The Non-Partisan Pledge

In a comment to a previous post, I posted the formal definition of "partisan", a word much chided on this blog:

1. A fervent, sometimes militant supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea.
2. A member of an organized body of fighters who attack or harass an enemy, especially within occupied territory; a guerrilla.

I subseqently opined that it is not "partisan" to take a strong and definitive side in an argument so long as that position was argued factually and fairly.

Prompting fellow blogger Gene, to submit the following for posting:

There are certain characteristics that distinguish a rational person from the likes of Sean Hannity. A rational person is not "married" to their ideas. They are not defined by their ideas. They are not uni-dimensional. A rational person's identity doesn't unravel if they change their mind on a subject. All that is required to change a rational person's opinion, is a reasonable argument. That's it!

Many times I have caught myself digging in my heals on something reflexively based on the premise that my original stance was correct. I do it all the time with my teenaged son. I realize this is a flaw and try to open up my mind to another viewpoint when I catch myself doing it. It isn't so easy for politicians or entertainers like Sean Hannity.

It seems that the biggest sin a politician can make is that of changing their mind. Look at what happened to John Kerry during the last election. Bush was continuously promoted as, "resolute." His supporters praised him for sticking with his principles. His detractors criticized him for never admitting a mistake. In politics and conservative blowhard circles, it is better to be strong and wrong than to appear indecisive. News people love to catch a politician changing their mind. "This week you indicated you support the WTO, but in a 1964 speech you made to Lions Club of Boise, Idaho, you said..."

So, I take the non-partisan pledge.

I stand ready to change my mind on any subject when a change of position is warranted by the information presented to me. Changing my mind does not make me a weak person, although I realize it will eliminate the possibility of a career as a politician or conservative talk show host.

Nicely said...