brentashley

I’m weary of all this talk in the USA of “bipartisan” politics. Being from a country with more than two parties, I’m not used to that word. Here in Canada we tend to use the word “nonpartisan” to describe a collaborative effort between our multitude of political forces, and I think there is a key distinction to be made.

“Bipartisan” evokes two parties, each pulling for themselves, albeit in a similar direction. “Nonpartisan” means in theory and moreso should mean in practice that partisanship has been entirely jettisoned in the interest of serving a common cause.

Bipartisan politics delivers only a glancing blow to the shared cause because each bipartisan member’s impetus is towards winning points for his or her own party in the name of the cause. Nonpartisan politics, when executed well, drives the entire cause forward with much more direct force.

Is it even possible to change the grammar of the political discourse from “Bi” to “Non”? I think the only effective course forward is to do so.