Remember way back when, oh, a couple of weeks ago, when Democrat and Republican leaders in Trenton joined hands and sang “We Are the World”?
Remember the good times? The times when everyone got along? That new era of bi-partisanship that would see politicians from across the spectrum standing shoulder-to-shoulder to right the wrongs of our world?
Umm. Never mind.
The irrational exuberance that we witnessed when a deal was reached on state worker health and pension benefits all went away when Gov. Christie vetoed a bill and Senate President Stephen Sweeney — best buddies only hours before — called the governor a bunch of names. Among the names were “punk” and “Mr. Potter from “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
You may be hearing bells right now, but nobody is getting any wings.
Sweeney was upset because he took the governor’s veto personally. The Early Intervention System was one of the cuts. According to NorthJersey.com, Sweeney’s daughter benefited from that program.
Was Sweeney over the top with his comments? Of course. But it’s hard to knock someone for such an honest response. Our guess it was more Dad than Senate President saying those things.
The political maneuverings will play out. There may be an attempt to override the veto. There may not be. Such an attempt might be successful — or not.
And maybe the spirit of cooperation has disappeared. At least for now.
But passion is a good thing. Standing up and fighting for what you believe in is a good thing.
Perhaps there are ways to channel that passion in ways that can bring us back around to righting some of those wrongs.
