I'm going to take a step back today, back in time. This morning while driving to work, I was listening to an article on the NPR affiliate in the Philadelphia metro area, WHYY. The report was on a town hall that Senator Casey had last night on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). At the end of the piece, the reporter spoke briefly to a woman who was Republican and she noted that (paraphrasing here) 'the partisan bickering needs to stop'. I agreed with her and immediately knew what today's post would be about.
Two and a half years ago, I was a dedicated volunteer, campaigning for a woman named Karen Chelew. Karen was running for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, but unfortunately did not gain that seat.
One of the things I told prospective voters about Karen was that she was not interested in partisan politics, she simply wanted to get work done that needed to be done. I then told the person I was speaking with that Pennsylvania's legislators had devolved into nothing but finger pointing; that if a bill did not get passed that it was the 'other' party's fault. That Democrats and Republicans both were intransigent regarding finding common ground and compromising on the wording and therefore scope of legislation. I ended my point by noting that when I was young, in the 50's and the 60's, legislators reached across the isle, shook hands, compromised and got the peoples' business done.
At the time, it seemed like a convincing story, but this morning, I'm asking myself if the two parties really did work together in the middle part of the last century or was I just romanticizing how I saw this time period. How was I going to figure this out? I thought about it and decided to look up some key pieces of legislation from that era and see what the votes looked like.
Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956Passed the House on April 27, 1956 (388–19)
After some compromises where made in the conference committee between the two houses, the Senate shifts gears (again with the corny driving reference) and is almost unanimous. This is anecdotal, and in hind sight it looks like a no brainer. Let's look a another act that today, may not have been passed.
How about the Civil Rights act of 1964. Here's a piece of legislation that should be fraught with some sort of difficulties, but maybe not along party lines. Let's see.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Passed the House on February 10, 1964 (290–130)
Passed the Senate on June 19, 1964 (73–27) with amendment
House agreed to Senate amendment on July 2, 1964 (289–126)
Two and a half years ago, I was a dedicated volunteer, campaigning for a woman named Karen Chelew. Karen was running for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, but unfortunately did not gain that seat.
One of the things I told prospective voters about Karen was that she was not interested in partisan politics, she simply wanted to get work done that needed to be done. I then told the person I was speaking with that Pennsylvania's legislators had devolved into nothing but finger pointing; that if a bill did not get passed that it was the 'other' party's fault. That Democrats and Republicans both were intransigent regarding finding common ground and compromising on the wording and therefore scope of legislation. I ended my point by noting that when I was young, in the 50's and the 60's, legislators reached across the isle, shook hands, compromised and got the peoples' business done.
At the time, it seemed like a convincing story, but this morning, I'm asking myself if the two parties really did work together in the middle part of the last century or was I just romanticizing how I saw this time period. How was I going to figure this out? I thought about it and decided to look up some key pieces of legislation from that era and see what the votes looked like.
Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956Passed the House on April 27, 1956 (388–19)
Passed the Senate on May 29, 1956 (41–39)
Reported by the joint conference committee on June 22, 1956; agreed to by the House on June 22, 1956 (adopted) and by the Senate on June 22, 1956 (89–1)
Funding, that's where the rubber meats the road (sorry, I couldn't help myself). In 1956 the Interstate Highway system is funded for $25 billion for the construction of 41,000 miles (66,000 km) of the Interstate Highway System supposedly over a 10-year period it was the largest public works project in American history through that time.
Funding, that's where the rubber meats the road (sorry, I couldn't help myself). In 1956 the Interstate Highway system is funded for $25 billion for the construction of 41,000 miles (66,000 km) of the Interstate Highway System supposedly over a 10-year period it was the largest public works project in American history through that time.
After some compromises where made in the conference committee between the two houses, the Senate shifts gears (again with the corny driving reference) and is almost unanimous. This is anecdotal, and in hind sight it looks like a no brainer. Let's look a another act that today, may not have been passed.
How about the Civil Rights act of 1964. Here's a piece of legislation that should be fraught with some sort of difficulties, but maybe not along party lines. Let's see.
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Passed the House on February 10, 1964 (290–130)
Passed the Senate on June 19, 1964 (73–27) with amendment
House agreed to Senate amendment on July 2, 1964 (289–126)
Seems to me that if there was a problem here, it wasn't partisan. I'm not going to go crazy, but I'm willing to bet (and I'm not a betting person) that the descent we see in both chambers is for the most part from the southern block of states (the South). Otherwise, again we see compromise. A willingness to reach across the isle and do what needs to be done.
Then in 1965 a vote that I do not believe would look the same today, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. I was shocked when I saw that Everett Dirksen was one of the sponsors of the bill and more shocked when I saw the numbers:
Introduced in the Senate as S. 1564 by Mike Mansfield(D–MT) and Everett Dirksen (R–IL) on March 17, 1965
Committee consideration by Judiciary
Passed the Senate on May 26, 1965 (77-19)
Passed the House with amendment on July 9, 1965 (333–85)
Reported by the joint conference committee on July 29, 1965; agreed to by the House on August 3, 1965 (328–74) and by the Senate on August 4, 1965 (79–18)
Committee consideration by Judiciary
Passed the Senate on May 26, 1965 (77-19)
Passed the House with amendment on July 9, 1965 (333–85)
Reported by the joint conference committee on July 29, 1965; agreed to by the House on August 3, 1965 (328–74) and by the Senate on August 4, 1965 (79–18)
When's the last time any of us can remember the Congress voting on an important issue with this great lack of partisanship.
So, with these examples in mind, I find myself being nostalgic for earlier times in our country's history, when adults had a clear vision of what was right and they did it. I am constantly reminded of the sign I saw at the Million Woman march in D.C:
Left or Right
We all Know Wrong
Well maybe most of us. The last thing I want to point out is that we seem to have the analogy wrong when we say that partisanship is a product of polarization. This suggests that members of the two parties are on opposite poles. If they were, then they would attract each other. I suggest that members of the Democratic and Republican parties are actually products of the same pole, in recent times, and that is why they repel each other. Just a thought.
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