I Believe in Political Partisanship

Partisanship is generally considered a derogatory term, while non-partisan or bi-partisan is regarded better since it’s seen as above the political fray. Perhaps this has been brought on by politicians themselves who when caught in a mistake often blame the other side for being partisan, instead of addressing their own errors.

Based on my 14 years as a member of the New Jersey Assembly, including four as Speaker, I think the label partisan is getting an undeserved bad rap. From what I observed first hand, the public is well served by having members of the other party doing everything they can to find the errors and shortcomings in the proposals and actions of members of the opposing party. Oh I know, sometimes it’s aggravating because the bickering slows things down and is called obstruction, but in the long term the public is better served because the truth is better known and the airing of proposals lets the public help shape them.

Who is in a better position to know what is going on, or being proposed, than the other side of the aisle? They know the players, the system and have a strong incentive to monitor the opposition. Even though their motivation is self-serving, the people still benefit.

The recent example in Congress and with New Jersey’s Governor Christie drive home this point, while demonstrating the potential downside. There can be a great temptation for the attackers to overplay their hand. The House Republicans did that when they shut down the government and New Jersey Democrats sending subpoenas to over 20 members of the Christie Administration reek of the same hubris.

I believe this issue will pass, as did my party’s efforts to sink the Clintons and Obama. When it does, Christie may emerge as a better leader and candidate for President. But whether he does or not, I believe the system is working and democracy is being served.

So, the next time you hear either party being criticized for being partisan, remember they are doing their job.