Kenya Barris Quotes
I'm doing another pilot about a black Democratic pundit who's married to a white Republican pundit. And the purpose of me wanting to do that show - and ABC sort of supported me in the way they did - is because I feel like, you know, the political system is like an old married couple.
Gross, Terry. "‘Black-ish’ Creator Kenya Barris: ‘I Want To Tell Stories About My People’." NPR, National Public Radio, 23 Feb. 2017.
This was perceived as an attack on social conservatives and a particular sleight to Robert Bork who had previously used part of the phrase as a book title.
He was the chairman of the committee and the he had denied the Democrats equal access to witnesses before the meeting in a patently unfair process. When one of the minority members of the committee complained in the open hearing that the process was unfair this was his response. Most majority committee chairmen do not resort to this kind of unfair practice so this was not generally a typical practice but reflected the bitter hyperpartisanship that the House Republicans were engaging in at the time.
Most political analysts agree that all of these were factors that produced the hyperpolarization of the time. There were others such as the Republican Southern Strategy which triggered a shift of Democratic conservatives to the Republican party. This made the Republicans more conservative and the Democrats more liberal. Then those strong ideological parties drove many of their moderates out, and the Tea Party ran even more conservative candidates knocking out less conservatives in the primaries. Another factor, the relatively even split of voters nationally causing most candidates to appeal to their bases which became more extreme. However, especially in the House of Representatives, the redistricting created so few competitive districts that there was no need for candidates with safe seats to even be concerned with moderate and undecided voters.
Baker was referring to the "enviornmental" table -- the forums and institutions that had been and will continue to make decisions that effect many countries, By being too skeptical, the Reoublicans of the era took themselves out of the arena of policy and decision making on enviornment throughout the world. He urged that they get involved more actively.
Kenya Barris is an American writer, producer, director, and actor. He is best known as the creator of the ABC sitcom black-ish (2014–present).
