Can’t we all just get along?

Don’t you hate partisan politics and political mudslinging?

If you’re a Republican or a Democrat, I’ll bet you are lying, if only to your enlightened self.

Mudslinging, whether you like it or not, is politically effective.

I know, I know . . .you (and just about everyone else) say you want your elected officials to hold hands, sing Kumbaya and back-slap each other while working to ensure that their constituents are well represented and cared for.

But do you?

Really?

A little more than a year ago, our nation called a bi-partisan 15-minute timeout to honor those who died in a senseless massacre in Tucson; and a little more than a decade ago both Republicans and Democrats joined hands to show national resolve in the wake of the horrific 9-11 attacks.

Those moments were more theater than anything else; orchestrated political moves full of sound and fury, signifying practically nothing.

That’s why I was heartened this morning to read the comments from Chris Potholm, a professor of government at Bowdoin College and one of Maine’s most pre-eminent political analysts, when he was asked about the second annual lovefest during the national State of the Union address by president Obama.

You know, Republicans have to find a Democrat to sit with, and vice-versa.

“It’s symbolic political theater of the worst kind,” Potholm told Bill Nemitz of the Maine Sunday Telegram. “It’s utterly useless and silly, and it’s not a substitute for them getting together and solving our nation’s problems.”

Nemitz points to a recent Real Clear Politics poll, which shows more than 80 percent of those polled disapprove of the job Congress is doing.

But that poll, and all the warm-fuzzy sentiment expressed by groups like No Labels, One Maine and others, contradict what we see happening every day in this country, in our state and in our local town halls.

A lack of political dissent, party opposition and hardcore nationalism can have distavorous results. 1938 Germany should give all of us pause.

Americans intuitively know that they are better served when the balance of power is split between the dominant political parties…from Ronald Reagan/Tip O’Neil to Bill Clinton/Newt Gingrinch…these were the times when America was functioning at its best.

Democrats want Republicans to fail. Republicans want Democrats to fail. This is the cost of a two-party system. But it makes sense, and it even has value right up until you understand that Rome is burning while our leaders are jockeying for a better corner office.

What too many people describe as bipartisanship would be better described as having the other guys do it our way.

If you’re an ardent Democrat, you want the Tea Party to dissolve and relocate to Pakistan. If you’re a Republican, you want to see President Obama leave office yesterday and take Joe Biden with him. Can we just admit that truth?

Sure, a growing number of Americans (myself included) describe ourselves as Independents, but even we have strong feelings on issues, and don’t like to “compromise” if one of our core “principles” is being threatened.

There are some things that should never be negotiated. There are some principles that should never be compromised.

The hard part is determining where you can bend; and what you are willing to sacrifice for the greater good.

That kind of effort requires political and emotional maturity, not a staged seating arrangement.

Eliminating political friction in the name of efficiency and policy expediency could yield some attractive, short-term benefits. But such a move would also set the stage for potentially disastrous outcomes, the implications of which could be more than our Republic can bear.