Ward Brehm: A call for healthy, helpful partisanship

I am a lifelong Republican, and proud of it. I voted for John McCain and believe strongly in the conservative principles of small government, low taxes and strong national defense that my party stands for. I am plenty passionate and partisan.

But now the election is over, and it's time to root for Barack Obama. I sincerely hope that he becomes the greatest president in American history. That's what we need right now given the daunting challenges of epic proportion that our nation, and indeed the world, face today.

Of course, there will be times, perhaps many of them, when we Republicans will and should stand in opposition to President Obama's attempted agenda. And I hope we win.

But we cannot make the same mistakes Republicans made in the early 1990s, when the Democratic president could do no right. The GOP vilified Bill Clinton and angrily attacked him every step of the way. Don't get me wrong; I was pleased to see many of his proposed reforms defeated, but the constancy of the criticisms and their vitriolic tone were counterproductive. It created a nasty, venomous climate in Washington that everyone wants to see changed.

Of course, Democrats have done the same with our current president. They have had every right to oppose George W. Bush on policy issues, but they've gone further, calling him vicious names and questioning his motives and brainpower. It's time for the nastiness to end.

Calling for a postpartisan era is naive. People are passionate about politics, as they should be. This is not like rooting for a sports team; the results of these policy fights matter. There is a lack of policy consensus in our country because we are divided on key political principles and ideas. And that's OK.

But we can and must usher in an era when we can agree to disagree, when we can acknowledge our political enemies also as our personal friends. I am tired of the hysterical attacks from both sides that exclaim that candidates and leaders from the opposite sides are the scum of the earth. The truth of the matter is that most of our public officials are good, hardworking people. That doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see more Democrats out of office, but we should be able to acknowledge that most are decent people doing the best job they can out of a duty to country.

While we will always have our differences, the particularly mean-spirited mood that has overtaken our capital has created artificial and unnecessary gridlock and divide. It's pretty tough to work with someone who casually calls you a liar and a crook. Sure, sometimes those names are appropriate. Sen. Ted Stevens from Alaska is both. But more often than not nasty names are not the proper titles for our politicians. Greater civility on Capitol Hill could produce greater productivity.

It is time for Republicans and Democrats to stop screaming at one another and start talking. The constant, hypercritical chorus coming from both sides is getting old. Voters have had enough, and both parties will ignore this fact at their peril. Our country faces some extraordinary challenges, and we will have to work together to get through them.

I didn't vote for Barack Obama, but he is about to be my president, and I will pray for him and hope his time guiding our country through turbulent times is successful. We will have another election in four years, but today the time for campaigning is over. Now is the moment for a serious, substantive and, I hope, civil debate to begin.

Ward Brehm, Orono, is chairman of the Brehm Group Inc.