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AIM Google OpenID Charles Pope, The Oregonian
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"None of us shrank from partisan debates while in Congress or from the partisan contests getting there,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]," the letter says. "During our time in Congress, partisans on the other side may have been our opponents on some bills and our adversaries on some issues. They were not, however, the enemy."
"As partisan veterans," it continues, "we join together to advocate a change in approach - a change in rhetoric and tone that can lead to a focus on problem-solving. This needs to begin now,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], especially as we head into the heat of the 2010 campaign.''
The letter is especially significant for Packwood,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], who has emerged from the solitude of private life to publicly advocate for a new tone in Washington. He spoke to the City Club of Portland on the topic less than a month ago, reminding the audience of something his father once told him. "Beware of the zealots -- they have no sense of humor."
The letter released Monday suggests the zealots have the upper hand. "Congress appears gripped by zero-sum game partisanship," it says. "The goal often seems to be more to devastate the other side (the enemy, no longer the honorable adversary) than to find common ground to solve problems, much less to have a spirited but civil debate about how to do so.
"The divisive and mean-spirited way debate often occurs inside Congress is encouraged and repeated outside: on cable news shows, in blogs and in rallies. Members who far exceed the bounds of normal and respectful discourse are not viewed with shame but are lionized, treated as celebrities, rewarded with cable television appearances, and enlisted as magnets for campaign fund-raisers."
-- Charles Pope
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