CONFIRMATION without CONFORMATION

CONFIRMATION: Something that confirms, as a corroborative statement or piece of evidence

CONFORMATION: The structure or outline of an item or entity, determined by the arrangement of its parts.




Well, as I somewhat expected, there has been speedy and ample response to the President's State of the Union Address by Members of Congress. Yesterday there were lots of stories about personal reactions, mostly from people like you and me. But by today the mutterings of Members of Congress are beginnning to slip out...and it's not all positive.

I perused the press pretty thoroughly yesterday and found a general nodding of the head and affirming of the thought that the President did a pretty good job of affirming his brand and establishing some goals for the leadership of our country in this difficult time. Most people weren't ecstatic, because there was nothing to be ecstatic about. The issues facing us are sobering, and the road to resolving those issues requires a lot of hard work, collaboration with those with whom one might disagree, and no certainty that a specific action will work. I don't think the President made it sound like a cake-walk. As expected, there was posturing and strong negative talk among most Republicans and Tea Party types.

But some Senators and Congress Members on both sides of the proverbial aisle are grousing today that they are slighted by the President having singled them out as part of the problem. Just like Justice Alito, who was seen smarting from having been identified as a member of a group who messed up in the President's eyes, some legislators are bristling at the suggestion that they need to adjust their methods of governance.

The Washington Post reported this morning, for instance, that feelings were damaged among Democrats.

Democrats left town early Thursday weighing their next steps on everything from the stalled health-care bill to competing job-creation packages. Before they departed, some criticized Obama for casting blame on the Senate, where moderates felt singled out for ridicule. Others sought to shift the burden to the GOP, latching on to Obama's call for Republicans to share responsibility for governing after a devastating special-election loss left Democrats a vote shy of a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Still others said the president's calls for bipartisanship were wishful thinking and suggested that daring Republicans to block their ambitious agenda would set up a "liberating" contrast for November's midterm elections.

I've been there...and probably you have been there also. It's hard to be on the sharp end of a "truth telling." I suspect that President Obama will feel a little bit of that this morning as well. It's not fun to be recognized by someone else...or by one's self...as being a part of the problem. Defensiveness arises in one's gullet before confirmation of reality takes over.

It takes even longer for conformation to kick it. Affirmation of the need to acknowledge one's culpability is required before a person or a group can join the process of fixing the situation. As children we experienced it as part of the learning process. Somehow, it was easier as a child to move on. Adults who are in the limelight as legislators, judges, and presidents might take longer.

The issues before us are urgent and require an adult affirmation of complicity fairly quickly so we can move on to doing something about the issues identified by The President on Wednesday night. Maybe a weekend away from the turmoil of Washington will help. I hope so.


Photo Credit: kunaljanu.wordpress.com
Definition Credits: Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.