Posted on 12/26/2012 11:30:11 PM PST by Olog-hai
When asked about the roots of political partisanship in Washington, retiring Senator Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) traces the issue to Newt Gingrich.
I can see it very directly going back to 1994 and Newt Gingrich, Conrad told C-Span in an interview. He had a view, to take over the House of Representatives one had to bring down the institution and things have never been the same since.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnsnews.com ...
It was Vietnam.
So, when the Democrats ran congress, there was no political partisanship. Ah, those were the days.
When Repubs pushed back, though, that was a bad thing. It upset the natural balance of the universe. In Democrat-world, not agreeing with them is bad. Its “partisan”.
They are half right. It is partisan, but that is not bad.
Its sort of like “grid-lock”. If half the congress wants to go in the wrong direction, which they always do, “gridlock” is the lesser of evils. Defeating them, Gingrich-style, is better though. Even if it is “partisan”.
Oh, the creeps were playing fifth column long before Vietnam.
Conrad has been there since the 80’s ... and, yet, it the fault of other people (some who have not been in Congress for over 10 years) . That’s the personal responsibility that Democrats are famous for.
It was clearly in evidence during Watergate....why hypocrites given Daley, Kennedy, LBJ, et al stealing elections.
It ramped up during the Bork Hearings. That’s when I really began to notice the partisanship and hatred, an increasingly divided nation ever since, save for a brief few months after 911 and Gulf War I.
When asked about the roots of political partisanship in Washington, retiring Senator Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) traces the issue to Newt Gingrich.
I can see it very directly going back to 1994 and Newt Gingrich,
When asked what he had for breakfast he said “ Tuesday”.
All nonsense aside, partisanship is a function of party politics; it exists when there are sides in an issue and any attempt to separate it is an attempt to deceive.
It transcends time and history.
To democrats, EVERYTHING is personal EXCEPT responsibility.
What an idiot, with zero grasp of history.
You could go back to the civil war or Eugene Debbs perhaps, but when trying to understand our modern differences, I think you need to start with Vietnam, Richard Nixon, and the hippies. We’re all still alive and not forgetting things.
He is absolutely correct.
The House of Representatives was the birthright of the Democrat Party. It had been that way since FDR and it was understood by everyone.
Then along comes Newt and upsets the apple cart and opens his can of Whoop-ass and spoils that long standing understanding between Democrats and Republicans that the Republicans will always be the Minority Party. The Republicans in return get collegial treatment by the Democrats and get invited to the best Washington parties.
Things were so nice and friendly like until Newt showed up.
Well the House could use another man like Newt again only this time maybe a true Reagan conservative.
If he had a true grasp of history he wouldnt be a Democrat.
Partisanship started when communism began to infest the liberal left.
I know liberals who ignore their hostile partisanship and point fingers at Republicans for having the nerve to push back. At least Gringrich is still pissing off liberals.
Oh, yes, indeed, Senator - that’s when it started - in 1994. It never happened under the bi-partisan Dem leadership before that when they did things such as completely shutting Republicans out of hearings.
Blame Jane Fonda.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.