Editorial: Meeting the new congressman

Maurice Hinchey and Chris Gibson at the Kingston Farmers Market on Dec. 1. (Photo by Dan Barton)

How either theory will play out remains to be seen. It used to be the premier question of economic philosophy was capitalist or communist; now it’s Keynesian or the Austrian school/Milton Friedmanism, I guess you would call it. This question — essentially, whether the way to economic bliss is macroscopic collective economic action via the central government or microscopic individual economic action via private citizens and corporations — has taken on a certain urgency this month. As we barrel towards the fiscal cliff, perhaps to plunge off it, both parties seem locked in to their stances and talking points. Maybe there’ll be a compromise, maybe there won’t be, maybe it’ll just be kicked down the road another year as both parties circle each other, looking for an opening. Or maybe the Dec. 21, 2012 stuff is true and we’ll all be flushed down the Cosmic Toilet on Dec. 21. (While I am not in favor of such a flushing, one argument for it is that it would bring the political blah-blah-blah in Washington to a permanent halt.)

If one was disposed to look at Saturday’s meeting outside Old Dutch in a certain light, perhaps there’s reason for hope. Neither Gibson nor the protesters really seemed to make a lot of progress in convincing the other to look at things differently in their 10-15 minutes of dialogue. But, in contrast to how left-versus-right stuff is put forth in the cable news universe (as “OMG WTF Armageddon!!!!”), the encounter was almost completely anger-free. That’s encouraging if you’re the kind of person, like me, who thinks anger can be manipulated and mis-channeled by the unethical for all sorts of scurrilous and negative purposes. It’s also encouraging if you’re the kind of person, like me, who distrusts extremes and thinks — like Aristotle, Confucius and Gotama thought — that the middle way is usually the wisest.

Like I said, it’s a new world for the Hinchey faithful, now placed in an antagonistic stance against their man in Washington. It’s a new world for Chris Gibson, too, as he has picked up a constituency more skeptical of him than any he had to deal with in the soon-to-be history 20th Congressional District. We’ll see if Ulster and Gibson can get along, and if the rest of the country can get along as well. Here’s to hoping.