I thought the following commentary/editorial from David Sander was a fitting tribute for the convention. It’s written by David Sander, a local GOP Mayor who’s putting Republican principles to work every day, in the real world of government.
A case FOR partisanship, not “post-partisanship”
David Sander,
Mayor of Rancho Cordova
As a local Mayor, my job is considered “non-partisan”. But, I don’t think there is such a thing as “non-partisan. In fact, I don’t get they get the idea of “post-partisanship” – to me it’s just a bunch of feel-good hooey.
Partisanship is a good thing.
Political Parties are not social clubs. At least they are not supposed to be. Parties are supposed to be about shared ideas and values – they are supposed to believe in something.
Partisanship means that each party has its own ideas and values – and sometimes those ideas and values conflict. It’s not a bad thing.
Post-partisanship is a washed out, bland amalgam of ideas pleasing everyone and standing for nothing.
Being a member of a political party is an act of commission to those values and ideas. People joined a Political Party because they shared at least some of those beliefs and values. That’s not to say every member agrees with every other member of their party – but there’s set of shared beliefs.
Some folks claim that voters are sick of partisanship – and DTS (decline to state) is the fastest growing segment of the voter rolls. But I’ll offer different reason: voters are sick of politicians’abandonment of principles in self-absorbed quests for power. They are tired of politicians who fail to address critical issues.
I agree with Mike Madrid’s column: Republicans don’t need to be fence-sitters, side-liners or obstructionists – they need to engage the vital issues facing California using Republican principles and ideas.
Republican’s didn’t lose Congress because they were too partisan, they lost because they stopped being Republicans, tolerated incompetence and corruption for the sake of power and failed to keep their promise.
What Republicans need is not “post-partisanship” – we need relevant and effective partisanship.
I know some of the lefties will get themselves all atwitter and start tossing “obstructionist” labels and tomatoes at me. But I’m not advocating gridlock – I’d just like to see more elected officials with the courage of their convictions and fewer with a lower and lower sale price.