'Anonymous Liberal' makes a very good point about bipartisanship:
The Beltway centrist crowd is obsessed with the non-sensical notion that in order to demonstrate his bipartisan bona fides, a president should nominate members of the other party to serve in his cabinet. Even though Republican presidents never seem to succumb to this pressure, Democratic presidents always do. That's why Obama nominated Republican Senator Judd Gregg to be his Commerce Secretary, a move that, not surprisingly, didn't end up working out too well.
I'm all for bipartisanship in certain contexts, but the reality is that there are fundamental ideological and policy differences between the Republican and Democratic parties. Consequently, if you nominate a Republican to carry out a Democratic president's agenda in an area where the two parties have fundamental disagreements, the result is never going to be a good one.
I think it's important for Obama to continue to appear respectful and bipartisan in his general governing approach, if for no other reason than to provide a contrast with the never-ending immaturity and childishness of the GOP. But the best way to do that is by sitting down and talking to Republicans, not putting them in charge of various executive branch departments.
No comments:
Post a Comment