"I find it amazing that the Republicans who doubled the debt of the country in eight years and produced no new jobs doing it, gave us an economic record that was totally bereft of any productive result, are now criticizing (Pres. Barack Obama) for spending money."Whether you love him or just love to hate him, the man makes a damned good point.
Kevin Madden, who served as press secretary for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, rises on the right to offer a counterpoint:
"We're now unencumbered by not having a Republican in the White House. And we can draw the line and say, 'enough is enough' when it comes to spending."That might just be the all-time lamest excuse for partisanship that I've ever heard.
Oh, it's a plausible enough explanation, considering the present irony. But anyone who finds justification in Madden's words needs to put the Kool-Aid down -- now.
In two short sentences, the one-time Romney flack confirms what we already know -- that partisanship has crippled our government -- and thus he makes a sharp case for independence.The GOP, facing Democratic Party majorities in the House and Senate as well as a Democrat in the Oval Office, calls itself "the loyal opposition" -- which presumes opposition. Loyal opposition is a smoke screen for contrarianism, not a synonym for independence.
The Democrats are no better, of course. The Obama administration's call for "bipartisanship" is itself an endorsement of ideological inertia. Bipartisanship demeans true independence.
Every politician who puts party loyalty before the will of The People has ceased to serve The People. And every citizen who pledges allegiance to political ideology squanders their birthright.
A nation born of independence deserves better -- from our elected representatives, and from us.
