I am by no means advocating for Mitt Romney (especially over Ron Paul) as the presidential nominee, but this glimmer of civility is a welcomed breathe of much needed fresh air in the political debate. In an age that has lost much of it's congenial atmosphere, even the slightest bit of civility goes a long way. I applaud Governor Romney for being friendly towards Congressman Paul. I am not as shocked however to hear Paul is friendly to his opponents. He is a true politician that wants to debate the issues at hand.
Why the sudden (if ever so slight) warming to Romney? Because frankly I am worried the rest of the field may not be human. Santorum seems to have little compassion for those who do not look, walk, talk, think, or even smirk like him. Gingrich is a mean person, who like Santorum, does not recognize the existence of humans that do not think like him. At least Paul wants to talk about issues (leaving most of his personal life out of the equation) , and Romney has shared stories about his childhood (apparently full of cars, car rides, car rides to the Grand Canyon, singing in cars..you get the point).
Political civility is not some mythical creature that has only been seen by a select few. In times past, Congress has been a friendly, even fraternal place where member and their families mixed freely regardless of party and opinions. Harry Truman was a regular at the poker table with Republicans. Lyndon Johnson lived with a Republican when he first came to Washington. Much of the Congressional softball games, family picnics and civility came to and end under Gingrich's reign (yet another reason we cannot afford four years of him), though he would blame that on the Clintons. Politics is after the maker of strange bedfellows.
Is the Paul-Romney friendship an usher to a new age of political civility? I hope so. We need that. We need Congress to quit complaining about the other and work. Frankly we need Congress to simply work.
No comments:
Post a Comment