Great Moments In Bi-Partisanship
by Chris Bowers, Thu Jan 04, 2007 at 06:35:13 AM EST
This morning, as I type I am in the Capitol Building with other bloggers meeting staffers and members of Congress (although it isn't all progressive--Armstrong Williams is broadcasting live from the same room right now). This is certainly a remarkable transformation for me personally, as until about two years ago the only reason I ever came to D.C. was to march in protests around this and other major federal buildings. I guess I am at least a little bit of an insider now.
Perhaps because some of my clearest memories in Washington come from attending protest marches here, I don't share the same longing for the lost paradise of bi-partisanship that I keep hearing about these days. The last major piece of bi-partisan legislation that was passed during a time of split government was the October 2002 authorization of force in Iraq--the very piece of legislation that I repeatedly came to D.C. to protest. It is also difficult for me to imagine that the American people long for those bygone days of dreamy-eyes, idealistic bipartisanship either, since the change in power in D.C. took place because that legislation turned out to be such a complete failure. In November, America did not vote to endorse the best recent example of bi-partisan legislation, they voted to utterly reject it. NAFTA is another good example of now unpopular bi-partisan legislation.
There are few things phrased in vaguer terms than the need for more "bi-partisanship" in Washington. People demand more bipartisan legislation in a general sense, but specific bipartisan legislation often ends up being incredibly unpopular down the road. I have to wonder--are there any currently popular pieces of legislation that were passed with bi-partisan approval over the last fifteen years? If you can think of any, let me know. I also wouldn't mind seeing more examples of unpopular bipartisan legislation, such as NAFTA and the vote to authorize the Iraq war.
Perhaps because some of my clearest memories in Washington come from attending protest marches here, I don't share the same longing for the lost paradise of bi-partisanship that I keep hearing about these days. The last major piece of bi-partisan legislation that was passed during a time of split government was the October 2002 authorization of force in Iraq--the very piece of legislation that I repeatedly came to D.C. to protest. It is also difficult for me to imagine that the American people long for those bygone days of dreamy-eyes, idealistic bipartisanship either, since the change in power in D.C. took place because that legislation turned out to be such a complete failure. In November, America did not vote to endorse the best recent example of bi-partisan legislation, they voted to utterly reject it. NAFTA is another good example of now unpopular bi-partisan legislation.
There are few things phrased in vaguer terms than the need for more "bi-partisanship" in Washington. People demand more bipartisan legislation in a general sense, but specific bipartisan legislation often ends up being incredibly unpopular down the road. I have to wonder--are there any currently popular pieces of legislation that were passed with bi-partisan approval over the last fifteen years? If you can think of any, let me know. I also wouldn't mind seeing more examples of unpopular bipartisan legislation, such as NAFTA and the vote to authorize the Iraq war.
Tags: 2006 elections, Democrats, Iraq, Republicans (all tags)
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