize as they talked about policy details they'd like to see happen in a second Obama term, possibly with a Democratic-led Congress.

So far, the DNC is showing and telling in an optimistic way, what they've done to help Americans over the last four years - and the Democratic approach appears to have been a huge hit. Democrats are asking - not demanding - that Americans give them more time to fix the disaster they were handed in 2008. In short, they're asking Americans to trust them - and providing facts to support their claims.

Last week, much of what we heard was Republicans angrily demanding their fellow Americans - especially Middle Class Americans - jump off a cliff, as they presented parts of vague plans with no significant details. What facts Republicans did provide last week were mostly misstatements of fact - lies, in other words - that kept many members of the media busy fact checking all day, every day. Unlike the Republicans, Democrats seem to have no problem mentioning either the name of their chosen presidential candidate, or previous Democratic presidential office holders at this year's convention.

In fact, the real comparison between the two parties' positions already has become clear.

This isn't the comparison based on the false question of "Are you better off" - a question that we and others dispatched swiftly and firmly with facts on Tuesday. This isn't the false comparison to President Carter, either - one that has also been soundly dispatched with facts.

The Democratic Party is obviously taking an optimistic course at their convention this year. They are saying "This is what we need to do!" Then they are telling their crowd, and those watching at home, what steps must be taken to achieve those goals - and what's at stake if they fail to achieve those goals. Much of what we saw and heard from Republicans last week could be most charitably categorized as emotionally driven, anger-laced, ineffective bashing.

It's true that the Democrats have also been comparatively bringing up what their opposition has or hasn't done, or what their opposition has been proposing. Some of those critiques have even been sharp. That hasn't been the main focus of their convention though.

Democrats so far have been focusing on Democrats; what they should do, what they need to do, what they haven't done - what America can do as a nation. There's been no one asking Americans to take a leap of faith into the wild unknown of ideas, without past proof of concept. There hasn't been attack after attack, and lie after lie, either.

So far, those leading the Democratic convention don't seem to have been asking Americans to do much of anything they haven't been willing to first do themselves.

If this positive atmosphere carries through the rest of the week, and the rest of the campaign? To us, the choice will be obvious, on tone alone.

Americans don't want to take a flying leap into the unknown, demanded by someone they don't trust. They want to soar into a real future, led by those they can trust.

Break's Over. What's Next?

After a much-needed Labor Day break, just about everyone in America is getting back to work today. The media is also back at it, with the beginning of the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. So far, many of our colleagues still appear to be suffering a hangover from the liefest of the RNC. Instead of getting back to real reporting, they're still trotting out sloppy leftover work -  especially when it comes to one particular question: Is America better off now than it was four years ago?

Since our fellow journalists don't seem to be able to get back to work yet, let's see what we can do to pick up the slack.

To start with, in September of 2008, America was deeply entrenched in two wars, with no serious end in sight. Possible scenarios to leave Iraq had been tentatively drawn, but those plans were not set in stone. It was still a crime to serve your nation in the military, and be honest about your sexual orientation. And there was virtually no chance for you to keep your health care coverage if you lost your job.

Speaking of jobs, the U.S. economy had taken a massive dive as well. The American job market was losing between 400,000 and 500,000 jobs a month in September 2008. America would lose more than 800,000 jobs a month before President Obama took office in late January 2009.

Four years ago this month - specifically, September 14, 2008 - one of the biggest banks in the world, Lehman Brothers, effectively blew up and  filed for bankruptcy protection. On the same day, Merrill Lynch, another massive financial organization, committed Wall Street suicide, gutting itself and selling to Bank of America to avoid a complete destruction of the financial foundations of America.

That was four years ago.

Four years later, America is out of Iraq, and while there have been snags, the U.S. timetable to leave Afghanistan by 2014 is still on schedule. DADT - Don't Ask Don't Tell - is D-E-A-D. So is Osama bin Laden, the real mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. The Affordable Care Act - the ACA, also known as ObamaCare - is on its way to full implementation, with millions of Americans added to the insurance rolls of privately owned insurance companies, not under government controlled insurance.

The jobs situation continues to improve, and has for most of the last three years. America is now averaging about 150,000 jobs gained monthly- most in the private sector - versus the 450,000 jobs we lost in September 2008. The economy isn't on the brink either, with GDP growth of 1.7%. Much to the chagrin of the pathological liar, GOP VP candidate Paul Ryan, U.S. business bankruptcies are down by 22 percent from 2011, and personal bankruptcies are down by 11 percent.

In short, no - things are not perfect. They're not where most Americans want them to be, let alone President Obama and Democratic leaders. But in answer to the incredibly stupid question, "Is America better off now than it was four years ago at this time?"

Yes. America is in a FAR better place, no thanks to Republicans in Congress, or the austerity economics schemes they support, like that of the Romney/Ryan plan.

If you want to know what the story is that the Democrats need to tell this week? This is it.