I will address some of those questions in a future column.
A good place to start, though, to switch the TV channel every now and then. If you are watching the same news network all the time, you are only getting one network’s take on the news. The news channels often cover different aspects and perspectives on a story.
Making sure you understand the difference between journalism and propaganda is also important, essential, in fact. Increasingly, too many don’t.
For a one party congressional delegation, having some colleagues who are friends they can talk things over with is a must. That used to be the norm on Capitol Hill. Not so much any more. Tip O’Neill and Bob Michel used to play golf together regularly. Can anyone imagine today’s Speaker doing that with his Democratic counter point?
For elected officials in general it means listening to constituents, really listening, door wide open, listening, rather than hand picking the audience so they only hear reinforcement of their views. When I worked for Members of the House and Senate, I always thought doing that - and reading mail sent in by constituents were both essential for my employers and they did too..
It also means making yourself available to the press.That’s not always fun, but it is vital in a democracy. Iowa Republicans, increasingly, don’t want to do that.
What suggestions do you have, Ralph, that come from your experience in public office - things you saw colleagues doing right, as well as opportunities missed to breaking out of the echo chamber?
I suspect this is even worse in the Iowa Legislature. We can see over and over with the legislation being introduced and passed that their philosophy is not about solving problems and more about ideology.
Yes. At least there are a few other voices there they at least have to hear, even if they don 't listen. But you are right that the numbers and the product make clear, it is a good guess that they live in an echo chamber, too, and one that is probably worse.
Echo chambers are non-partisan--avoiding false equivalency arguments staring at me. Saying that, what are examples of media that 'breech' those walls of echo chambers, so that people who reside inside the chambers stop and think? Or, what are examples of recent politicos that have left the echo chambers--maybe on a certain issue- and have been respected for that? Cheney comes to mind, but I await Iowa's R leadership to say something definitively positive about Cheney? Specifically her actions on not supporting Trump, i.e. not being persuaded by echo chambers of far right..
Good points, Ralph. Thank you.
I will address some of those questions in a future column.
A good place to start, though, to switch the TV channel every now and then. If you are watching the same news network all the time, you are only getting one network’s take on the news. The news channels often cover different aspects and perspectives on a story.
Making sure you understand the difference between journalism and propaganda is also important, essential, in fact. Increasingly, too many don’t.
For a one party congressional delegation, having some colleagues who are friends they can talk things over with is a must. That used to be the norm on Capitol Hill. Not so much any more. Tip O’Neill and Bob Michel used to play golf together regularly. Can anyone imagine today’s Speaker doing that with his Democratic counter point?
For elected officials in general it means listening to constituents, really listening, door wide open, listening, rather than hand picking the audience so they only hear reinforcement of their views. When I worked for Members of the House and Senate, I always thought doing that - and reading mail sent in by constituents were both essential for my employers and they did too..
It also means making yourself available to the press.That’s not always fun, but it is vital in a democracy. Iowa Republicans, increasingly, don’t want to do that.
What suggestions do you have, Ralph, that come from your experience in public office - things you saw colleagues doing right, as well as opportunities missed to breaking out of the echo chamber?
I suspect this is even worse in the Iowa Legislature. We can see over and over with the legislation being introduced and passed that their philosophy is not about solving problems and more about ideology.
Yes. At least there are a few other voices there they at least have to hear, even if they don 't listen. But you are right that the numbers and the product make clear, it is a good guess that they live in an echo chamber, too, and one that is probably worse.
Echo chambers are non-partisan--avoiding false equivalency arguments staring at me. Saying that, what are examples of media that 'breech' those walls of echo chambers, so that people who reside inside the chambers stop and think? Or, what are examples of recent politicos that have left the echo chambers--maybe on a certain issue- and have been respected for that? Cheney comes to mind, but I await Iowa's R leadership to say something definitively positive about Cheney? Specifically her actions on not supporting Trump, i.e. not being persuaded by echo chambers of far right..
Our gun rights we maintain and our lobbyists we prize.
Exactly.