I recently came across this article about two professors at Concordia University who both plan to run for Congress (one is a Democrat, the other a Republican), but will have "collaborative" campaigns.
Each will be vying for the U.S. House seat held by longtime Republican lawmaker Jim Sensenbrenner of Menomonee Falls.But the two say their broader mission is to create a model for "what campaigns ought to look like."
The professors will publish a pact laying out their campaign ground rules, from no personal attacks to no money from special interest groups.
"What people want is just a greater sense of decency, a greater sense of cooperation, a greater sense of collaboration," said Walz, who added that the pair represent "a Democrat and Republican joining forces to tackle and address the important issues."
You can read the rest of the article here. What do you think about this (Novel Idea or Idiotic)? Love to hear your comments in the thread.
Personally, I wish them both great success -- and that's not just because I'm Lutheran. ;-)
Don't knock bipartisanship until you've tried it; it can be fun.
Bipartisanship is all well and good until you have a serious conflict of values. This is what people like David Broder will never understand. If progressive Democrats had opted to be bipartisan during the 60s, black folks in the US might still be drinking out of separate water fountains.
That said, I'm absolutely in favor of civility, decency and following basic ground rules. But politics is not a parlor game. It is a conflict of visions and of characters, and you can't expect it to be a bed of roses all the time.