President Bush hailed "the kind of cooperation that some predicted was not possible here in Washington." House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) used the words "bipartisan" and "bipartisanship" 10 times in a brief appearance. "Many Americans believe that Washington is broken," said House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio). "But I think this agreement, and I hope that this agreement, will show the American people that we can fix it."
They're sick and tired of the bickering, and they want to see us get some things done," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.).
See, everyone wins! Only not really, because members of Congress have come together to enact a stimulus package that won't really stimulate the economy but does have the political side-effect of bribing taxpayers into thinking that the government is doing something about the looming recession. And that's what counts for a win in D.C. these days.
The truth is, nobody really wants bipartisanship. What they really want is for the other side to give in to what they want, and each side excoriates the other for "partisanship" when they don't. But the American people want partisanship. They want their side to win, and they want their policies enacted. Only the legendary independent/moderate voter wants "bipartisanship" because supposedly that's the measure of progress in this country; not what policies get enacted, but that any get enacted at all.
Not me though. And not partisans for the other side either. I want the Democrats to stomp down legislation in Congress when the legislation getting passed is atrocious (unlike this example, where in the spirit of bipartisanship they will give President Bush exactly what he wants.) Bipartisanship? Count me out. I want to win.
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