Paul Ryan gave his farewell address on Wednesday in which he attacked the partisanship in Washington. He said, "Outrage has become a brand," in one part of his speech. His address came amidst the fear of a government shutdown that members of the government are trying to prevent. Ryan seemed to call out President Trump when he said, "All of this gets amplified by technology, with an incentive structure that preys on people's fears, and algorithms that play on anger." Ryan has been a critic of the President since he announced his candidacy back in 2015. The Republican Party of Paul Ryan has been radically changed after Trump came into power.

Classic conservatives like Ryan himself, Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Flake of Arizona have retired after political discourse has made them deeply unpopular within their party. Trump has an extremely high approval rating within the Republican Party at 86% in the most recent Gallup poll. The Republican Party isn't the same party when George H.W. Bush was president. With the Tea Party era rising, Trump's presidency was seemingly inevitable. Parties evolve and change their principles, which isn't necessarily new. Politics is always changing and we have a front row seat to this current wave of partisanship in Washington.

Partisanship isn't necessarily new, if you think it is bad now, back in colonial times, it was even worse. Candidates were attacked personally all the time. The attacks we see today are almost PG compared to those of the Colonial Era. Partisan politics isn't new and it is our job, the citizens, to make the best choices in who we think can run our country the best way. It is in the first three words of the Constitution, "We The People." So remember, being civically engaged, is to be a good citizen, it is our one responsibility and Americans.