The End of a Bipartisan Era

Last weekend marked the passing of the last surviving member of John F. Kennedy's cabinet and perhaps, the end of a bipartisan era that is rapidly being replaced by a particularly nefarious form of hyperpartisan politics that has resulted in Climate McCarthyism on the left and the Tea Party movement on the right.

Stewart L. Udall, an interior secretary in the 1960s and a well-known conservationist from Arizona, imparted his concern about the growing partisanship in Washington and its potential consequences for conservation to his son, Senator Tom Udall (D-NM), prior to his death:
 

"But Tom Udall said that in recent years his father had become greatly concerned over the state of politics in the country, worrying "we were losing the bipartisanship in the environmental area."

He added that Mr. Udall had recently written a letter to his grandchildren, urging them to focus on "trying to transform our society to a clean energy and clean job society.""