In the 1830s, French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville took a 10-month journey through America. One of the things that most struck him was how political discourse “infiltrated through society right down to the lowest ranks.” If Tocqueville could return, he’d have a hard time saying that now.
Critics point to poor voter turnouts; increasing difficulty in defining, debating and resolving critical issues; hyper-individualism and politics dominated by images as opposed to ideas; American insularity; and promotion of particular interests over the common good as symptoms of an ailing political discourse in our public life. For voters who bother to turn out for elections, this translates into antipathy toward elected officials.
Last week, a Washington Post-ABC News poll found that voter resentment against incumbents was at an all-time high. The survey showed that just 29 percent of Americans say they are inclined to support their House representative in November.
Texas state Rep. Ellen Cohen (District 134) believes we must reclaim genuine reasoned political discourse. “I would make the case there are parts of government, our state legislature included, that do demonstrate what Tocqueville was saying,” Rep. Cohen said. “On the other hand, if he looked at the federal branch of government, he might not say that. But, the federal legislative body is not the only form of government.
“When you don’t have real discourse, you get two sides pointing fingers and not listening. Democracy is really about my standing up and defending your right to talk, taking a position counterintuitive to everything I believe in. In a democracy, even if I disagree, I need to pause and really listen to what you’re saying. There may be some kernels of understanding in there, even though my visceral response originally said ‘no.’”
Reasoned discourse isn’t about converting the opposition. “It’s about trying to understand each other’s position. And sometimes, collaboration – the result of an unnatural act committed by two consenting adults – will take place,” she said.
“Sitting and talking with someone who doesn’t agree with your position usually ends up in some kind of collaborative result. It’s much more efficient than standing in the middle of the room and shrei-ing [yelling].”
Even the most contentious issues are open to political discourse, Cohen believes. Take, for example, the contentious issue of pro-choice and anti-choice.
When discussing abortion, the strategy, Cohen said, is to seek areas of commonality. What do both of us share?
“On both sides of the argument, you find people who will say: I want as few abortions performed as possible. I want quality, age-appropriate healthcare classes for our young people. So right away, it’s not a question of, one side pitted against each other’s entrenched interests. It’s more of what areas can we find agreement on?” Cohen said.
As an elected representative, Cohen said she often attends political functions where she meets voters who are supporters of the same single issue but who are registered Republicans. Cohen engages these voters by opening the conversation with, “We obviously agree on this specific issue. What are the Democratic positions that I have taken that you object to?”
Cohen listens and then attempts to explain the reason why she voted the way she did. “I do not believe every voter I engage will vote for me in the next election,” she said, “but the outcome is at least he or she is now much better educated and could give a logical explanation of my position.”
In Texas, the state House currently consists of 77 Republicans and 73 Democrats. In order to pass bills, you need to work with people from both parties, Cohen said.
“That’s one of the reasons when I’m looking to author a bill, I often look for a Republican colleague to joint-author the bill with me. That’s precisely what happened with the Holocaust Genocide Commission bill [passed last session]. In the Senate, the bill was co-authored by Sen. Rodney Ellis and Sen. Florence Shapiro. In the House, the authors were Warren Chisum, a Republican from Pampa, and me. I went to him because I know him to be an honest, spiritual person and felt he would see the benefits of a commission that would send out accurate information on the Holocaust and genocide to schools across Texas. He understood that and advocated for that.”
Could the media do more by reporting on collaborative efforts instead of fanning conflict? Cohen believes so.
“Maybe collaboration doesn’t sell papers, but I wish the media would print more articles of people working together. An example of this type of collaboration was Dan Branch, Republican from Dallas, who is chair of Higher Education in the House, and Craig Eiland, a Democrat from Galveston, who was speaker pro tempore in the last legislative session.
“The last few days of the session, Dan was advocating for his Tier One University bill [to add more tier-one level universities to Texas]. Craig was trying to pass his bill to help rebuild the UT Medical Branch in Galveston. It was an important bill, but it appeared the session was running out of time. Craig went to Dan and asked him if he could attach his UTMB bill to Dan’s bill. He agreed, and with hours left, we voted both bills through. I don’t know if that story ever made it into the media. It was an incredible gesture on Dan’s part, and it showed a high level of trust. But, that goes on frequently in the Texas House.
“Clearly, there are lines in the sand that we all have, because certain issues touch us from our faith or core values. And, maybe we can’t accommodate that. But otherwise, we work together and try to find ways to compromise on issues we know will benefit our districts and the state of Texas.”
On a practical level, Cohen said, there are local workshops and programs that offer instruction in creating models for community engagement such as those offered at the University of Houston’s Hobby Center for Public Policy.
“For the most part, people want to do the right thing. Most people are willing to sit down and talk with their colleagues. That’s my experience. What’s going on in Washington, I don’t believe that’s what people really feel like inside. Their kind of politics has literally put a wall between them.
“In Texas, I would work tooth and nail to encourage us to continue to be honest, respectful and thoughtful with one another.”
