Kudos to Congress—they’re actually negotiating!
Kudos to Congress—they’re actually negotiating!
Describing Congress as “dead in the water,” unable to get anything done, has been routine the past several years—and with good reason. The parties seem so far apart, so lacking in bipartisanship, with blame and reproach so prevalent, that the criticism was largely valid. It was as if many politicians felt they had been elected to fight rather than compromise. The other party was the enemy, and the very thought of working with them was unpatriotic and somehow a betrayal.
And then suddenly, over the past several months, the 117th Congress has been surprisingly productive, cobbling together a respectable track record.
Who would have dreamed that Congress would pass, on a bipartisan basis, bills in areas as diverse as these?
• bipartisan deals to expand health care benefits for veterans
• the largest investment ever in public transit
• laws protecting local and tribal governments from cyberattacks
• overhaul of the US Postal Service, which had been on the brink of insolvency for years
• the first major gun safety legislation in nearly three decades
• the biggest investment in American industrial policy in half a century
• the most significant response to climate change in the country’s history
Most recently, a bipartisan group of sixteen senators is working to fix the Electoral Count Act of 1887—a step that many say is needed to save our democracy from another January 6–style attack.
In addition, they passed legislation to . . .
• build roads and other infrastructure;
• protect victims of sexual misconduct;
• support Ukraine’s war effort; and
• respond to China’s growing aggressiveness.
It is noteworthy that the majority party (the Democrats) didn’t shut out the minority party. And it is worth noting that the Republicans’ Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, and senior senator Lindsey Graham both voted for five of these bills.
Finding fault with Congress has become a national pastime in recent years. But as the record above shows, this Congress has managed to surprise everyone—they’ve been quite productive! As to why, there is plenty of praise to go around, and we may as well start with the Democrats.
It’s been said that the Democrats never pass up an opportunity to pass up an opportunity.
That one goes all the way back to the humorist Will Rogers, who once said, “I’m not a member of an organized political party. I’m a Democrat.”
Biden said from the first that he could bring the parties closer together, but most wrote it off as a pipe dream. Well, to almost everyone’s surprise, he’s managed to do it!
How has Joe Biden done this? A few points stand out.
To start with, he and his top aides rarely take criticism or opposition personally. They’re pretty even-tempered, in fact.
Next, they keep the lines of communication open. No matter what happens, they keep talking. And talking. And talking, with members of both parties, always on the alert and looking for areas of compromise.
That compromise is key. The art of politics is the art of negotiation, of compromise, of give-and-take, to move forward the larger objective.
And it has paid off.
The list of accomplishments above is impressive, and even if it doesn’t include everything you personally wanted—or maybe includes more than you wanted—the point is that Congress worked together to make them happen!
That was long overdue!
The art of negotiation is once again alive and well in Congress. Let’s give credit where credit is due. To both parties, well done!