As I See It
Hyper-partisanship must end for the good of the country
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As we approach the 20th anniversary of September 11th, we remember that tragic day in our history. But it also brought about a remarkable response, as a unified nation rallied to defend our democracy from a foreign attack. Ironically, we now face another attack on our democracy, the hyper-partisanship that is dividing our nation. This time, the attack is coming from within. It is a fact that political partisanship has increased dramatically in the last 15 years. Our nation has moved farther to the left and to the right, resulting in name-calling, blaming, gridlock…even violence. The serious issues we face are complex, requiring our best collective input. How can we expect good results, using a playbook with half the pages missing? Blaming and name-calling is no substitute for real problem solving. Fortunately, we do have some elected leaders who are trying to break away from hyper-partisanship. They deserve our vote and our support. As citizens, we must insist on integrity and civility in order to preserve our American democracy.
— By Lee Rasch, executive director of Leader Ethics Wisconsin
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