No Labels group pushes for bipartisanship
51³Ô¹ÏÍøPolitical Science Professor Cal Jillson talks about some Republicans and Democrats sitting side by side at Obama's State of the Union address.
By Anna M. Tinsley
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Maybe Tuesday could be a new start.
After years of intense partisanship, some Republicans and Democrats say they'll sit side by side -- rather than on opposite sides of the chamber -- to listen to President Barack Obama's State of the Union address.
Some chalk up the budding congenial effort in Congress to the recent Arizona shootings. But a group of people from all parties have been working for more than a month, through a new group called No Labels, to bring bipartisanship back to Washington, D.C., and government in general. . .
Some political observers applaud the effort.
"It's a noble endeavor, but one whose success is certainly questionable," said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at 51³Ô¹ÏÍøMethodist University in Dallas. "Hyper-partisanship is cooked into American politics at this point. It has developed over the past three decades, and now it's the standard operating procedure for politicians."
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