Partisanship in the new legislature: five former leaders reflect on what's changed in state legislatures since they were there.

• Position: Roger Moe, JoAnn Davidson, Mike Feeley, Walter Freed - Interview

State Legislatures: How has the legislature changed from when you were first elected?

Roger Moe: We've got free access, a lot more education, a lot more outreach. There's a lot more diversity at the table than there used to be. And now decision making isn't done behind closed doors. It's done out where everybody can see it. The irony is that nobody would ever go back to those old days, and yet the public opinion of the legislature is significantly less than it was back then.

JoAnn Davidson: Many of us enjoyed long-term relationships across the aisle and with our own caucus, but that is not as prevalent now as it was then. The world operates on relationships--and I think this absence makes it more difficult for the legislature. You've got a more diverse legislative body, which I think is good. But it makes it more difficult to get a group of people who will look at the big picture about what's necessary. And members are much more compartmentalized about how they look at some issues. It's more difficult for leaders to be able to bring them together.

Mike Feeley: Term limits have had an overwhelming impact, particularly on leadership. The collegiality is gone. People are in and out; it's a revolving door.

Walter Freed: When there was more collegiality there were more get-togethers. You'd sit around and talk to people who you weren't in a committee with during the day. And you'd find out that regardless of partisan labels, you had some common interest or you would find some common ground to go to work on things together. Without those opportunities to bring members together in a social atmosphere, things have gotten more combative.

Art Hamilton: I don't think many families could survive if all their family discussions had to be done in open meetings. I also think 'discipline' is gone. I thought it was my job to defend the institution and its prerogatives, and stand up and speak for it. And I did that with my Republican leaders shoulder to shoulder on many occasions when we thought the institution was in peril. But today the fate of the institution and its prerogatives come last for most folks.

Bob Garton: Significant areas of change are in space, staff and sophistication of equipment and access to equipment. Also noticeable is the change in the press--you don't have the experience you once had when columnists and writers had been with their papers for years and really understood the legislative process. I also see self-interest replacing public interest. You know, what can I do to promote myself?

Davidson: The pressure is now to draw districts that are safer for members. And safer districts change the dynamics of how you bring people together. They know they're going to get reelected no matter what they do. Members today are less willing to come to the table and look at the big picture than they were when districts were more competitive.

SL: What changes do you see in the way the public views legislatures?

Moe: For a generation we've been running against the legislative institution. Jimmy Carter started it, running against Washington. And now everyone does it. You run against the government, whether you're the incumbent or the challenger. Why wouldn't the people lose faith? We've told them it doesn't work. But by...