The Zen of True Bipartisanship: Or Is Lucy Holding The Football Again?

Here is wisdom, “The true value of a human being can be found in the degree to which he has attained liberation from the self,” (Albert Einstein). “The true value of a politician can be found in the degree to which he has attained liberation from his party,” (Giles A. de Mello).

Today we may have seen the true face of bipartisanship in the US Senate. Today five Republican Senators crossed party lines to vote with 58 Democratic Senators to move the Senate’s 15-billion-dollar jobs bill forward. One Democratic Senator (Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska) crosses the other way and voted against the bill.

Despite Republican screaming, this is how bipartisanship is supposed to work. The majority pushes measures forward and by working with the majority party, the minority party has the opportunity to influence the legislation without killing it. Senator’s of both parties are allowed to vote their consciences.

The other true face of bipartisanship can be seen in President Obama’s Health Care Reform Proposal and the Senate Healthcare Bill which includes about 160 Republican backed initiatives. If fact had the Democratically controlled Senate not been so focused on developing a bill responsive to Republican concerns, it could have been out of the finance committee before the August Tea-Party Astroturf events.

Republican partisan hacks, like Mitch McConnell, seem to think that bipartisanship requires the Democrats to meekly legislate the way the Republicans want them to. Bipartisanship is the majority bowing to the will of the minority. It is an Alice in Wonderland view of bipartisanship.

True bipartisanship blends the minority party’s ideas that have merit with those of the majority. It means some of the minority party agreeing to vote for the majority’s bills for the good of the country.

On any legislation addressing complex issues (such as the jobs bill or health care reform) we know there are some Democrats that disagree and some Republicans that agree. We see bipartisanship when we see each voting their individual beliefs.

I will, however, reserve my victory lap for renewed bipartisanship until the final passage of the jobs bill. I remember too well the Republican’s sucker punch on the Bipartisan Task Force for Responsible Fiscal Action Act.

This act was co-sponsored by a Republican and a Democratic Senator, and co-sponsored by seven Republican Senators among others. It was strongly supported by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, until President Obama decided to support it as well. This had the look of a true bipartisan effort supported by Senators from both sides. Until it came up for a cloture vote (60 Senators must vote for cloture to kill the filibuster that has been mounted against every major piece of legislation this year) when, like Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown’s kick, the seven GOP cosponsors voted against cloture, killing the bill. It failed on a 53 to 46 votes; obviously the seven cosponsors made the difference. (It must be noted that, because Task Force rules required that 14 of the 18 Task Force members had to agree to every recommendation and a 60% majority was required to pass the recommendations in both the House and the Senate, most of the objections raised by both Democrats and Republicans were at best weak rationalizations.)

Because this worthy bill died in a purely political maneuver, I will wait for the final vote on the job bills to see if this rare specimen of Republican bipartisanship survives.

Another Zen moment: according to an anonymous Yaqui mystic, “To be a man of knowledge one needs to be light and fluid.” I don’t know if this counts, but I am turning on my reading lamp and pouring myself three fingers of good bourbon.