The Myth of Bipartisanship Radicals have lost credibility over time.

Some would consider that radical today, but as sad as it is, the word radical does conjure up negative stereotypes and is synonymous for polarized. As political discourse developed, the opinionated, educated individuals had a duty to inform and sway the feelings of the common man towards what they hold and believe to be true. Rhetoric existed all through time, and had two antithetical purposes deal with the issues at hand deftly and courageously, while others were using slights of hand (through words) for political gains and power. This confounding diatribe has taken a whole new meaning in the banter of American political discourse. For the time being I am going to skip straight to the time when no human in America was counted as three-fifths of another human being, mainly the last fifty years. Over this time period the meaning of the platform for the Democratic and Republican parties has changed so much. Radicals on both sides of the aisle have been branded as heretics, and the people who end up ruling identify themselves as one party, but truly are a cultural blending of both. This might sound like an ideal situation, but the break happens when you move from the executive to the legislative and judicial branch. As you move from the office of the president, who always chooses his words very carefully to avoid alienating any voters, even sweet-talking the most radical opposition, to Congress a massive break occurs. Unlike the president, who cares about the entire United States and all of the ideals held within (so to speak), the Congressmen are truly only responsible to their subsection. This is where all hell breaks loose. The majority leader in the Senate is a very important seat in the veranda, and if the majority leader is from the opposition party, oh boy! There have been documented cases of the senate majority leader openly bullying and ridiculing a sitting President to fit his own agenda. This is normally during a Presidents second term, so all bets to voters are off, but one can imagine the damage to the Presidents and Americas image around the world. The yardstick of bipartisanship has been cut sown over the years, and seemingly all sides play fair, but one must remember that all bets are off if you dare to cross the aisle.