The Whole Point

The Prime Directive

“In lieu of flowers the family respectfully asked that donations be sent to the American Cancer Society or to the campaign of who ever is running against President Barack Obama in 2012” read the obituary in the Rome, Georgia News-Tribune. Now, I don't know for sure if this is true or not but I received what appeared to be a copy of it in my e-mail a few days ago. Personally, I thought it was hilarious and that it stood a good chance of being verifiable. But true or not it exemplifies the way a lot of people think and I don't suppose it is anything new. We have always had some with strong personal feelings about our Presidents but I tend to think the feeling is becoming more institutionalized and that it is preventing our elected representatives from reaching the compromises necessary in order to govern.

For many, compromise has become an evil thing that is contradicted by fealty to ideology. It is remarkable that such fealty has become so intense that elected officials feel obliged to sign a pledge asserting that commitment. Especially so when that viewpoint is only held by perhaps 35% of the voting public. Of course, it is a larger percentage of the Republican Party but not necessarily of those Republicans elected to office.

The real problem lies with the prime priority of the Republican Party being the ouster of Barack Obama from the presidency rather than actually being the loyal opposition representing a portion of the American people. This improper allegiance to that priority effectively denies the people they represent of having a voice in the affairs of the United States. It is through compromise with the minority party that legislation is done that generally benefits the nation as a whole and prevents the majority from running roughshod over the minority.

For instance, in the current debate the Republican Party is refusing to compromise on closing loopholes in the tax code to increase revenue even if they are getting the spending cuts they want. The purpose of the increased revenue is to make it unnecessary to increase the debt ceiling and to begin to pay down the national debt just as the spending cuts are designed to do. In this matter the Democratic Party has agreed to put Social Security and Medicare on the table to be eligible for reform. The Democratic Party has compromised by putting its most sacred programs on the block but their efforts have still been met with scorn and recalcitrance. The result of this is that it will not be only the Republicans of the nation that will suffer but also the independents, Democrats and all of the people who do not profess any kind of party identification. It won't be just the people expecting the Social Security check but also those who are using air travel while 4000 FAA workers have been furloughed.

The reason for the steadfast resistance of this bloc of the Republican Party is simply ideology. I wish I could tell you what that ideology is but I can't. I do know that part of it is resistance to the health care bill that was passed last year and also the belief that social programs run by the federal government overstep the scope of the proper role of government. To be honest, I don't think that there is an overarching philosophy that will contain the principles they espouse. It is more of a moving target, a general dislike, a disappointment with the position in which we find our country. And there are more than a few who just don't like the ideal of Barack Hussein Obama being President of the United States.

As an observer of the political process it seems to me that the only way the Republican Party can come out ahead is to achieve all of its goals or, at least, claim to. To attain the prime goal of defeating Barack Obama next year it will be necessary for them to be able to hang a defeat around his neck. Any kind of success by the President will be anathema to them. By the same token, a defeat on this issue will not necessarily be fatal to President Obama's reelection prospects but it will be a burden to overcome. The real problem is the cost to the country in order for the Republican Party to be able to use this as a campaign negative.

In my opinion, the election next year should be about these issues. We should use the campaign to articulate the direction we want the country to go and we should reach our conclusions with deliberation. I know that is kind of a rosy expectation but appropriate, nevertheless. Compromise is not a dirty word when it comes to governing the greatest nation on the planet. It is the way we have dealt with disputes all along excepting the case of the War Between the States, our Civil War.

So, let's act like adults. Let's act like people that can actually articulate our goals and preferences and be able to intelligently vote for our leaders. Maybe if we did not pander to their rhetoric so much they would actually lead.

My take on compromise, or the lack of it.