Wiseacre
Retired USAF Chief
The other day (March 1) Senator Olympia Snowe wrote a piece in the WaPo detailing why she's quiting. Sounds a lot like what Evan Bayh said a couple of years ago. Putting aside whatever you might think of either person, the issue of the Senate's total inability to cooperate with each other is badly damaging the country.
Quite frankly, I don't know if it'll make much difference who wins the WH or who wins the Senate majority this November. I don't see either party winning 60 seats, so it's going to come down to bipartisanship if anything significant is to be done. And we got some significant things that need doing.
I think Obama's partisan politics and rhetoric make him unable or maybe even unwilling to actually cooperate and compromise. If he's elected, I don't see him accepting anything less than his way on everything important. The same for Harry Reid, if a repub wins the WH but the Dems keep their majority in the Senate. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe that's unfair, but these guys appear to be soley interested in party politics above what's really best for the country.
And I can't say the GOP would be any different if they get in. Even if they did win the WH and both Houses of Congress, they're not going to have a filibuster proof Senate, and that means working together with the Dems. In my view, the Dems had their shot and blew it; it's time to give the repubs their chance, with the understanding that we need to see some action on the things that matter most.
snippet:
One difficulty in making the Senate work the way it was intended is that America’s electorate is increasingly divided into red and blue states, with lawmakers representing just one color or the other. Before the 1994 election, 34 senators came from states that voted for a presidential nominee of the opposing party. That number has dropped to just 25 senators in 2012. The result is that there is no practical incentive for 75 percent of the senators to work across party lines.
The great challenge is to create a system that gives our elected officials reasons to look past their differences and find common ground if their initial party positions fail to garner sufficient support. In a politically diverse nation, only by finding that common ground can we achieve results for the common good. That is not happening today and, frankly, I do not see it happening in the near future.
Olympia Snowe: Why I’m leaving the Senate - The Washington Post
Quite frankly, I don't know if it'll make much difference who wins the WH or who wins the Senate majority this November. I don't see either party winning 60 seats, so it's going to come down to bipartisanship if anything significant is to be done. And we got some significant things that need doing.
I think Obama's partisan politics and rhetoric make him unable or maybe even unwilling to actually cooperate and compromise. If he's elected, I don't see him accepting anything less than his way on everything important. The same for Harry Reid, if a repub wins the WH but the Dems keep their majority in the Senate. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe that's unfair, but these guys appear to be soley interested in party politics above what's really best for the country.
And I can't say the GOP would be any different if they get in. Even if they did win the WH and both Houses of Congress, they're not going to have a filibuster proof Senate, and that means working together with the Dems. In my view, the Dems had their shot and blew it; it's time to give the repubs their chance, with the understanding that we need to see some action on the things that matter most.
snippet:
One difficulty in making the Senate work the way it was intended is that America’s electorate is increasingly divided into red and blue states, with lawmakers representing just one color or the other. Before the 1994 election, 34 senators came from states that voted for a presidential nominee of the opposing party. That number has dropped to just 25 senators in 2012. The result is that there is no practical incentive for 75 percent of the senators to work across party lines.
The great challenge is to create a system that gives our elected officials reasons to look past their differences and find common ground if their initial party positions fail to garner sufficient support. In a politically diverse nation, only by finding that common ground can we achieve results for the common good. That is not happening today and, frankly, I do not see it happening in the near future.
Olympia Snowe: Why I’m leaving the Senate - The Washington Post
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