Can bipartisanship actually exist?

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Right now, our country's political parties seem like two warring siblings smiling in a posed photo. In the image, they are placidly smiling, trying to appear that they're setting aside their differences to coexist harmoniously...meanwhile each is pinching the other hard behind their backs.

Instead of making an effort to actually behave in a bipartisan manner, the Republicans and the Democrats in congress are engaged in a war to be perceived as bipartisan. It's classic, screw the country and it's "issues" like shrinking GDP, growing job loss, and markets atrophy. What's really important is that you cover your back and at all costs *get reelected.*

Offenses:
Republicans --
Proposing and passing amendments to the House bill, then behaving like kindergartners and following teacher's orders not to vote for it. This charade was a massive waste of time and energy (believe me, I watched it on CSPAN), and it burned out whatever smidgen of good will the House Dems may have had.

Democrats --
Writing a CRAPPY bill. Really crappy. So bad, Obama was secretly lobbying against it!

From: Democratic Congressman: Obama Has Been Disappointed by Pelosi's Pork

On Liberadio (!) on Super Bowl Sunday, Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., said that the White House has conveyed to Democratic leaders its displeasure at the amount of "pork" in the stimulus package.

Cooper, one of 11 Democrats who voted against the bill, said that he "actually got some quiet encouragement from the Obama folks for what I’m doing because they know its a messy bill and they wanted a clean bill."

Continued Cooper, a conservative "Blue Dog" Democrat, "Now, I got in terrible trouble with our leadership because they don’t care what’s in the bill, they just want it passed and they want it to be unanimous.

They don’t mind the partisan fighting cause that’s what they are used to. In fact, they’re really good at it. And they’re a little bit worried about what a post-partisan future might look like."

Sheesh. 

Given the chance to prove that the Democratic party is committed to assisting the citizens of this country, dems instead try to eek in pet issues and projects. Yes, Ms. Pelosi, Obama won. But we elected a pragmatic leader, not someone who is going to promote a divisive agenda in the guise of "stimulus." I may agree with some of the agendas you're pushing, like the birth control spending, but this bill is not the place for them.

This bill is meant to pull this country out of economic muck and mire. And how are we doing on that?

Worst January on Record for Stocks
Time Warner reports $16 billion quarterly loss
ADP Says U.S. Companies Reduced Payrolls by 522,000
Panasonic to Cut 15,000 Jobs
Kraft posts 72% decline in profit, cuts 2009 view

Oh, right. So...

Senate Lacks Votes to Pass Stimulus