“By the words we speak in public and how we publicly treat each other, we are undoubtedly going to influence the behavior of countless generations of American youth.” 

Imagine if every day politics could be as cordial as an NJCM conference or annual summit?

    One of the many reasons that I look forward to attending NJCM events is because they are occasions where our political leaders put down their partisan differences to work together as a team to make New Jersey a better place.

      I often leave NJCM events wishing that this spirit of cooperation- and accomplishment- could continue afterwards.

Unfortunately, it seems that too often in politics, partisan differences hamper our productivity.

     Throughout our society I have seen partisan lines drawn on a number of issues between Democrats and Republicans, conservatives and liberals and the ‘left’ and the ‘right’. This is not the same as people having different ideas, which I consider healthy and good.

     Partisanship at its worst makes people choose sides rather than focus on the issues. It also creates an uncooperative atmosphere where from the start some people take an unflinching point of view on an issue and refuse to participate in any discussion that might bring new ideas to the table.

   If we make up our minds in advance that we are going to resist listening to each other, we may miss hearing something that we might actually agree with.  We might even miss hearing an argument that inspires us to come up with a solution that we might not have thought of otherwise.

     But the main thing is, it takes the focus off the issues. More than ever we need to find creative solutions for many of the problems facing us. For instance, how to lower property taxes, fund retirement pensions, provide quality education for all, create employment for everyone and keep the air and water healthy- all at the same time. It's going to be hard to have the kind of productivity necessary to do this without having cooperation among all sides in the political process.

     Certainly, greater men have expressed concern over this issue. Our first president, George Washington, worried that party partisanship might prevent the United States from achieving its full destiny of greatness.

    "I was no party man myself,” said Washington. “And the first wish of my heart was, if parties did exist, to reconcile them."
      Thomas Jefferson had even a more severe take on the situation. "If I could not go to heaven but with a party,” he said. “I would not go there at all."  

     Personally, I support our party system and am proud that I have friends in both parties. But I, too, am worried about the effects of hard line partisanship.

    Perhaps we should not be surprised that there were more votes cast for the final winners in the American Idol television talent contest than in any American presidential election. Even though some of the supporters of various Idol contestants conducted negative campaigns on the internet, the contestants themselves openly resisted such negativity and supported each other onscreen, occasionally even crying emotionally when another contestant got voted off.

       One thing that always impressed me about American Idol is that all of the participants always exemplified a great amount of camaraderie among each other, even though they were competing against each other to be the winner. You often felt like they were a part of a caring, loving family. When is the last time we could say that about opposing candidates in a political election or budget battle?

     It is this kind of camaraderie that we need to inject into our daily political lives.     

     Furthermore, for the sake of our children and the younger generations, we adults must provide the role models for civil behavior.

     Today’s young people are constantly being bombarded with destructive behavior on the internet, in movies and with videos and numerous other influences.

    Who’s going to teach members of this younger generation how to get along with each other in a productive and peaceful way?

     That task comes to all of us. By the words we speak in public and how we publicly treat each other, we are undoubtedly going to influence the behavior of countless generations of American youth.

   Therefore, as we confront the many issues before us, let’s makes sure that now, more than ever, we illustrate to future generations how to come to agreements in a civil manner, especially when we disagree. Let’s show the youth of the world that despite our differences, we can still work together as a team.

     In other words, let’s really try to make every day politics as cordial- and productive- as an NJCM conference or summit!

We hope to see you on September 16^th at the NJCM 15^th Annual Executive Summit and Jersey Seafood Fest. You’ll be glad you participated, I promise that!