The Lack of Political Compromise
Bryan Andersen
Issue date: 1/26/10 Section: Opinion
Whether Republican Scott Brown's U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts was a referendum on President Obama's policies is subject to dispute, what is incontestable is that it was a referendum on the health care bill. President Obama was elected on the basis that there was no longer any transparency or conciliation in Washington, DC. People were tired of eight years of Bush policies that tended to polarize people. However, the President took his election and treated it as a mandate to push his liberal agenda and repeal back many of the Bush policies. Not only has he failed in many areas (Gitmo was supposed to be closed one year ago) he has steadfastly refused to uphold his campaign promises to be politically open. Sure, he has made the White House visitor list public, but on real issues, such as health care reform, he has dropped the ball. Not only did he break his campaign promise to air the entire debate on C-SPAN, but has led the Congressional Democrats to take a page from the Bush playbook - unilaterally shove through healthcare legislation with absolute and bitter partisanship.
At the time, it appeared easy to do, especially with a filibuster-proof Senate majority and a clear majority in the House. It is undeniable healthcare needs a massive overhaul; however, it is unacceptable to bring about such an important change without true compromise. Now U.S. Senator-elect Scott Brown throws a wrench into things. He ran a large part of his campaign on opposing the healthcare bill and shockingly the fine folks of Massachusetts agreed. In fact, most of the country agrees as a recent USA Today/Gallup Poll found that 55% of Americans said that Congressional Democrats should suspend work on healthcare and consider alternatives that would draw more Republican support. Regardless of your views on the public option or forcing people to buy insurance, at minimum, all Americans really want is for the President to behave in the way he promised he would behave - with bipartisanship and openness. If politicians refuse to compromise, the people will throw them right out of office, as we saw with Scott Brown or the governor elections in Virginia or New Jersey. The problems the country is facing are too serious for the same old stuff.
Unfortunately, the President has recently vowed to push his agenda, regardless of the popularity, declaring that it is the right thing to do. That is a direct quote right from the Bush playbook. Even some Democrats have expressed a desire to slow down and rethink their objectives. He will soon tackle issues such as cap and trade, new financial regulations, and immigration reform. The President, as leader of his party, needs to take the initiative and encourage compromise to deal with these problems. If not, he may have no choice after the 2010 elections.
At the time, it appeared easy to do, especially with a filibuster-proof Senate majority and a clear majority in the House. It is undeniable healthcare needs a massive overhaul; however, it is unacceptable to bring about such an important change without true compromise. Now U.S. Senator-elect Scott Brown throws a wrench into things. He ran a large part of his campaign on opposing the healthcare bill and shockingly the fine folks of Massachusetts agreed. In fact, most of the country agrees as a recent USA Today/Gallup Poll found that 55% of Americans said that Congressional Democrats should suspend work on healthcare and consider alternatives that would draw more Republican support. Regardless of your views on the public option or forcing people to buy insurance, at minimum, all Americans really want is for the President to behave in the way he promised he would behave - with bipartisanship and openness. If politicians refuse to compromise, the people will throw them right out of office, as we saw with Scott Brown or the governor elections in Virginia or New Jersey. The problems the country is facing are too serious for the same old stuff.
Unfortunately, the President has recently vowed to push his agenda, regardless of the popularity, declaring that it is the right thing to do. That is a direct quote right from the Bush playbook. Even some Democrats have expressed a desire to slow down and rethink their objectives. He will soon tackle issues such as cap and trade, new financial regulations, and immigration reform. The President, as leader of his party, needs to take the initiative and encourage compromise to deal with these problems. If not, he may have no choice after the 2010 elections.
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