Sam Nunn on the millionaires who divide us
We have created a climate that rewards life on the extremes of the political spectrum.
Cable TV and the Internet favor the starkest of opinions, preferably compressed into a 12-second sound bite. Twitter allows 140 characters at a time. More than a bumper sticker — but not by much.
Greek choruses on left and right shout down those who stray into enemy territory. MoveOn.org can’t stand Blue Dog Democrats. Rush Limbaugh & Co. have redefined Republicanism into something that Ronald Reagan might not even recognize.
For a decade and more, the lack of applause coming from the middle ground, where deals happen, has been deafening — a situation that Georgia Tech wants to change.
Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr., talking with the Rev. Ralph Abernathy (left) and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1966, openly supported King and the SCLC/New York Times
This week, Tech bestowed on former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn its first Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage. The prize — which comes with $100,000 — is meant to encourage the men and women who take chances in public life, perhaps at some expense to their careers.
It is to be perpetually funded by the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family foundation. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston does something comparable each year with its Profile in Courage Award.
Why Nunn? “It was more for his work since he left the Senate — where courage had been most necessary,” said William Todd, president of the Georgia Cancer Coalition, a member of the nominating committee.
During his 24 years in the Senate, Nunn was the ultimate Cold Warrior and advocate for military supremacy over the Soviet Union.
He is now head of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, which applies itself to reducing the threat of “loose nukes.” More importantly, Nunn has worked with the likes of former secretaries of state George Shultz and Henry Kissinger, and former secretary of defense William Perry, to make the bipartisan argument that — in a post-Cold War world— we must take a slow walk away from nuclear weapons.
The better question may be, why Ivan Allen, the former mayor of Atlanta? The answer: Because his city was very good at finding that narrow path between the rock and the hardest of hard places — as anyone old enough to remember integration and the early ’60s can attest.
It was a time when even the slightest action — say, taking the “whites only” sign from over a City Hall water fountain — carried risk. In 1963, Allen was the only elected official from the South willing to testify in favor of the public accommodation section of President John Kennedy’s civil rights bill — which would desegregate restaurants and hotels throughout the South.
Allen told the soon-to-be-assassinated president that the endorsement would cost him his brief political career — Allen had beaten Lester Maddox for the job of mayor in 1961. But it didn’t.
When Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, Allen – still mayor – spearheaded the integrated banquet to honor King. It was perhaps the most important social event in Atlanta’s history.
At a luncheon in the Biltmore Hotel Atlanta on Tuesday, Nunn went out of his way to urge applause for Georgia politicians who have been taking chances this year:
– U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, for voting for a new arms control agreement with Russia;
– U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss for diving into the politically treacherous deficit issue;
– Gov. Nathan Deal for urging caution on illegal immigration legislation now being hammered out by the General Assembly;
– Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, for his effort to bring city pensions under control;
– And House Speaker David Ralston for the uncommon relationship that has developed between the white north Georgia lawmaker and Reed, a Democratic African-American.
The former Georgia senator saved his bile for what he declared to be the enemy of moderation — a kind of political entrepreneurism that cashes in on extremism.
“Today our airwaves and public debates are filled with attempts to not just denounce opponents’ logic but to impugn their motives. Demagogues and rabble rousers are not new to American history — but the economics and the technology have changed,” Nunn said. “A large number of these folks are making millions of dollars dividing America into segments and yelling, ‘Sic ’em!’”
These political entrepreneurs have made humility unfashionable. It has become a sin in politics to say — nay, to confess — “I’m not sure.”
It is Nunn’s curse that, until the end of his days, Georgia will be asking him what to make world affairs. Before that luncheon, he was asked what to make of Muammar el-Qaddafi’s resurgence in Libya.
Should the U.S. help establish a no-fly zone?
In essence, Nunn said he wasn’t sure. “If I were in charge, I would certainly be asking the military why we shouldn’t. And I’d be listening carefully to reasons why they say we shouldn’t. And there are reasons,” Nunn said. “But I would be leaning forward on that one — particularly since the Arab League has requested it.”
And yet he had doubts. “I don’t know if it’s too late or not. But you really have a hard time stopping helicopters,” Nunn said. “They can fly low, they can land quickly. It’s hard for F-16s to chase helicopters.”
And what do you do if it doesn’t work? Nunn added. Under no terms does he think U.S. ground troops should be used. “We can’t do that,” he said.
His was not a binary, black or white answer that would sell well on cable TV. But remember — that’s a good thing.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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42 comments Add your comment
Unfrozen Caveman Riptide
March 16th, 2011
7:13 pm
None but Nunn in ‘92!
Phil Lunney
March 16th, 2011
7:25 pm
Sam Nunn is a voice of reason. Today, that is a voice in the wilderness. I have a lot of admiration for this man. And, I agree with the commentary about the politicians listed above. I also admire teachers and most government workers. Everyone deserves the oportunity to make a living and have the respect of their peers.
Edward
March 16th, 2011
7:57 pm
“Demagogues and rabble rousers are not new to American history — but the economics and the technology have changed,” Nunn said. “A large number of these folks are making millions of dollars dividing America into segments and yelling, ‘Sic ’em!’”
For that, Nunn will be excoriated by the rightwingers who will accuse him of being a “librul” — proving his point.
bart
March 16th, 2011
8:12 pm
Nunn is one of the most admirable men I know. He is a voice of reason in a poisonous political climate. He would have made an outstanding President. Our country is worse off because he never was. All one has to do is look at the idiots running our state and country today to realize just how special and unique Nunn is as a leader and as a person.
Centrist
March 16th, 2011
8:18 pm
And the left wingers who will accuse him of not being “progressive, liberal or socialist” enough.
Centrists get it from both sides which only see in black and white. Shades of gray are not tolerated by either party wing.
THIS centrist does not see any reason to lead in attempting to put up a Libyan “no fly zone”. Europe needed to lead in their own back yard – and their trial balloons never got very high before Gadhafi got the upper hand.
cs
March 16th, 2011
8:34 pm
another has been who needs retiring.
td
March 16th, 2011
8:41 pm
I voted for Nunn twice but when he voted to cut the C-5B (and end jobs in Marietta)and give the C-17 contract to Boring (Seattle)as the chairman of the Senate Arms services committee . I called him a sellout then and will never believe a word he has to say again.
the original and still the best John Galt
March 16th, 2011
8:48 pm
The trouble with the polarization that goes on these days is that it’s between the Republicrats and the Demopublicans. No alternatives to their answer, which always amounts to “government,” are ever allowed to be discussed. Meanwhile we fiddle while Rome burns.
rooster
March 16th, 2011
8:57 pm
Ivan Allen was re-elected mayor in 1965 without significant opposition. To have had Hartsfield and Allen as mayors through the 50’s and 60’s was Atlanta’s great good fortune. They positioned the city to be the business and transportation capital of the south, and they set the city apart from other southern cities by their handling of race and integration. When Atlanta schools were desegregated in 1961, President Kennedy began a press conference with a commendation of Mayor Hartsfield and the city’s handling of the change. Hartsfield retired that year and Allen defeated Lester Maddox to become mayor. As mayor, Allen testified before a congressional committee in support of the 1964 civil rights act – the only white elected official from the south to do so – and was re-elected mayor in 1965, in a city still majority white and decidedly southern. That four-year period might be said to be the decisive moment in the history of moden Alanta. It was also at that time that Ralph McGill was writing columns in support of civil rights in the Atlanta Constitution, and winning a Pulitzer Prize in the process. The early to mid ’60’s saw the convergence of three forces – the civil rights era, the jet age, and the emergence of dominant regional cities. And Atlanta was uniquely well-positioned among southeastern cities to attain ‘national” stature. Hartsfield saw that “the ocean of the future is the sky” and pushed the city to become an aviation hub. Both he and Allen understood that Atlanta’s national aspirations depended on being on the right side of history where civil rights were concerned. The nation saw white riots in New Orleans and Little Rock over integration. It saw the president commend Atlanta for its peacefulness. In ‘68, the nation saw riots and fires in nearly all the nation’s large black cities when King was assassinated. Then it saw the white mayor of Atlanta, Ivan Allen, a Buckhead boy, driving to the Kings’ home immediately after the news from Memphis, and putting the mayor’s office at Mrs. King’s disposal. And then of course some days later, the nation saw Atlanta, which had not burned over the weekend, provide a dignified and respectful environment for the funeral. The 1960’s presented Atlanta with a defining moment, and the leadership didn’t blow it.
Much has been accomplished in and by Atlanta since Hartsfield and Allen, but of all the city’s mayors, these two truly built the foundation for it all.
Debbie Dooley
March 16th, 2011
8:59 pm
You are either with us or against us……
Bookman-Tucker-Luckovich
March 16th, 2011
9:20 pm
Dayum….sure glad he isn’t talking about us!
Jiggle the Handle
March 16th, 2011
9:22 pm
Rooster—— Bravo, Bravo, Bravo. An accurate history of Atlanta rendered in elegant prose.
GaBlue
March 16th, 2011
10:24 pm
Yes, indeed. Amen, Rooster!
Also, congrats to Sen. Nunn on his award and the courage to point out what should be obvious to everyone: Some people are making a F-F-F-F-FORTUNE dividing us. And what do WE get for it all? Ugliness, hurt feelings, a leaner wallet, and rapidly-dwindling opportunities. A house divided IS falling, y’all. If you’re not willing to stop throwing dirt at your fellow Americans, you might as well say your good-byes right now. The America you grew up believing in is lost.
BRW
March 16th, 2011
10:30 pm
Again, the voice of NO-reason, td, speaks of his non-yielding anger towards someone who most assuredly voted for something that hurt his constituents, but was the correct thing to do, or at least he reasoned it was. td will never forgive because he didn’t LIKE it. Glad we now know why your so blatantly bitter about everything that doesn’t go your way. By the way Sam is more of an American/Georgia hero than anyone you’ll ever vote for.
hypocrisy
March 16th, 2011
10:38 pm
nunn—a DC millionaire—total hypocrite.
Sitting Bull
March 16th, 2011
11:22 pm
Limbaugh, Boortz and Hannity draft dodging millionaires
double
March 17th, 2011
2:15 am
@john gault the problem with the demopubs and republicrats are they are the same.Regardless how you vote and which party wins you get the same.Now if you do not agree with this give some serious thought to it.
Sam Nunn on the millionaires who divide us | Conservative GA
March 17th, 2011
2:46 am
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Carpetbagger
March 17th, 2011
4:08 am
To TD-
The C-17 was needed to replace the C-141… the C-5 NOT! Social Courage & Profile in Courage! Re-read the article! Don’t you get it? I’m sorry you got out voted not to strike. GA education at its finest!
Isakson & Chambliss not in same league
March 17th, 2011
6:38 am
The difference between Nunn and our current senators is that Nunn had the guts to vote no to war. He voted against the Gulf War.
Isakson and Chambliss knew that Bush was lying about Iraq’s capabilities and aspirations. Instead of stating the facts that there was no hard evidence that Iraq had WMD and no operational connections to Al Qaeda, our Senators kept their mouths shut and voted for the war. Tens of thousands of American service personnel are dead and wounded; we’ve wasted more than a trillion dollars due to their cowardice/dishonesty.
MiltonMan
March 17th, 2011
6:52 am
Nunn coming out of the woodwork speaking about we need civility in politics today??? Where was he when Bush was being blasted by his buddies in the liberal media?
Nunn is nothing more than a puppet on a string defending his man Obozo. Remember Nunn was heavily considered as VP for Obozo? Also, Nunn is currently an “informal” advisor to Obozo but funny he fails to ever mention this.
tom
March 17th, 2011
6:56 am
tell it like it is. Is anyone listening or even care?
Sam the Sham
March 17th, 2011
7:05 am
Would have been a great president.
Private Sector
March 17th, 2011
7:12 am
@ Milton Man
Of course you and your ilk would consider him advising the President as being something other than what is which is being a patriot.
phil
March 17th, 2011
7:23 am
Sam the sham!
WAW
March 17th, 2011
7:35 am
The responses so far prove that the radical rich, would be robber barons are succeeding in their anti-American brainwashing by financing of the radical, Republican, religious, racist, anti-anything right. Undermining “We hold these truths… All Men Are Created Equal… shall not perish…” What happened to the Eisenhowers, O’Neals and Reagans of the past? At least we still have a few real statesmen, like Nunn, who sees more than the programmed masses.
Lum
March 17th, 2011
7:46 am
Nothing and no one frightens me more than a Leftist or Rightist “true believer.” They will KILL you if you don’t agree with them and then act surprised when they are challenged on it.Spare me Democrats and Republicans with that hateful gleam in their eye.
jd
March 17th, 2011
8:09 am
Nunn has hit the nail on the head — why does Rupert Murdoch (an immigrant without a green card) care if we are a country united with common sense reasoning? He’d rather make money stirring us up!
GaBlue
March 17th, 2011
8:28 am
“Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.” JC the Savior and Pres. Abraham Lincoln
CONGRATS, haters and greedmongers! It’s working! When there’s nothing left, you’ll still be applauding the likes of Murdoch who made billions tearing us apart, and hating your neighbor who is more like you than you want to admit. You don’t deserve the now mostly-dead promise of this country. Now go suck up to your foreign corporate owners. They’re your new masters now. (Uh-oh… mine is looking for me too. Gotta boogie!)
Last Man Standing
March 17th, 2011
8:59 am
Advising the president? Hussein doesn’t seek advice nor would he take it if it were given. Sure, he goes through the pretense of asking, but that is merely a ruse.
The talk of Nunn being a potential VP nominee was exactly that – talk. I doubt that he was ever seriously considered. He had been away from the Washington elite for too long to be a serious contender.
Rush's paid caller
March 17th, 2011
9:19 am
My hero Rush loves making millions telling jokes about innocent 12 year old girls (Chelsea) and earthquake victims. What do you people have against the free enterprise system? I would even sign a loyalty oath to him!
the original and still the best John Galt
March 17th, 2011
9:45 am
Double, no argument from me. As Gov. Wallace said, there’s about a dime’s worth of difference in the two alleged “parties.” They are really just the two wings of the American Establishment, and they have about driven the U.S.A. into the ground.
Rush's paid caller
March 17th, 2011
9:57 am
MiltonMan @ 6:52 am:
Former President Bush’s team quite effectively threw civility out the door in the 2000 South Carolina GOP primary when they spread rumors about John McCain’s (a decorated war hero) family.
Us vs Us
March 17th, 2011
10:06 am
“Today our airwaves and public debates are filled with attempts to not just denounce opponents’ logic but to impugn their motives. Demagogues and rabble rousers are not new to American history — but the economics and the technology have changed,” Nunn said. “A large number of these folks are making millions of dollars dividing America into segments and yelling, ‘Sic ’em!’”
These political entrepreneurs have made humility unfashionable. It has become a sin in politics to say — nay, to confess — “I’m not sure.”
===================
In the comments section for an article about the dangers of radical extremist absolutists “td” and “last man standing” prove once again that they are prime examples of the ilk that allow these media hacks to lead them around by the nose.
khc
March 17th, 2011
10:11 am
milton man and last man can’t hold a candle to sam
MC
March 17th, 2011
10:12 am
I bet they are both tea baggers too Us vs Us.
Two Cents
March 17th, 2011
10:19 am
@Us vs Us: Well said. Many of the hateful and close-minded comments on this topic just prove Mr. Nunn’s point — for too many people, it doesn’t matter what is best for our community, state and nation, what matters is whether you have a D or an R (or a T?) after your name. The vitriol of both national parties is trickling down to the state politicians and the general populace and will bring this country tumbling down around us.
MC
March 17th, 2011
10:24 am
Two Cents you are absolutely right. All this hate will destroy this country if the sensible middle of the roaders don’t unite against the wingnuts. And for some reason I really believe very soon exactly that is going to happen. Common sense moderates will say enough is enough because these fringe lunatics keep pushing the envelope and they will go too far.
Rush's paid caller
March 17th, 2011
10:26 am
Just read in the AJC where Obama’s ancestors were traced to Ireland. You birthers now have more work to do.
MC
March 17th, 2011
10:34 am
A couple more voting cycles will see a demographic shift at the polls as well. A party that is so top heavy with with over 65 angry old white men and one that refuses to change and become more inclusive is doomed in the long run. Just the immigration issue has cost the republicans millions of votes. And when the citizen children of the republicans favorite target hit the polls it will be like a tsunami hitting these guys. Nobody forgets a party that wanted to separate their families and deport mom and dad.
Last Man Standing
March 17th, 2011
12:38 pm
GaBlue:
“you’ll still be applauding the likes of Murdoch who made billions tearing us apart”
I noticed that you made no mention of George Soros. In fact, when libs start talking about this issue, they conveniently suffer amnesia with regard to Soros and how his money has impacted the American political system.
Noted & quoted, a statesman says what edition | ATLmalcontent
March 18th, 2011
4:23 am
[...] was a time, albeit briefly, when Southern voters elected smart, prudent politicians like Sam Nunn. “Today our airwaves and public debates are filled with attempts to not just denounce [...]