Bipartisanship Shouldn't Be The Goal!

Lately it feels as if the political campfire has gotten out of control, the Capitol is on fire, and amid the chaos and emergencies everywhere, the media is looking for anyone singing a few bars of Kumbaya for a sign that we’re okay. Well, it’s not okay. Look over there, Senator Cruz’s pants are on fire.

What I’m talking about is the media fixation on bipartisanship and the fever dream of its importance. Look no further than the obsession with the lack of bipartisanship in the latest Covid relief bill. See Fox News here. NPR here. USA Today here. Or just Google it and read all about how Democrats missed the opportunity to prove unity and make the bill bipartisan.

Bipartisanship is frequently touted as a holy grail for legislation. It’s a sign of cooperation and compromise, which are good things, for sure. However, while it is important, I think the media is missing the point by measuring success through that solitary lens, which also feels like an outdated prescription for the current view.

“Partisan gridlock” is often attributed as the reason our government grinds to a halt and doesn’t get things done. I’d argue that more often, it’s bipartisan gridlock. In a desperate attempt to frame legislation as being supported by both parties, bills are watered down, delayed from passage, or shelved entirely by attempts to get both parties involved. Obstructionism has made bipartisanship look like a tool for the weak politician. Meanwhile the people want government to work for them, and delivering much-needed aid should take priority over the goal of getting a single Republican vote for that aid.

The latest Covid relief bill is a prime example of this with polls showing over 70% approval across all voters, and even getting as much as 60% approval from Republican voters. The bill is very popular, and the media should be hailing that success. The chasm between what Republican voters want and what Republican politicians support should highlight the fact the GOP is not interested in working with Democrats to chalk up wins for the American people. Bipartisanship is a lofty goal when one party is clearly not operating in good faith.

Beyond that, the media needs to move past reporting every bit of legislation as if the party who wrote it is a more important descriptor than what’s inside it. These are polarized times with most people clinging to party politics with a tribalism that is rigid, and often sees gains by the opposition party as zero sum. However, when removed from the party mindset, people blur partisan lines and support ideas that come from the other side. That’s evidenced by polling by Morning Consult that showed that Republicans showed a 6-point difference in support for the Covid relief measure when they didn’t know it was a bill sponsored by Democrats. Other studies have also shown partisan cues can sway positions.

Ezra Klein quotes Amy Lerman in this poignant piece as saying,

...when people experience policy, they don’t necessarily experience it as partisans. They experience it as a parent sending their child to school or a patient visiting a doctor, not as a Democrat or Republican. And because people are often thinking in nonpolitical terms during their day-to-day lives, they are much more open to having their views changed when they see the actual, tangible benefits of a policy in their lives.

In other words, making progress is a way of breaking through partisanship.

The media reinforces partisanship by constantly focusing on the two parties, that might never agree, regardless of what their constituents want. Voters overwhelmingly like the Covid Relief bill, much like polling suggests that people overwhelmingly support sensible gun laws, and yet GOP politicians (and the media that gives them a megaphone) would have you believe otherwis,e all in the name of clicks, retweets, and playing to a base.

After the Orlando nightclub shooting in 2016, despite public approval exceeding 90%, party line votes meant that 4 different proposals and amendments all failed. Republicans offered only half-measures that didn’t meet public demand and thwarted every effort by Democrats to enact stricter measures. You can see similar disconnect between representatives voting to depress publicly popular policies like DACA, public healthcare, and minimum wage.

The door swings both ways, and Democrats aren’t exempt from playing party politics. The truth is that most Americans feel the existing two parties “do such a poor job representing the American people that a third party is needed.” That’s all the more reason that bipartisanship should not be the goal right now. Maybe the answers to our political problems aren’t so easily answered by a combination of the options at hand. If we don’t like option A or B, why should we choose C) All of The Above?

With elected officials voting on party lines nearly 90% of the time, reaching across the aisle is a rarity and a Pollyanna dream. Bipartisanship is always on the table for our representatives to vote their conscience and support bills that are presented by the other party. It would be great if that happened occasionally: maybe someone like Josh Hawley recognizes that a true populist hero that fancies himself a rebel might actually vote for a bill that helps struggling ordinary families, despite what the rest of his party does. But there’s a reason that feels laughable. Right now, a Republican that dabbles in bipartisanship is likely to be censured, primaried, or they’ll have to take the hint and retire or leave the party.

Currently our politicians don’t have the courage to move beyond playing to their base, listen to their constituents (even the ones that didn’t vote for them), or to put the country’s needs over their desires for power. As long as that’s the case, bipartisanship will be a false flag that distracts our focus from holding politicians accountable and challenging the fringe elements of both parties that don’t represent the goals of the majority.