Bipartisanship: Washington’s Endangered Species

In twenty years, there’s going to be a new trivia question:  What is more rare in Washington, DC – two feet of snow at one time or an act of bipartisanship.  And, the answer is?  Well, you guessed it, bipartisanship.  Strangely though, it doesn’t seem funny now.  In fact, it’s sad.  The true bipartisan politician is becoming the city’s most endangered species.  And, with the vitriolic, often bitter, expressions in politics today the lack of bipartisanship is clearly one of the primary reasons so many view Congress with such skepticism. With the rising debt, the struggling economy, an every escalating cost for healthcare, and two wars being fought abroad – just to name a few of the problems facing the nation – the sentiment of many Americans is we’ve had enough.  That is why it was such a breath of fresh air when the Senate passed the procedural hurdle of cloture this week on their jobs package.  While some Republicans tried to block the measure, five members crossed party lines to work with their Democratic colleagues in passing cloture.

In a 62-30 vote, the Senate advanced the chamber’s $15 billion jobs bill on Monday night. Centering on a payroll tax break for businesses that hire unemployed workers, an extension of unemployment benefits and subsides for the jobless, the measure is deemed as one of the most effective ways to boost job growth by the Congressional Budget Office. In addition, the jobs package also contained two other major provisions.  It extended the so-called “doc fix” so that the physicians will not experience the sharp drop in compensation for treating Medicare patients on Medicare as well as additional funding for roads and highways.

With “jobs, jobs, jobs” being the theme of both parties at this point in the recession, it was somewhat surprising to see a large number of Republicans trying to block the bill, particularly since it contained many of the measures desired by the GOP. With the US unemployment rate at 9.7% and our economy plowing through the largest downturn since The Great Depression, the GOP position that government spending has gotten out of control – a perspective held by a growing number of proponents on both sides of the aisle – is understandable.  Despite that issue; however, most economists and other observers of job growth believe that investing in ourselves is the best way to get the country moving again.

Led by the newly elected Senator Scott Brown (R-MA), four Republicans including Senators Snowe (R-ME), Collins (R-ME), Bond (R-MO), and Voinovich (R-OH) joined their colleague from Massachusetts in voting for the Senate plan. We should be applauding these policymakers who put the good of the country over partisan wrangling which is plaguing Washington.  And, in keeping with the tenor of the times, within the first few hours after the cloture vote many conservative leaning publications lambasted Brown and the others for working with Democrats to pass the jobs package.  Such rhetoric and the political climate it creates is why many believe Washington is broken.

So, here comes my the mantra you may be tired of:  true reform happens from the middle in Washington, DC  As Americans we pride ourselves on independence and freedom, but it is a great irony that when a policymaker voices independence and casts a vote against partisan bickering, he or she is shunned.  Perhaps I’m mistaken but, it simply doesn’t make sense to me. As the snow covering Washington for over two weeks finally started to melt, maybe we’ve seen the first initial thaw of a different kind with our leaders on Capitol Hill.  Let’s hope so…

Kevin Fickenscher, MD

The views and opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Dell Services or its affiliates.