McKeon Woes Too Partisan
“McKeon Bemoans His 1st Dose of Partisan Politics” (Times Valley Edition, Jan. 30) on Rep. Howard P. (Buck) McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) was very illuminating.
McKeon complains he “went back there (Washington) as a nonpartisan and came back as a partisan,” blaming his disillusionment solely on the Democrats.
That McKeon found his first foray into national government to be a negative experience is unfortunate, and that he has decided in the first month of his term to argue policy strictly along party lines is profoundly disappointing. The voters I know do not expect their representatives to be nonpartisan but bipartisan.
Buck seems to be quite comfortable labeling all Democrats as the bad guys and all the Republicans as “heroes.” I cannot believe he wants to do anything other than impose his party line on the other representatives, just as he accuses the Democrats of doing.
If people like McKeon really want to help out, they would make the time to sit down with opposing members, work things out in a true bipartisan spirit and come back to report objectively to their constituents, instead of merely bashing the other side.
He already sounds defensive and cynical, resigned to fight the same old fight. As such, he will continue to be part of the problem, not the solution.
BOB LOZA
Burbank
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