I am sick of the word "Bipartisanship."

[Wetzelbill]

Bipartisanship is overrated. Good policy is not. If good legislation that I personally support passes, I don't sit around five years down the road and think about How terrible it was because only one party voted for it or because some senator got their feelings hurt or hurt somebody else's. I'm just glad it passed.

Think back.

In all of Congress, no Republican voted for Bill Clinton's deficit reduction plan. Not one. And that was extremely successful. It played a role in record job creation, strong economic growth and a balanced budget. Why would anybody care if no Republican voted for it around 15 years later? You know what I would have cared about though? If Bill Clinton watered that bill down, got Republicans to vote for it and it led to sluggish job creation and economic growth and the budget was never balanced.

I'd like it if everybody could get along and both parties could work together and pass meaningful legislation that works all the time. That would be nice. But the ideological gulf is so huge that it's not possible. Bipartisanship sounds good, but it's largely a fairytale. It's not good for the country to bridge an ideological gulf when it hurts our country. I'd rather have good policy from one party than bad policy from both.

[Meshuga]

1. If Bipartisanship cannot solve our problems

Then it should be dropped. If one side is not interested in working together and wants to play politics then there is no reason to attempt to be bipartisan. The country is in trouble and we need results. The so called attempt at bipartisanship is slowing this process down.

[Wetzelbill]

2. I think your right

Obama was right in being magnanimous enough to try. I think he's learned some lessons from it, hopefully we'll see even better results in the future.

[nuxvomica]

3. It's outrageous that the Repubs are complaining anyway

When they were in control, they were even telling the lobbyists they all had to be Repubs and now they're whining about the lack of bipartisanship. But the problem is just deeper than that squabble. As you said, the ideological gulf is too great now. They decided long ago that cutting taxes was the only tool they would keep in their toolbox -- because it would win them elections -- and now they've got nothing to actually govern with. Now all they can do is hope the Democrats fail, which is not a very patriotic stance to take. They've painted themselves into a corner so expect them to just get more shrill about it.

[Wetzelbill]

5. they aren't really a governing or policy oriented party

They are mainly a PR party, used to framing the debate and incorporating political strategy around divisive issues. They are good at that. But it ruined them to be in charge because they actually got all they wanted and they simply cannot govern at all.

You touched on something important when you wroted that they've painted themselves in a corner. Right now, they are a party virtually devoid of moderates. Most moderates have lost elections the last few years, so now all they have left is an even more radical party that has dug in it's ideological heels. That's all they know to do. Politically, that is truly terrible for them.

[droidamus2]

4. Understand

Understand that bipartisan, obviously, requires that both sides have at least some dedication to making it work. The big problem is the definition of bipartisan. Some i.e. the Republicans seem to think that bipartisan means 'equal sharing' of power regardless of the makeup of Congress. To me the idea of bipartisan is that the majority party gives the minority party a seat at the table, they aren't going to be at the head of the table and they are not going to be setting the menu. They will however be conferred on what is being served and if real allergies or whatever that need won't be ignored. Okay real weird analogy but you get the point. When the Democrats try to reach across the aisle and work in a cooperative/bipartisan manner the Republicans just run to the media and play up the we aren't being included, they aren't doing things our way meme.

I think the best President Obama can hope for at this point is to find those few Republicans that are willing to go against their party leaders and work together. In this way he makes points by at least attempting and eventually further weakens those that in are running the Republican party.

[Optical.Catalyst]

6. Bipartisanship is one thing, but pacification of the obstructionist Republicans is quite another

Working together with individuals from an opposing party for the good of the whole country is an endeavor that deserves applause.

Giving in to obstructionist demands from Republicans only hurts everyone (hurting President Obama politically is the Republican objective) and benefits no one.

If we allow the Republicans any influence in our legislation, the will get their foot in the door and never back off. If we let them into the legislative process right now, they will nit-pick to death everything we are trying to do.