Published in the Morning Call, Allentown, PA 6:17 a.m. EST, February 25, 2013
I've been thinking for a while about
Bill White's Jan. 22 column praising U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent and the
No Labels group, calling for "more moderation" in congressional
politics.
You can certainly make an argument
for less bitter partisanship in Washington. The public is rightly fed up with a
Congress so paralyzed
by partisan bickering that it doesn't seem to solve any of the problems facing
us. No Labels' call to "Tell the full truth" and "Govern for the
future" is admirable. Indeed, if these proved to be more than rhetorical
slogans, they would be complete novelties in American politics of the last 35
years.
However, the key flaw in Bill
White's argument is that more centrist or moderate policies in Congress won't
do anything to solve the critical, deepening problems we face as a nation. The
public wants less bickering in Washington so that the problems we face may be
constructively resolved.
