Both parties responsible for partisanship

A Feb. 18 letter criticized the Tea Party movement for causing partisanship. The problem with partisanship is that both sides spend more time trying to blame the other than to work together. Our legislative branch is full of Democrats and Republicans who find passing the blame to be easier than action in their perpetual quest for re-election.

That letter was a reflection of this. It rightly criticized Republicans for voting against Afghanistan funding, while pretending President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn't vote against troop funding for Iraq in 2007 just so they could earn a few primary votes.

Saying conservatives will abandon bills they support simply because the Democrats support them is misleading. Both parties have abandoned bills in the past decade because too many riders and pork have been added at the last minute, not to mention the refusal to give ground on the health care bill we were supposed to have by now.

Calling out Republicans for mocking/disagreeing with the president in a time of war is almost laughable to anyone who watched television during the Bush years. Are tea parties really more damaging than making speeches about “taking the country back from the Republicans?” Why do elected leaders get their jobs by making half of the citizens they are supposed to serve out to be the enemy?

Creighton McEleney

Iowa City