Partisanship is Good?
Former Majority Leader Tom DeLay, while saying goodbye to the House yesterday, indicated that partisanship is good for the country. He stated,
“For all its faults, it is partisanship - based on core principles - that clarifies our debates, that prevents one party from straying too far from the mainstream and that constantly refreshes our politics with new ideas and new leaders.”
According to Dictionary.com, there are two basic definitions for the word:
- Partisan - “A fervent, sometimes militant supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea;” and “A member of an organized body of fighters who attack or harass an enemy, especially within occupied territory”
- Partisanship - “an inclination to favor one group or view or opinion over alternatives;” and “Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause.”
Obviously members of a political party have biased opinions, generally in favor of the party platform. However, in today’s culture, “partisanship” has become synonymous with some of the aggressive tactics described in the former definition. “Civil discourse” and “partisanship” have become antonyms, and I believe most of America is sick of the tactics associated with this type of aggressive politics.
Tags: [Tom Delay, partisan, partisanship, federal government, Congress, politics, rwrw]
No Comments so far
Leave a comment
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>