Whatever Happened to Compromise?
Both Senators Obama and McCain caught grief from their "base" and the media last week for being "flipfloppers" Obama was criticized for reversing his position by opening the door to offshore drilling and McCain for reversing his position on tax increases and opening the door to increases via social security payroll taxes.
In actuality, neither man "flipflopped". Obama continues to oppose offshore drilling and McCain continues to oppose tax increases. What Obama said was that we need comprehensive reform of our energy policy to concentrate on alternatives to oil, but that, if he could not get his policy passed by Congress without some concession to offshore drilling, he would agree to a very limited program. McCain's comments on social security taxes were even more benign. He said what we all know; social security needs fixing, and in his Administration, everything would be on the table.
While both candidates are trying very hard to differentiate themselves from each other, they have one common and very much needed trait. Both men have strong views on the important issues of the day. However, both are keenly aware that to pass legislation in this closely divided Congress, strict adherence to ideology leads to stalemate, and that the failure to pass legislation on energy, environment, health care, and social security will lead to disaster.
From the Franklin Roosevelt Administration through the Clinton Administration, governance has been achieved through the art of compromise, even when the Congress was controlled by the opposition party. Unfortunately, starting, with the Newt Gingrich era in 1994, there has been a steady erosion of that art until it reached its Zenith in the first six years of the G.W. Bush Administration. (Read The Second Civil War, by Ron Brownstein, Penguin Press 2007) The current situation with a Republican President and a Democratic Congress and no spirit of compromise has the left the country with very little governance.
So, the good news is that on Jan 20, 2009, we will no longer have an ideologue in the Oval Office. Now, if we can get some real "politicians" in Congress, in the best sense of that term, maybe we get something done, something that will not satisfy the leftys or rightys but will work for the vast majority of Americans, the ambidextrous ones!
In actuality, neither man "flipflopped". Obama continues to oppose offshore drilling and McCain continues to oppose tax increases. What Obama said was that we need comprehensive reform of our energy policy to concentrate on alternatives to oil, but that, if he could not get his policy passed by Congress without some concession to offshore drilling, he would agree to a very limited program. McCain's comments on social security taxes were even more benign. He said what we all know; social security needs fixing, and in his Administration, everything would be on the table.
While both candidates are trying very hard to differentiate themselves from each other, they have one common and very much needed trait. Both men have strong views on the important issues of the day. However, both are keenly aware that to pass legislation in this closely divided Congress, strict adherence to ideology leads to stalemate, and that the failure to pass legislation on energy, environment, health care, and social security will lead to disaster.
From the Franklin Roosevelt Administration through the Clinton Administration, governance has been achieved through the art of compromise, even when the Congress was controlled by the opposition party. Unfortunately, starting, with the Newt Gingrich era in 1994, there has been a steady erosion of that art until it reached its Zenith in the first six years of the G.W. Bush Administration. (Read The Second Civil War, by Ron Brownstein, Penguin Press 2007) The current situation with a Republican President and a Democratic Congress and no spirit of compromise has the left the country with very little governance.
So, the good news is that on Jan 20, 2009, we will no longer have an ideologue in the Oval Office. Now, if we can get some real "politicians" in Congress, in the best sense of that term, maybe we get something done, something that will not satisfy the leftys or rightys but will work for the vast majority of Americans, the ambidextrous ones!
posted by Paul at
12:40 PM
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