Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Bipartisanship at Christmas time?

Today my daughter made me stop to buy her outspoken Republican Social Studies teacher a Christmas present. I had already purchased teddy bears for all of her friends but she surprised me the other day with a last minute request to get him a present. As a mother who comes from a long line of Republicans, I must admit that one of my fears is that my child will be drawn back into the party that my family has supported for generations. But it is Christmas time so I can and should make nice with the other side. The one good thing about having children is that they often remind us of how easy it is to be friends with someone that you don't always agree with when it comes to political views. Too bad we can't remember to act that way the rest of the year.

The other day I went to see Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's lecture at the convention center. She reminded us that in the past when travel cost more and was harder to do that the politicians were forced to stay in Washington and therefore they spent more time together. The result of that time spent together was that they made lasting friendships that helped them work together the rest of the year. With travel being less difficult in present times, politicians fly home for their down time so they can spend it with friends and family. With a state like New Mexico where the seats are divided between both parties and our country is divided between both parties maybe it is time that we encourage both Republicans and Democrats to have some social time together during their breaks. It just might result in our state representatives being able to work better together and get more done during the rest of the year. I would encourage the heads of both parties to talk about creating an annual social event or maybe evening more than one that could bring not only representatives but also party activists together so that the lines of communication could be developed. I am not saying that it would be an easy job but the rewards for our state and our country could surprise even the most harden amongst both our parties. The term bipartisanship should not be a word of the past but also of the future.