http://www.gabriellereillyweekly.com/full/st071403.htm

OK this article is not about “love and world peace”. I have shaved my armpits (not that I care about hairy armpits) and I am not holding up my peace fingers that quickly turn into the “up yours” fingers. This article is intended to remind us all that so much “politicking” is becoming counterproductive to the well being of our country and our international relations. Spewing hate, manipulating legal loop holes, pointing fingers and laying blame is not accomplishing anything other than some often shameless sensationalism, and making our opponents more vigilantly defend their position. The well being of our country needs to be first and foremost above bi-partisan politics. We need to assess individual legislation on its overall merits not political alignment. To do that we first need to get the root of our venom by looking at the big picture.

Now was it really your secretary that had you post that pic on your home page? :)

I'll have her freepmail you to prove it, but you HAD to go and look at the picture, which totally blows my claim to perfection.

LOL Btw thanks,that is kinda nice of you to say. :) You like strong women ha?

You're welcome and indeed I do, as well as other attributes which you'll see from my secretary tomorrow.

There is partisanship and bipartisanship. Why is there no tripartisanship? Perhaps we just need to tri harder.

Bipartisanship went away with the re-alignment strategy uses so successfully by Richard Nixon in 1968.

For most of the last century the south was a one party segment of the nation. Everyone in the South who could vote was a Democrat. The South was fiscally and socially conservative but every legal voter was a Democrat because of the race issue.

On fiscal and social issues, not including race, the Midwestern Republicans and the Southern Democrats were on the same page. They often cooperated in a "Bipartisan" manner. By the same token the North Eastern Republicans were very much like the industrial State Democrats. The Northeastern Republicans were Republicans because of the Democrat position agaist civil rights.

Once the Democrats under LBJ went strong for civil rights, people with similar political views outside of race moved to the same party.

The Southern Democrat became a Southern Republican and the Northern Eastern Republican became a Democrat.

For the first time our nation has nearly all conservatives in the Republican party and all Liberals are in the Democratic party. Soon the remainder of the liberal Republicans like Senaters Snowe and Chaffee will be gone. Soon the remainder of the Cconservative Democrats like Zell Miller will be gone.

The realignment makes what people think of as Bipartisanship impossible. There will very soon be NO Republicans that agree with Democrats on anything. And NO Democrats that agree with Republicans on anything.

As the two parties become even more polar opposites of each other, there will be a lot more fighting and a lot less getting along.

The Days when a Rayburn and Martin could share views on many issues are long gone. Even the days when an O'Neil and Reagan could work together for a tax cut are gone.

The party leaders and the rank and file are all of the same philosophy on both sides. That is a prescription for knock down drag out fights. It is not a prescription for bipartisanship.

Bipartisanship is dead. Party realignment Killed it.

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