Sen. Obama often speaks eloquently of his intentions to change the tone of politics and foster a cooperative, bipartisan approach to government. Given the tone of the McCain campaign, however, this seems unlikely in the near term. From the Congressional Democrats’ point of view, why cooperate with people who call you names? If there is to be any hope of bipartisanship, the Republicans must change. Perhaps we can help with that.
Let’s consider the possibility that this will really be the big win that is shaping up (with due regard for the dangers of complacency). What do Democrats stand to gain from bipartisan politics that we don’t gain simply by controlling the White House, both houses of Congress and (perhaps) a 60 seat supermajority in the Senate? We can repair most of Bush’s damage and return to sane and progressive tax and fiscal policies without help from the Republicans, but there is one long-term goal that can only be reached through bipartisanship. That is finding a process for dealing with the culture wars without paralyzing the government. Is that possible?
Read More
