Democrats, Republicans Will Agree: Bipartisanship Is Dead

April 24, 2009 RSS Feed Print
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By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog.

You heard it here months ago, folks. There's no such thing as bipartisanship in Washington, D.C.:

Partisan tensions are escalating over President Obama's plans to revamp the nation's healthcare system and push through other policies, just as Congress is taking up the heart of his first-term agenda.In the latest sign of the combative environment, Democratic and progressive groups announced Thursday that they were launching an Internet and television campaign to promote Obama's goals and — in some cases — to paint Republicans as obstructionist.

The Democratic National Committee, which has absorbed Obama's campaign operation, unveiled a Web video calling the GOP the "Party of No." The ad is a montage of party leaders voicing objections to Obama's policies, ending with the words: "100 days of no."

That's about as mature as one second-grader screaming at another that she's being unfair. Is real life fair? In Washington, is there any such thing as bipartisanship? If everyone just got along, why bother having two parties?

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If you take the time to read the posts in response to your (and others) opinions, its obvious that we have a sarply didived electorate and thus a sharply divided congress. Deficits were fine with Republicans when Bush was President, now they are evil since Obama is president. But the Democrats who hated Bush's deficits are fine with Obama's.

Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats represent middle of the road voters. In order to have party support to get elected, one must follow the party line. Dissent is not allowed. Watch the Sunday morning political shows and listen to 10 members of the same party spout the exact same party line. There appears to be no ability of any elected offocial to understand any issue or to try to formulate a middle of the road solution to any problem. And thus we swing from right wing

dogma to left wing "progressives". And the majority of the folks in the country are left with no good choices.

Time for a third party of moderate to take over.

Bob of TX 2:15PM April 28, 2009

TPARTY, the time has come.

Our current system has become SO extremest on both sides that it IS time for a third central party. I believe most Americans ARE somewhere in the middle but all we get to choose is these two WRONG party platforms. We keep flip=flopping between the two extremes when we vote because as voters, we try to choose the lessor of two evils. I haven't voted "for" anybody since Reagan's second term. I've had to vote "against" the worst.

We need a true LEADER who is capable and willing to embrace both sides of our voter base.

Chris Petty of GA 9:54AM April 26, 2009

DAH!! We are bipartisan and should be proud of it. I don't think we want a one party system. That's why we're a democracy, not a dictatorship. Every dog has his day,and now the Democrat Party will do what they can to implement their beliefs. When they go to far, the voters will choose a new leader. It's a beautiful thing........

Carole of NY 7:23PM April 24, 2009

Bonnie Erbe

Bonnie Erbe

Bonnie Erbe is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report and hosts PBS's weekly news analysis program, To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbe. She also writes a weekly syndicated newspaper column for Scripps Howard News Service.

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