PORTLAND, Maine — With her entire staff on the Senate floor and her husband watching from the gallery, Senator Olympia J. Snowe delivered a plea to her colleagues Thursday to overcome “excessive political polarization’’ to work together to reach consensus on the ‘‘fiscal cliff’’ and other important issues.
The Maine Republican, known for her fierce independence, lamented that the Senate has evolved into something akin to a parliamentary system, where members vote in party blocs, promoting corrosive partisanship that has led only to gridlock.
Comments
She gives this speech when leaving? She liked partisan power as much as most of them...not all of them but most.
She of course had her positions that she supported. But she also worked with Democrats on many, many issues. She recalls the days when 20% or 30% of a party would vote for a bill sponsered by the other side. And when 20% or 30 % of the other side would voted against a bill their party supported. Now, it is huge news if 2 or 3 people split with their party. People really did use to work across the aisle, not on everything, but at least on some significant bills. We really are in a different era.
Say thanks to the tea party, the gift that keeps on giving.
When your Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, states that his primary goal is to have Mr. Obama be a one term president then YOUR party has to take the blame for most of the corrosive partisanship. Olympia Snowe lacked the courage to take on the leadership of her party, so she was also part of the problem.
You mean the American Senate is not a parliamentary system? But you have voters who register and "Democrat," "Republican," and "Independent." Why does the American system of registering voters do this if you don't expect voter to vote for 'their' party? This nonsense starts in the Election Offices when people register as American voters. Have you ever seen an Election Office employee explain the voting system to a 'new' voter????