Partisan Fisticuffs Prevent Governing

Who needs ice hockey when there are politics? See Pat Buchanan high-stick Bob Dole. See Bill Clinton slam Newt Gingrich up against the boards. Watch the gloves fly as Republicans and Democrats clear the benches for a wild fist-swinging brawl. Isn’t this fun?

Does this have anything to do with leadership or governing?

No. As the partisan fisticuffs intensify this year, voters ought to ask themselves what sort of statecraft they want to reward with their support.

Consider, for example, what partisan politicking has done to the performance of Congress and the White House.

Today, President Clinton will unveil a budget proposal for the fiscal year that will begin Oct. 1. Congress will greet it like a skunk at a dinner party. Clinton will pretend surprise. Then, Congress and the president will go back to bickering over the budget that they have failed to adopt for the fiscal year that began last Oct. 1. Due to that refusal to agree, portions of the federal government once again are approaching a shutdown.

Obviously, the real objective - on both sides - is partisan control. Democrats want to keep the White House and take back Congress. Republicans want to keep Congress and take back the White House.

Each party has concluded that confrontation is the way to reach its goals.

But confrontation means virtually nothing gets done. Sure, there’s activity - as each side presents proposals known to be unacceptable to the other. Meanwhile, welfare goes unreformed. The deficit grows. Highways and airports deteriorate. College costs zoom out of reach. Prisons become clogged. Basic research stalls and high-tech manufacturing moves overseas.

Where did we get the idea that it’s a virtue to slam one’s opponents and jam monkey wrenches into the wheels of democracy?

Unfortunately, the skills required to make an attack ad sing or a partisan crowd roar might sway voters, but they are not the skills needed to craft passable legislation which will balance the interests of this diverse country and change it for the better.

During the recently adjourned session of the Washington state Legislature, members feuded not only about the hundreds of issues they left dying on the floor but also about which religious sect ought to dominate the prayers offered at the start of each day’s session. How typical. If the Almighty was listening, he must have been holding his nose.

Successful leaders don’t trash those with different perspectives - they persuade them. As the campaign season unfolds, wise voters will look for lawmakers who treat one another, and our government, with respect.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = John Webster/For the editorial board