Partisan peace
In the media race to analyze the political importance of last week’s Health Care Reform Summit, a major factor regarding the summit has been largely overlooked. President Obama’s effort to create a conflict-resolution process provided an opportunity for dialogue and common ground: A process that sought to bridge partisan political differences and ideologies in the health reform arena.
The president put together a process that, at its best, created an opportunity for meaningful discussion of differences and agreement; and, at its worst, allowed for a higher degree of civility and respect among participants that has been sorely missing in Congressional and media debate over health care reform and other public policy issues.
It is time for the president and other policy makers to unleash the pent-up power and creativity of the country’s peacemakers. The president need not look farther than his native Hawaii. Hawaii, with its roots in Hooponopono, UH’s Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Program on Conflict Resolution, Hawaiian Judiciary’s Center on Alternative Dispute Resolution and the talented pool of private professional peacemakers, is ideally situated to jumpstart the creation of 21st century public policy conflict resolution processes.
It is time to unleash the peacemakers among us and give peace a real chance.
Tom DiGrazia
Kailua
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