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In one of his more thoughtful moments David Brooks recently argued that the Republican party has lost its integrity because it could not be satisfied with 60%, 70% 80% even 90% of what it wanted, but only 100% would count. But this is not politics. This is not what made Reagan a successful President (as Brooks sees it) and neither is it what made Clinton an effective President; these two knew how to strike a deal, whereas Newt Gingrich became a laughingstock as Speaker of House because he did not know how to take a deal. Negotiations and politics are just that: you negotiate, you make deals, you give a little and you get a little, and only on the rarest occasions on the firmest of principles can any afford to play it as a zero sum game. You try to win more than you lose, but you cannot prevent your opponent from winning some things some times and you should not see an opponent’s gain as a necessary and unacceptable loss for you. And for God’s sake, when your side strikes a deal, you call it a victory no matter what and keep your bitching behind closed doors.
The more interesting thing in this deal seems to be that Republicans actually dealt!! They caved on unemployment benefits and the tax cuts from the Stimulus package and even on the Estate tax, all this to get tax cuts for the richest for two more years even though it increases the cursed deficit. Did deficit rejection become meaningless to Republicans? No, rather they saw a deal they liked and were willing to sacrifice their ideals a bit to get it. Similarly Pres. Obama did not cave; he saw an opportunity to reach his policy objectives while having to accept that to do so his opponents would achieve some of theirs. Those tax cuts for the wealthiest may be offensive to many Democrats, but they aren’t the core of this policy debate , especially during the recession, and they shouldn’t be a deal breaker, should they?
Political Scientists and smart observers see this, will Democrats and their progressive allies?
The last few years the Republicans regularly left deals on the table that had things in them they liked just to snub the President and to act pure ideologically, one of the few glories of a minority party. For example, Republicans refused to participate in any meaningful way in health care reform on a bill that was essentially Republican in nature when they could have had much of what they wanted in policy terms–and Democrats and progressives rightfully castigated them for it. How can those same Democrats and progressives now want Pres,. Obama and the Democrats in Congress to do the same?? And so its goes. Republicans envy the policy and governing successes of Democrats, and Democrats envy the political point scoring ability of Republicans.
– Lawrence Spaulding
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More from Lawrence Spaulding:
On Wisconsin: Mr. Goose, Meet Ms. Gander by Lawrence Spaulding
Thoughts on Clearly Nebulous’ Query by Lawrence Spaulding
More (or Less, Really) on Words and Violence, by Lawrence Spaulding
Words and Actions, Words as Actions, by Lawrence Spaulding
On Political Writing and Reading… and Kinda Obama… by Lawrence Spaulding
Lame Ducks and Legitimacy, by Lawrence Spaulding
Will Progressives Treat BHO Better than Conservatives Treated GHWB?, by Lawrence Spaulding
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