When talking about current politics, or politics in general, one of the prominent terms that will come up is bipartisanship. Everyone will talk about how we NEED bipartisanship and how poor of a job that Congress is doing since they cannot agree on anything! Well why don’t you try and get 435 of your closest friends and have a debate on abortion, or the affordable care act or gun laws. Just imagine the chaos. One simple post on Facebook that has any political connotation of a slurry of radical comments appear within seconds like they were waiting for days just to spite your personal opinions. Well that is what Congress does.
So lets just start at the root. If we are going to talk about politics, ten we need to talk about voting. People vote when it is convenient or they have a strong affiliation with the candidate (they agree with his ideas, they know him, or they just like his hair). People do not go and vote when they are indifferent of the outcome or if it does not fit into their schedule. Also people are more likely to vote in presidential elections than in Congressional elections. Well, lets make this simple. If the only people that vote for Congress are the more polarized individuals then we get divided government. And look what we have now, divided government. The problem is not Congress, its us America! But I digress from my tangent. More important is what does divided government mean for America today? How does it effect me?
The republicans control Congress, and President Obama is the leader of the free world. Think they get alone? Nope… the affordable care act was voted on (and shot down by republicans) more than 33 times before being passed. Once okay, twice maybe we should think about this, thirty-three times, okay this is just getting ridiculous. We are a stubborn people, America holds their beliefs tight because we can! The constitution protects our speech and right to have opinions. But if the president has one opinion and the majority of Congress has another, good luck…
This term of Bipartisanship came up again in the State of the Union. What is the State of the Union you ask? Well its when the President of the United States gets to make a speech and everyone and their mother watches it and he outlines what he wants to do (and then all of his same party cronies applaud), what he plans on changing (the republicans grumble in their seats with the occasional boo) and has a uplifting speech at the end that empowers Americans to go and do great things (and the Supreme Court Justices just sit there because they are not allowed to clap or show emotions, which is the funniest part to me because they sit front row, and just coldly stare at the President the whole time). What was promised during this years State of the Union? Seven promised vetoes and bipartisanship (the republicans didn’t like the veto part, or the bipartisanship part, but its okay). Also, the threats of taxing the richest Americans and giving cuts to the middle class made Ron Paul almost pass out. But how much of this is going to happen? Statistically speaking, probably not a lot.
As of now we have the worst Congress EVER at getting stuff done. The 112th Congress passed the fewest bills ever and hopes to beat their own record over the next two years (not really, it’s a politics joke… sorry). But you cannot really blame them when half of President Obama’s State of the Union is just threatening to use the veto anytime Congress wants to do anything (side note: a veto can be overturned by a 2/3rds vote). And with the executive order becoming even stronger than ever, Congress is feeling a little weak. A major test is coming for this presidential power to be put in its place. President Obama stated recently that he will deploy forces to combat ISIS, and Congress is thinking “wait, don’t we have the power to declare war?” yes you still do Marco Rubio, don’t freak out just yet. But we have not had a war recently, just a bunch of police actions that a lot of people happen to die during. President Obama has to now decide if its in his best interest to use executive orders to attempt to counterstrike ISIS groups or use the formal declaration of war through Congress to get this to happen. Which one takes longer? Well it took 33 times to pass a health care act, just imagine them trying to figure out how to go to war! Okay that was harsh but lets be honest, Congress has a reputation of being a little slow.
What is the solution? I don’t know, if I did I think I should be president! My recommendations: get off your lazy bum and go vote! That is where the biggest problem is! We are one of the few countries with a great democratic system, we need to take advantage of this system! Vote for you who want to see making the decisions, its not just about the president, Congress has a say too! And the Supreme Court is another story, so do not worry about that right now. Bipartisanship is a lot easier when there are more moderate representative in office. America is mostly moderate (not all of us are extremist right/left wing nuts). So that is how Congress should be! Divided government provides the best checks and balance system possible. It is what our forefathers wanted to happen, because then no branch would become to strong and it would give America more time to think about our actions before we acted. Which is good until you get to the point where no one can do anything. Politics are an absolute mess right now. Bipartisanship is a fantasy term that is just another political ploy to get people hopefully about the upcoming year. America might be in for two years of a “lame duck” (that’s a political term, not a insult to the President, look it up). And if they are, hopefully people will come to their senses and participate in all elections to better represent that American population as a whole. In that was, we will be able to work together like how Americans do everyday in the workplace. We need to come to our senses. America, lets get out Congress back!
http://woodtv.com/2015/01/21/state-of-the-union-reaction-is-bipartisanship-possible/
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-live/watch/hope-for-bipartisanship-grows-in-congress-386958915535
http://theweek.com/articles/468572/president-obamas-second-term-end-bipartisanship
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/07/13/13-reasons-why-this-is-the-worst-congress-ever/
kmk5955 says
What I enjoyed most about this post was that you weren’t biased, other than the fact that yes, we need to vote! Someone gets it. But nonetheless, you definitely provided some incredible insight for not only us as American citizens but for our outlook on democracy. Our divided ways of thinking are the culprit for its function now. Also on a side note, your sarcastic and humorous tone played up to how serious this issue is. The relief was great while reading your post.
Luke Arthur Chassard says
Good for you man. You didn’t fall into the mainstream mindset. And as we know, people love to complain and you resisted the urge. But seriously, you resisted that urge and thus were able to break down a substantial analysis. There is a reason why our government was set up the way it is. It should be a struggle. You tap into good arguments and adopt a hefty tone appropriate for the context of your blog. Good work. I am a political enthusiast myself and, wow, did this really pull at my interests.
aka5286 says
First of all, I really enjoy your tone in this post. The sarcastic side comments and jokes make what could be a really dense, boring article exciting and easy to read. Also, I think you do a good job of highlighting both the pros and cons of bipartisanship. Another thing I would add though, is that bipartisanship is what ultimately makes the democratic system work. If everyone in Congress and the House shared the same ideas as each other and the POTUS, then that would defeat the purpose of holding elections in the first place. Like you said, Congress is divided because Americans are divided. Therefore, as irritating as it may be for the government to take forever to make decisions, that is just our government system at work.