One of my favorite authors, E.M. Forster, wrote as the final words of his book, Howards End, that we should all strive to "Only Connect". In his mind, the bohemian intellectual middle-class, the spoiled and acquisitive upper class oligarchs and the proud and aspiring working poor in England could meaningfully interact and live harmoniously if they just took some time to understand those outside their station and exercise some empathy. Of course, in the book, that's exactly what doesn't happen, with misunderstandings, well-intentioned but poor advice, careless disregard and flat out prejudice leading to tragic results. But tellingly, the greatest burden of the tragedies falls to the least protected of each class, with the poorest suffering the ultimate penalty.
And I think there are still many truths and parallels that can still be derived from Forster's examination of Edwardian class struggles. And certainly, the country would be greatly benefited from all of us trying to only connect to one another. Empathy seems like our scarcest resource, and yet it is so easy to manufacture. And I think that much of the blame for the dearth of empathy has to be placed on the Republican Party, who, like the upper class Wilcoxes of Howards End, frame every issue as a zero-sum game: anything anyone else has or asks for means something taken from you. Even when it doesn't. It's hard to be empathetic to anyone else's situation when you think it means less for you. Watch them this Sunday, see if you don't agree.
And who more perfect to exemplify this motif than John "If it's Sunday, I'm on TV" McCain? Grampy McSame had to pull a hard right to win his primary challenge, and do a 180 on immigration reform. Which version do you suppose we'll see on Fox News Sunday--the empathetic reform-minded McCain or the hostile "build the dang fence" McCain? And which version of Tony Blair--the Clinton BFF or the Bush Lap Dog--will we see on This Week? And it will be interesting to see who can be the most empathetic on Face the Nation--AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka or National Small Business Assoc. head Todd McCracken. And not to imply that this lack of empathy is limited only to Republicans--let's hear Laura Tyson and Moody's Mark Zandi wax economic on Face the Nation.
ABC's "This Week" - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
CBS' "Face the Nation" - Laura Tyson, former Clinton economic adviser; Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics.
NBC's "Meet the Press" - Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; David Plouffe, President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign manager.
NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: Cynthia Tucker, Howard Fineman, Michael Duffy and Norah O'Donnell. Topics: If Democrats Lose Big this Fall, Will All Fingers Point at President Obama Himself? The Top Five Republicans Definitely Running for President
CNN's "State of the Union" - Todd McCracken, president of the National Small Business Association; Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO.
CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" - William Browder, once the largest foreign investor in Russia. Then, have you ever met a jihadi? Despite Britain's serious crackdown on radical Islamic activity over the last few years, homegrown jihadis continue to preach their message in the U.K. Fareed sits down with one of London's own radicals, Anjem Choudary. And then, hers is a story of rags to ultimate riches. Zhang Xin grew up in the slums of Hong Kong and is now worth billions of dollars. Zhang, one of China's biggest real estate developers, speaks candidly about what she finds wrong with the Chinese system that made her so rich.
"Fox News Sunday" - Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine.
What's catching your eye this morning?
