Gen Y: Enough with the partisanship

(LIN) — Elections are over, but the finger pointing and whiny babies in Washington, D.C. are still in full force.

With only a month until the country could possibly careen off the so-called “fiscal cliff,” Congress and the White House just can’t seem to agree on anything from tax cuts to cabinet appointments and everything in between.

Whether you lean Republican or Democrat, you may be like most Americans who just want an end to the politics and bickering and a fresh start of progress by working together.

Sure, this sounds like a pipe dream, but why does it have to be that way?

That’s what 19-year-old Ambika Bist of Los Altos, Calif., wants to know. She wrote an opinion piece for SFGate after the 2012 election expressing her frustrations about partisanship.

“I want a party that preaches freedom and limited government, but has a social agenda similar to the Democrats’. Republicans have to broaden their appeal, for there is a call for social equality and a need to support social issues that matter to people, like those geared toward women and immigrants, and especially minorities, whose presence and interests cannot be ignored.“

Bist shares the frustrations of most Americans. At the ballot box this year, we had two main choices for two entirely different party platforms. While she voted for Romney in her first presidential election, she hasn’t written off the future to a doom-and-gloom projection.

However, just because her candidate didn’t get into office, she is not choosing to shove off every idea from President Barack Obama or Democratic congressional leaders.

She has a simple plea: “Let us work together.”

Fancy that. The most simply stated solution comes from a young voter whose concerns are not about image or party allegiance.

Bist goes on to say, “It is hoped we will resolve our bipartisan differences and put our emphasis on policies that create investments and opportunities for America in the competitive global market.  The Democrats' victory does not change my involvement in working for a better America. As every government strives for the success of its young citizens, so does my generation understand the personal responsibilities to help build a strong United States.“

Young people know what it takes to get the job done. Those of us in the workforce have been hustling since day one. Just because you don’t like someone or they think differently than you does not mean you can’t work together.

Our future depends on the ability of different opinions and commentary coming together to make our country stronger fiscally and in the area of international relations. It also depends on the ability of our representatives in D.C. to realize that compromise does not mean defeat.

It’s pretty telling when the best way for the White House and Congress to “grow up” is to take a page from a 19-year-old’s playbook.

Come on D.C., it’s time to play nice.

——

Gen Y is a weekly opinion piece covering issues that matter most to young, influential Americans through their late 30s. Jessica O. Swink, a 20-something, is the digital political producer for LIN Media and contributing editor to  onPolitix .