Partisanship

I have had many people come to me and inquire what it was like to be a candidate at the 20th House District Forum. While I am no expert, being that I was only a candidate for a party nomination for 7 days, I do have some insight from the perspective of my generation.

Party politics have become too partisan. Some will not speak with you because of your party affiliation. Some people say things like, “Oh, don't talk to him/her about politics, he is a Republican.” and vice-versa. This mentality is a travesty to the democratic process in America.

We should be able to converse about these topics with respect and without fear of social shun or retribution. Some are labeled as extremists, either Liberal or Right wing. It is interesting to know that the founders of our country such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Hancock all were labeled as extremists; however, they were all respected and never shunned. They fought aggressively to win a debate or prove a point; however, in the end they all signed the Declaration of Independence.

Partisanship is promoted by those in elected office to keep their political prowess. How much power would be in the hands of the people if we spoke with one another and came up with our own plans to fix problems?