Regular reader Don S. sent me a link to an interesting blog post this morning.

It is completely coincidental that the content of that post dovetails nicely with my column from this weekend.

Here’s the operative excerpt from the blog post:

The zeal of party politics has become a polarizing distraction from the actual issues.  George Washington warned that this would happen if party politics were not kept in check.  After his second term, in his farewell address to the nation, Washington warned, “Let me now take a more comprehensive view, and warn you in the most solemn manner against the baneful effects of the Spirit of Party generally.... A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform vigilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of warming, it should consume.” This is exactly what has been going on in our country for the better part of a century, slowly building to the point where the people are completely blinded by party loyalty. 

Party loyalty is WRONG.  You need to do what is RIGHT, not what benefits your party.  If you support your party simply because it’s your party, no matter what it means to the health and viability of the country, you border on treason.  Thankfully, many Americans are beginning to look away from the party flame to see the wrongs that are being done in the name of party loyalty.  It’s sad that our economy almost collapsed before many began to see the flaws with blind party loyalty, but there is hope.  You can turn away from the left-wing, right-wing single dimentional [sic] scale and see the world on a more dimensional cartesian [sic] scale.  There are 300 million people in this country.  More than 2 are qualified to be president.

This commentary is spot on. But the heart of Washington’s warning about the “Spirit of Party” fell within the bookends quoted in the blog post:

This spirit, unfortunately, is inseparable from our nature, having its root in the strongest passions of the human mind. It exists under different shapes in all governments, more or less stifled, controlled, or repressed; but, in those of the popular form, it is seen in its greatest rankness, and is truly their worst enemy.

The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge, natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of public liberty.

Without looking forward to an extremity of this kind (which nevertheless ought not to be entirely out of sight), the common and continual mischiefs of the spirit of party are sufficient to make it the interest and duty of a wise people to discourage and restrain it.

It serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which finds a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.

Read Washington’s complete address here.

Consider the individual words Washington uses in this section about the “Spirit of Party:” Rankness. Worst enemy. Revenge. Horrid enormities. Frightful despotism. Disorders and miseries. Ruins. Riot. Insurrection. Corruption. Facilitated access. The “Spirit of Party” serves always to distract.

Sound like anyone you know?

My column on Saturday was entitled, “Financial crisis could signal end of two-party system.” Please read it here.

Then call your legislators, all of them, at the state and federal levels. You can find them here; just enter your zip code in the “Find Your Representatives” search field on the left side of the page.

Call them and tell them that ballot access for third parties has become as important to you as the economy – because of what they’ve done to the economy.