Bill Scher: No More Compromise (from TomPaine.com)

No More Compromise
Bill Scher
May 24, 2007


In one of Sen. Harry Reid’s first radio addresses after the Democratic victories in November 2006, he said the new majority’s first guiding legislative principle was “bipartisanship”; Democrats “intend to reach out to President Bush and our Republican colleagues in Congress.” The Democrats’ last guiding principle would be “results,” because “it's time Democrats and Republicans worked together to achieve results.”

Four months into the new Congress, how’s that game plan working out?

There’s not a lot of results. And you can blame all that attempted bipartisanship.

Time and time again, Democratic leaders have sought to accommodate the conservative Republican minority and craft compromise legislation. And in almost every case, it has led to bad or no results.

The accommodationist tone was set early on by the Senate. After the House passed in January an extremely overdue raise in the minimum wage, Senate conservatives and the White House immediately whined that the bill needed business tax breaks to “offset” the extra $2.10 an hour.

Instead of standing up to such nonsense, daring the conservative minority to sustain an extended filibuster and face the 80 percent of electorate who supports raising the minimum wage, Democratic leaders immediately flinched. They sought to put together a tax package that would pacify those senators completely out of step with the voters.

...(snip)...

The new Congress kicked off with Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia challenging President Bush to “allow our combat forces to leave Iraq” and address “the economic imbalance in our country,” promising that “if he does not, we will be showing him the way.”

It’s time to start showing the way. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/05/24/no_more_compromise.php

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