This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Amanda D’Ambra
Prominent figures in today’s media, business and politics convened in Lisner Auditorium Thursday night to discuss the future of American politics for a live broadcast of PBS’s “The Tavis Smiley Show.”
The three-hour program focused on the changing face of American politics and the panelists agreed that the deeply divided political environment is causing a great deal of problems for the entire population.
The eight-member panel included Huffington Post editor in chief Arianna Huffington; former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and conservative blogger David Frum; Princeton University professor Dr. Cornel West; Washington Post chief political columnist Dana Milbank; John S. Chen, chairman of the Committee of 100, which works to further U.S.-China relations; CNBC “Closing Bell” anchor Maria Bartiromo; David Brody, chief political correspondent for the Christian Broadcasting Network; and Maria Teresa Kumar, executive director of Voto Latino.
“There is this short-term mentality of ‘I want it yesterday.’ Decisions are based on ‘will I get elected in two years, will I get re-elected in four years?’” Bartiromo. “That is at the crux of our problems.”
Weighing in on issues facing the country today the panelists expressed generally pessimistic views.
“A hundred million Americans are worse off than their parents were…how do you move forward if one half of a country’s people say the best days of the nation are behind us?” Huffington asked.
Education, they agreed, was key for moving the country forward politically and socially.
“We need to give people the opportunity to get educated, work hard, and move up the ladder,” said Baritromo.
Frum said “bad attitudes” across society are the culprit for students falling short.
“We spend so much money educating children, but we are not getting the results we want…it is all in our attitudes,” Frum said.
Economic issues were also a big focus of the panel’s discussion. In the immediate aftermath of the financial crisis, the panelists spoke of the many economic pressures still facing Americans. High unemployment rates and widening social class gaps remain pressing concerns, they said.
“We are seeing a realignment that we saw during the Great Depression. We learned to take care of our own people then,” Kumar said. “A lot of legislation came out of this Great Recession that tried to do this…but we did just an okay job.”
She emphasized that focusing on education would allow America to restore its economic stability.
The last hour of the program focused on the how to move away from the country’s current problems. Smiley asked the panelists whether they thought Republicans were going to change the rules of government with the increased power of the party in Congress.
“The Republicans know that the president is vulnerable. He misstepped the center-right nation when he passed partisan legislation,” Brody said.
Huffington immediately disputed Brody’s “center-right nation” term, arguing instead that Americans need to come together from all sides, regardless of political persuasion.
“We’re on a journey towards a more perfect union,” she said.
