James November-December 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 65
uring my 22 years
in the State Senate,
I enjoyed working
with my Republican colleagues to
pass a wide range
of conservative
bills that advanced the principles
I was elected to represent. However, I equally enjoyed working on
bipartisan issues with my Democrat colleagues to pass legislation
that I considered good for our state.
I always had a belief that we could
work together for common goals,
and even where we disagreed we
could maintain friendships and a
mutual respect.
Since transitioning to the
private sector, I still hold this same
belief. I enjoy working with my
friends in both parties and maintain strong relationships even with
those I disagree with policy wise.
It is possible to disagree and still
have a healthy respect for each
other, and it is certainly possible to
work together on issues without
compromising your principles.
Many examples of bipartisan
friendships have existed throughout our history. One well known
example comes from the 1980s
between President Ronald Reagan
and U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Tip O’Neill. While
they were often fierce opponents
regarding their policy outlook and
world view, they found ways to
work together on many prominent
issues. They did so without compromising the values they each
held dear and they secured many
great wins for our nation.
Other examples of polar-opposite political figures being
willing to maintain a respectful
working relationship can be seen
with U.S senators John Kerry and
John McCain, a Democrat and a
Republican. Then there’s two late
U.S. Supreme Court justices: Ruth
Bader Ginsburg and Justice Antonin Scalia. Former Presidents Bill
Clinton and George W. Bush are
another national example.
Perhaps the most shining
example of this idea of political
civility comes directly from our
own state of Georgia in the form of
the late U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson,
a Republican who was appointed
as chairman of the State School
Board by then-Democratic Gov.
Zell Miller. Isakson fought fiercely
for his conservative principles over
the course of his storied career but
did so in a way that allowed for a
deep respect from his colleagues
on both sides of the aisle.
Isakson summed it up best
with his immortal words: “There
are only two kinds of people in the
world— friends and future friends.”
(By the way, Miller defeated Isakson to become governor in 1990.)
In this new era of politics, it is
all to common to see politicians on
both sides of the isle demonizing
the other and throwing the idea
of civility to the wayside. I do not
believe this is healthy for our state
or our nation. As we move past the
November elections, I find it to be
paramount we return to a world
of politics where we can have
healthy debate, disagree where
we need to, but still work together
where we can.
Even on the issues that are
most divisive, we can carry out the
needed debate without lowering
the conversation to basic name
calling and personal attacks. We
are at our best when we engage
issues based on facts (which can
be hard-hitting when presented)
and from a position of concern for
our neighbors, as opposed to raw
emotion and fearmongering.
As we look forward to the
large issues we must tackle at the
state and national levels, it would
benefit us all to remember that
civility, cooperation and decency
still matters.
Jeff Mullis is a retired state senator from Chickamauga. He currently serves as the founder and
principal of Midnight Rider Consulting.
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