Right Thinking: GOP’s foundation strong – but not devoid of cracks
Andrew C. Spiropoulos
As Gov. Kevin Stitt and Republican legislative leaders begin the legislative session, they should realize they have been blessed with a rare gift. Given the makeup of the political gameboard, their path to a successful session is both simple and relatively easy to accomplish.
The Republicans possess overwhelming majorities in both legislative houses so, with merely competent management, the respective GOP caucuses should be able to pass any bill the principal leaders support. As for the governor, he too is an enviable position. His poll numbers are solid, but, more importantly, given the current political climate, it’s difficult to even imagine a scenario where a Democrat could defeat him.
If, as our newly elected officials claim, we truly wish to live together in relative harmony, the American constitutional regime, faithfully followed, enables
Right Thinking: Tribalism tearing at nation’s seams
Andrew C. Spiropoulos
The inexcusable mob violence that plagues our nation, reaching even into the sacred precincts of our national legislature, is the concrete manifestation of a profound social illness. If we do not understand and treat the cancer that is eating its way through our communal fabric, it will kill our society.
Our problem is not political disagreement – any democracy expects, and should welcome, political disputes, even heated ones. The sickness develops when political conflict hardens into social tribalism or, as sociologist James Davison Hunter, in 1991, famously entitled his seminal work, culture wars. Hunter argued that Americans were sorting themselves into two tribes, the Progressive and the Orthodox. The Progressive, he argued, believes truth evolves and depends on particular circumstances, while the Orthodox – who consist of many different faiths – believe truth is unchanging and divinely inspired.
Right Thinking: Skillful damage control needed to avert Medicaid expansion disaster
Andrew C. Spiropoulos
State lawmakers, facing a pandemic and a struggling economy, will have their policymaking hands full in the upcoming legislative session.
The most serious challenge lawmakers face is devising a plan for funding the dramatic expansion of the Medicaid program enacted by voters through State Question 802.
Legislators intend to implement the new plan by July 1. Devising the new Medicaid program will, of course, require them to grapple with a mound of empirical data and program complications. But you can’t effectively navigate the morass of the technical details if you don’t first think clearly both about the nature of this social policy and how you think it should work.