Republicans give their definition of 'bipartisanship'

[Joanne98]

Here's the story of bipartisanship since the election. President Obama asked the House and Senate Republican leaders, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, to the White House on Nov. 18 to talk through a compromise on the Bush tax cuts and other pressing agenda items. Two days before the meeting, McConnell and Boehner said they couldn't make it because of "scheduling conflicts." They asked for a two-week delay. The White House agreed.

The night before the meeting, White House officials capitulated on a longtime GOP demand and froze pay for federal workers. They did not do this in consultation with the GOP, which blunted its worth as a token of bipartisan good faith. But most Republicans nevertheless understood it as a nod to their priorities and momentum. "The President has done the right thing today by taking steps to check the explosive growth of government," said Rep. Paul Ryan, who is set to chair the House Budget Committee. "This is the kind of cooperation we were hoping for when we advanced this proposal last May, and we’re glad to see the President embrace this spending cut proposed by House Republicans."

The morning of the meeting, Boehner and McConnell did not respond with the kind of cooperation the White House was hoping for. Instead, they published a joint op-ed in The Washington Post. "We made a pledge to America to cut spending, rein in government, and permanently extend the current tax rates so small-business owners won't get hit with a massive tax hike at the end of December," they said. "That's what Americans want. And that's the message Republicans will bring to the meeting today." So much for compromise.

The meeting didn't end with an agreement on the tax cuts, but it did end with a process to work toward an agreement: The White House would dispatch Office of Management and Budget Director Jack Lew and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to negotiate with two congressional Republicans and two congressional Democrats until all sides settled on a deal. The process seemed to be moving forward.

Late that same night, McConnell sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. "e write to inform you that we will not agree to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to any legislative item until the Senate has acted to fund the government and we have prevented the tax increase that is currently awaiting all American taxpayers." That is to say, Republicans will filibuster any extension of unemployment insurance, consideration of the DREAM Act and anything else Democrats want to pass until the tax cuts are finished. "With just a few weeks to go before the end of the session, Democrats continue to place their own priorities over the priorities of the American people," McConnell said. He neglected to mention the GOP's two-week delay in sitting down with the White House to negotiate a compromise on the tax cuts, which is why there's no ready compromise this late in the session.

The Democrats deserve their share of blame for this situation: They've known about the expiration of the Bush tax cuts for, well, 10 years. An extension, reform or expiration could've been pushed long ago. The White House, too, has kept asking for meetings and processes rather than simply using its leverage -- the veto pen -- to set a clear line in the sand and let Republicans decide how to respond. Despite controlling all branches of government and having the more popular position on the tax cuts, the Democrats have acted like a minority party in disarray.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/12/republicans_give_their_definit.html