Partisan Politics

I do not like partisan politics. In my ideal world, the Senate would have a comfortable two-thirds majority of reliable progressive senators, and the remaining thirty three would be Olympia Snowe. Sadly, two thirds of Americans are not going to elect Al Frankens and Sherrod Browns, and Olympia Snowe is going to get primaried by, and probably lose to, a Tea Party challenger. So I’m going to settle for the next best thing, a Senate that is a comfortable mix of liberals, moderates, and a few Rand Paul style conservatives, just for some amusement. Again, this is not going to happen. Why? Partisan politics.

In the United States, the government has become very partisan, but only in one direction. The Republican Party, with the new, terrifying Tea Party, has been going more and more to the right. The Democrats have been moving more and more to the center. While I do not support bipartisanship in all cases, or believe that the Democrats and Republicans would see eye to eye on issues such as gay marriage and eliminating the tax loophole for big business, it would be nice to see compromise. And by compromise I do not mean the Democrats coming to the table with ideas and the Republicans saying no to all of them. I want to see real compromise, where both parties have a real conversation and have to give up a little of what they believe in order to make some really good laws.

Partisan politics are hurting moderates. Yes, I do enjoy mocking some moderates (I’m looking at you, Ben Nelson), and have little tolerance for a certain Independent member of the Senate whose name rhymes with Mo Bieberman, I do think both parties would benefit somewhat from moderates. Well, the Republican Party would probably benefit a little more from more Kay Bailey Hutchinsons and Susan Collins, Republicans who are able to straddle party issues and actually follow their moral compass. I may not agree with a lot of what they stand for, but I do have respect for them. While I often find myself infuriated with Diane Feinstein and her refusal to flat-out say what she believes in, I understand she is trying to appeal to a large, diverse voting group, and most Californians really like her.

Partisan politics have not been going away. The Republicans and Democrats rarely work together on anything. Did you know John McCain of Arizona and Orrin Hatch of Utah, both Republicans, originally supported the DREAM Act. They both were sponsors. Now, when DREAM came to a vote in the Senate, let’s guess who did not vote for it. that’s right. McCain and Hatch. Why? Because they felt a need to appeal to a very specific voter base. In short, they gave into partisan pressure.

John McCain is a great example of what happens in partisan politics. Way back in 2000, McCain was George W. Bush’s moderate challenger who promised straight talk and a change from special interest in Washington. Hw won the new Hampshire primary with 49% of the vote. However, Dubya rallied special interest groups against McCain and compared him to Bill Clinton, which apparently is an insult. We all know what happened in the 2000 election and ensuing Supreme Court case. John McCain went back to Senate and promptly broke away from the Republican Party on key issues, like gun legislation and worked with the late, great Senator from Wisconsin, Russ Feingold, to pass the McCain-Feingold Act. Barack Obama and John McCain even co-authored a bill in 2007!

So what happened? I’m going to blame the 2008 election. John McCain could not run as a moderate Republican. Mitt Romney kinda got that position, especially with the whole Mormon thing. Even so, John McCain still was pretty cool. After the election, McCain had changed. One of his advisers said “A lot of people, including me, thought he might be the Republican building bridges to the Obama Administration. But he's been more like the guy blowing up the bridges”. McCain flip-flopped on key issues, like immigration reform, DADT, and the START treaty. He has gone from a moderate to a near Tea Party candidate. Why? I think part of it is out of revenge, anger at losing the Presidential election, kind of like Joe Lieberman. The other part? Appealing to a very narrow, very conservative voter base that sadly has power in Arizona.

I have no respect for candidates on both sides of the aisle who run saying one thing and as soon as they are elected, do something else. Rand Paul, who has decried federal spending, has just asked for pork to go to Kentucky. The Blue Dog Democrats, who initially supported health care reform, only to be badly beaten in the 2010 midterms, are now considering helping with a repeal. Politicians who only vote to get reelected have no place in our government. We should elect politicians who are candid and honest, like Scott Brown and Russ Feingold. Russ Feingold may have lost his election, which is a tragedy, but he did not change who he was or what he believed in, even if it meant losing. Scott Brown will get primaried by the Tea Party, and while I may not agree with him, I prefer a candidate who is willing to work with others over the Tea Party.