--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before the nineteen-seventies, most…" description: "\"Before the nineteen-seventies, most Republicans in Washington accepted the institutions of the welfare state, and most Democrats agreed with the logic ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/george-packer-2917_accepted_before-the-nineteen-seventies-most-repub_1847407.png" --- # Before the nineteen-seventies, most Republicans in… ![“Before the nineteen-seventies, most Republicans in Washington accepted the institutions of the welfare state, and most Democrats agreed with the logic of the Cold War. Despite the passions over various issues, government functioned pretty well. Legislators routinely crossed party lines when they…” quote by George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/george-packer-2917_accepted_before-the-nineteen-seventies-most-repub_1847407.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/george-packer-2917_accepted_before-the-nineteen-seventies-most-repub_1847407.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/732/george-packer-2917_accepted_before-the-nineteen-seventies-most-repub_1847407.png) > “Before the nineteen-seventies, most Republicans in Washington accepted the institutions of the welfare state, and most Democrats agreed with the logic of the Cold War. Despite the passions over various issues, government functioned pretty well. Legislators routinely crossed party lines when they voted, and when they drank; filibusters in the Senate were reserved for the biggest bills; think tanks produced independent research, not partisan talking points. The "D." or "R." after a politician's name did not tell you what he thought about everything, or everything you thought about him.” [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes a bygone era of bipartisan cooperation and functional governance before ideological polarization intensified. **In simple terms:** Politics used to be more collaborative. Key Takeaway Value cross‑party dialogue. Themes politics history bipartisanship government polarization Mood reflective analytical nostalgic Type historical political critical When to use this quote - legislative negotiations - bipartisan committees - public trust building - policy research - media analysis Key Concepts Civic culture institutional trust policy making Questions to Reflect On - How can modern legislators rebuild trust? - What incentives encourage bipartisan voting? A Different Perspective Current climate makes such cooperation rare. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accepted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepted/) [Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bills/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Cold war](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold-war/) [Democrat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democrat/) [Drank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drank/) [Filibuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filibuster/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Government Functioned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government-functioned-2399560/) [Independent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/independent/) [Institutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institutions/) [Issues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/issues/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/names/) [Nineteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nineteen/) [Partisan Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partisan-talking-2399562/) [Partisans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/partisans/) [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Politician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politician/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Republican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republican/) [Republicans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republicans/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Research Partisan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research-partisan-2399561/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Tanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tanks/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trump/) [Various](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/various/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Welfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare/) [Welfare state](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare-state/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [I was critical of the Israeli government, however, for not being prepared for the move. 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If you have worked in Congress you know that the filibuster was invented by men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-boothe-luce/they-say-women-talk-too-much-if-you-have-worked-in-congress-you-know/) [Clare Boothe Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-boothe-luce/) > [The Dream Act and the DISCLOSE Act, to name two, had majorities in both chambers during Obama's first term, but they were filibustered to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/the-dream-act-and-the-disclose-act-to-name-two-had-majorities-in-both/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [In reality, if Democrats truly cared about solutions to our immigration crisis they would have done so long ago - like in 2009, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/in-reality-if-democrats-truly-cared-about-solutions-to-our/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) > [We've seen filibusters of bills and nominations that ultimately passed with 90 or more votes. Why filibuster something that has that kind of support?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/we-ve-seen-filibusters-of-bills-and-nominations-that-ultimately/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [The filibuster is used more aggressively, so I think doing each individual appropriations bill through regular order would be a home run. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/the-filibuster-is-used-more-aggressively-so-i-think-doing-each/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) > [With all the surgical skill and the vital rays lavished on him he should talk like alike a congressman at a filibuster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-langtry/with-all-the-surgical-skill-and-the-vital-rays-lavished-on-him-he/) [Kenneth Langtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-langtry/) > [No one likes the Electoral College, expect perhaps those who were elected because of it. No one likes gerrymandering, except those doing the gerrymandering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bleyer/no-one-likes-the-electoral-college-expect-perhaps-those-who-were/) [Kevin Bleyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bleyer/) > [In theory, the filibuster helps whichever party is in the minority in the Senate. In practice, it is the Republicans who have disproportionately used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehdi-hasan/in-theory-the-filibuster-helps-whichever-party-is-in-the-minority-in/) [Mehdi Hasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehdi-hasan/) > [If Trump wins, the only thing blocking complete implementation of the programs of Trump, Paul Ryan, the Koch brothers, etc., is the Senate filibuster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-nairn/if-trump-wins-the-only-thing-blocking-complete-implementation-of-the/) [Allan Nairn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-nairn/) > [“There is another, grimmer history to the filibuster, though, one that carries special relevance for me. For almost a century, the filibuster was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/there-is-another-grimmer-history-to-the-filibuster-though-one-that/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [When you use the word 'filibuster,' most of us in America - and I count myself among them - envision it as the ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-merkley/when-you-use-the-word-filibuster-most-of-us-in-america-and-i-count/) [Jeff Merkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-merkley/) > [The filibuster is an affront to commonly understood democratic norms, but then so is the Senate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-hertzberg/the-filibuster-is-an-affront-to-commonly-understood-democratic-norms/) [Hendrik Hertzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-hertzberg/) ## More by George Packer > [I don't think they need to be nice to reporters, but the White House seems to imagine that releasing information is like a tap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-don-t-think-they-need-to-be-nice-to-reporters-but-the-white-house/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [So many writers grew up in tortured isolation, in revolt against their families. I and my sister were in a house where writing was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/so-many-writers-grew-up-in-tortured-isolation-in-revolt-against-their/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Afghanistan can't police its borders, and its neighbors give sanctuary and assistance to insurgents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/afghanistan-can-t-police-its-borders-and-its-neighbors-give-sanctuary/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Hillary Clinton's such a classic Democratic political figure and believes so much in institutions and in gradualism in the old way of reaching compromises…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/hillary-clinton-s-such-a-classic-democratic-political-figure-and/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [“In other words, Foxx represented what Sarah Palin (speaking at a campaign fundraiser in Greensboro three weeks before the election) called “the real America,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/in-other-words-foxx-represented-what-sarah-palin-speaking-at-a/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [America's vast population of working poor can only get so poor before even Walmart is out of reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/america-s-vast-population-of-working-poor-can-only-get-so-poor-before/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [The Olympics are never just about sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-olympics-are-never-just-about-sports/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > ['The Assassins' Gate' is a very tightly controlled story of the ideas that led to the war and the consequences of those ideas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/the-assassins-gate-is-a-very-tightly-controlled-story-of-the-ideas/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Amazon's identity and goals are never clear and always fluid, which makes the company destabilizing and intimidating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/amazon-s-identity-and-goals-are-never-clear-and-always-fluid-which/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Ideology knows the answer before the question has been asked. 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That was in 1968. It was an interesting year. I was a huge Eugene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/i-ve-been-interested-in-american-politics-since-i-was-eight-that-was/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [When I interviewed Paul Bremer in his office, he had almost no books on his shelves. He had a couple of management books, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/when-i-interviewed-paul-bremer-in-his-office-he-had-almost-no-books/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) [Explore all 144 George Packer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) ## More Accepted quotes > [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/) [Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/) > [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. 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