Ex-President Carter laments ‘unprecedented’ partisan divide between Dems, Republicans

Carter laments ‘unprecedented’ partisan divide

ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter and former Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker are lamenting the partisan politics in Washington and say Democrat and Republican leaders should work together because voters are getting frustrated.

Carter said Wednesday the division between the two parties over health care reform and other issues is unprecedented.

Baker, a Republican, and Carter, a Democrat, worked together on the Panama Canal treaty during the late 1970s. The treaty returned control of the passage to Panama two decades later.

Baker says collegiality in the Senate is virtually nonexistent and lawmakers should work to respect their opponents’ views.

Baker and Carter spoke at the unveiling of Baker’s photo collection at the Carter Presidential Museum and Library in Atlanta.