Can Americans still have a sensible and friendly political discussion across the partisan divide? The answer is yes, and we intend to prove it. Julie Roginsky, a Democrat, and Mike DuHaime, a Republican, are consultants who have worked on opposite teams for their entire careers yet have remained friends throughout. Here, they discuss the week’s events with Dave D’Alessandro of the Star-Ledger Editorial Board.
Q. Steve Sweeney launched a think tank in his home county at Rowan University this week, and it will appropriately be called the Sweeney Center for Public Policy. Can this be a productive period, or is it just a place to pass the time until the 2025 campaign for governor?
Julie: He has appointed Mark Magyar, one of the most substantive people I know, to run the institute, so I expect it to be productive. People like Magyar don’t work for politicians who just expect them to be window dressing.
Mike: Sen. Sweeney’s think tank will be good for New Jersey. Frankly, there is no center-left think tank in the state. There are multiple far-left think tanks and one center-right think tank, so I believe this will fill a public policy void.
