The acrimonious partisanship continues in Washington. At a recent town-hall meeting, Congressman Allen West was asked how many members of the Democratic Party are card-carrying Communists. He said between 78-81 members:
Democratic Barney Frank in the Huffington Post quickly responded:
“Not even Joe McCarthy would have said anything so stupid and dissociated from reality. It’s an indication of the significant deterioration of the Republican Party as a responsible entity that an ignorant, mean guy like Allen West is considered one of their stars.”
At least, according to Frank, this kind of partisanship can be traced back to Newt Gingrich in the late 1970s:
Barney Frank on Newt Gingrich’s Political Legacy from The New Republic on FORA.tv
But perhaps the origins lie here:
Thomas Kean on the Cause of Increasing Partisanship from The Century Foundation on FORA.tv
