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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Malnurtured Snay: [QB] Just got this in an e-mail ... not sure who wrote it, but I'll try and find out. Just some general stuff on partisan shit. Enjoy. [QUOTE]On Sept. 11 politics died. Contemporary American partisan politics as we have come to know it, full of thrusts and parries, charges and counter-charges, simply stopped. Without any polls or focus groups telling them what to do, Democrats and Republicans instinctively stopped quarreling among themselves, rallied behind a president whose very legitimacy had been questioned and pledged to give him whatever he wanted to fight a war on terrorism. Budgets did not matter. Protecting the "lock box" of Social Security did not matter. Political positioning did not matter. Elections did not matter. Only America mattered. The fundraising direct mail was pulled. The 30-second political advertising in New Jersey and Virginia was halted. The New York City mayoral primary was postponed and within hours commentators were suggesting that term limits should be repealed so that Mayor Rudolph Giuliani could run again. National and state political fundraisers were canceled all over the country and the constant pulse tones of members of Congress dialing for dollars went silent. Political consultants were asked by candidates, "What do I do now?" The answer from those sharp-tongued professionals was a unanimous, "Nothing." Congressman Gary Condit's face disappeared from the television scene, as did the discussion of Al Gore's new facial hair. Again, as always happens, nothing brings Americans together like a common enemy, and nothing makes Americans more focused than a common tragedy. This political unity was rightly perceived as one of the defining characteristics of American patriotism. But an equally important characteristic is the one that our common enemies do not often understand, and in many cases, may be fighting against: Our patriotism is premised on our democracy. Our ability to debate important policies, to disagree vehemently and vocally about where our country needs to go, and yet still stand together against a common enemy in the face of a common tragedy is what distinguishes us from military and religious dictatorships all over the globe. That is why there is so much danger in politics dying. Will every political difference between Democrats and Republicans be portrayed now as an unpatriotic display of partisanship? Will legitimate differences on how we should fight terrorism be characterized as unbecoming a great nation? Unquestionably, a significant and important slice of the American electorate is fed up with what is perceived as partisan bickering in Washington. After the impeachment of a president and the fall of two speakers of the House, it is no wonder that voters think there are too many personal attacks that have nothing to do with the serious issues that confront our country. But now that truly serious issues confront our country, we cannot let serious debate be perceived as inappropriate. If Democrats have differences with President Bush they should make those differences clear and fight for what they believe. That is patriotic. If Republicans object to the direction in which Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle is moving, they should fight for their beliefs. That is patriotic. But what will do our country and our cause no good is for either side to accuse the other of a lack of patriotism if they disagree. This disagreement is the sine qua non of democracy. Democracy is what our terrorist adversaries want to disrupt. Let us not let them. Let us debate among ourselves so that we are better able to fight against them. Let us reinvigorate the checks and balances that make our democracy so strong. Let us encourage people to get involved in politics and to come out and vote. Let us hope for record turnout in the postponed mayoral primaries in New York because Giuliani demonstrated these past two weeks that mayors matter. As baseball, football and Jay Leno come back, politics may come back too. But we are preparing for a war, and when the first military action happens, there will be a tendency for politics to die again. While politics must stop at the water's edge, what we do before we jump over that edge and how we prepare our nation for a just but complicated coming conflict must be debated. We can do without polls and direct mail, but we do need politics. We need the vibrant discussions, the challenges to the assumptions of the status quo; and the sometimes messy, American process of reaching serious decisions. Let us not let the terrorists take that away from us. Let us try to help promote it for them.[/QUOTE] [/QB][/QUOTE]
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