WHY BIPARTISANSHIP WAS A GOOD IDEA

“No good deed goes unpunished!” This very appropriate “Murphy’s Law” is the perfect characterization of what the President has stepped in the middle of in his noble attempt to attempt working with the Republicans. The Left is sure it’s a waste of time…in fact; they thought it was a waste of time before the President ever mentioned it. As it turns out, they are probably correct. The Right…well, they never appreciated the effort. The Right demonstrated bad faith from the very beginning of the President’s effort. So, was it worth it?

Of course it was. First, the President looks all the better for attempting to work with the conservatives. Had the President simply used working with the right as a campaign stunt…he would have been excoriated by the right, and marginalized by the media. Even though his Republican counterparts never gave working together a chance, the President has never closed the door. By showing unending patience with the Right, the President has taken the high ground and shut off any possibility of the high ground ever being recaptured by the Right.

This President likes something we as the public really don’t understand. Some have described the President as being seduced by bipartisanship. But, it’s clear to me this President places a high value on both sides of every argument being heard. This is a good place to be in. Seduction is what occurs when we only listen to one side. Good ideas do not know political ideology. They come from people who have considered alternatives and chosen a particular path because of the advantages versus the disadvantages.

Have the President’s efforts been a wasted? No doubt they have. But, do we respect him all the more for trying? If we don’t…we should. And, the President should keep trying. It makes him look larger and his argument look better. As for those who turn their back on his never ending “olive branches”…well, they look small and ignorant.

For those of us on the left, we need to develop some patience.