I Actually Agree with Barney Frank

It's hard to believe but Barney Frank said something I actually agree with (from The Ticket):

Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Barney Frank traces the hyper-partisan atmosphere of the nation today to -- wait for it -- the rise of Republican partisan Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1994.

Gingrich was a driving force behind that year's so-called Republican Revolution that seized control of both houses of Congress with the "Contract With America" after the first two years of Bill Clinton's first term.

I've written before that the real acrimony between the parties that we see today got it's start thanks to two guys: Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton. Both were hyper-partisan and both not only wanted to win but wanted to crush the other guy. Newt led the GOP to retake the House and Senate in 1994 but, like the boss who is hired to turn around a company but can't adjust his management style once the turn around is complete, Newt continued to run the House as though he was still campaigning to defeat Clinton. Clinton returned the favor and a lot of anger and bitterness resulted.

To be sure, there has always been a degree of partisanship between the parties and it's often gotten ugly. But when you add the Newt/Clinton fight to the Bush/Gore battle in 2000, the Iraq war, Gitmo, etc., and now the socialist years under Obama, Pelosi and Reid, it's hard to see a future in which there won't be all out war between the parties. At least not until there is some new leadership on both sides.