Political maven Mary Matalin speaks at Wheelwright
by Bell
Political commentator Mary Matalin spoke at Wheelwright Auditorium Sept. 14 in conjunction with CCU’s observance of Constitution Day. In her address on “Populism, Polemics and Polarization in 21st-Century Politics,” she talked about getting back to first principles and the importance of employing precise language in political discourse.
“Understanding human nature requires understanding language,” she said, referencing the founding fathers’ deep knowledge of classical scholarship and their reliance on a common vocabulary. Now, as she sees it, “there is a proliferation of knowledge, but no wisdom. We are subjected to so much information now, it’s no wonder we’re in a state of cognitive dissonance.”
Matalin decried the sense of isolation that is exacerbated by today’s technology, which “enables us to stay isolated from each other. It allows us only to Facebook with like-minded people, and insulates us from a diversity of ideas. There is no progress without interaction.”
She also described her dismay with the current sledgehammer mode of political exchange, in which crushing the opposition at all costs is the sole purpose. “When the essence of debate is just to undermine rather than to engage and argue with a goal toward some sort of resolution or reform—that’s an impediment to public policy-making.”
Despite the polarization and isolation that characterizes political life today, Matalin said she is optimistic about the future. A libertarian, she has faith that the younger generation will bring a different kind of thinking and problem-solving to the body politic. She sees danger, however, in overprotecting today’s youth with safe zones. “Let them skin their knees,” she said.
Matalin is well-known for being the conservative half of the most famous bipartisan marriage in modern punditry. She amused the Wheelwright audience with a few dead-on impersonations of her husband James Carville and called him “the patron saint of arrested development.”
Almost half of the event at Wheelwright was taken up with a question and answer session. Asked about her opinions on the taking down of Confederate monuments, she said that in her opinion the answer to the problem is not destroying monuments. “History is replete with the necessity for understanding history. Our future, our destiny, is completely, inextricably included with our past.”
Prior to the evening speaking engagement, Matalin met with a group of about 15 CCU students, mainly upper-level students majoring in politics and in intelligence and national security studies. In a roundtable discussion, she answered questions and offered advice. She encouraged students interested in public service careers to take advantage of internships and volunteer to work on local political campaigns. She also talked about her experiences as a woman working in the White House.
Matalin grew up in the Chicago area and attended Hofstra University School of Law. She has held major positions in the Republican party, chairing George H.W. Bush’s 1988 presidential campaign and serving as chief of staff to Republican National Committee chairman Lee Atwater in the early 1990s. She was also on Vice President Dick Cheney’s staff. She was a host of CNN’s “Crossfire” and frequently appears on television news as a commentator. In 2012, she and her husband were co-chairs of the Super Bow XLVII host committee in New Orleans, where they live.
The Constitution Day event was sponsored by CCU’s Edgar Dyer Institute of Leadership and Public Policy.
