Sign up for The Media Today, CJRâs daily newsletter.
In Politico yesterday, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen had a good, interesting piece about why, in their words, âbipartisanship gets talked about more than it gets practiced.â The story outlines some of the reasons that bipartisanship is effectively impossible in the modern Congress and explains why politicians who understand this perfectly well play along with the ritual anyway.
But what the story could have doneâbut didnâtâis challenge the presence of âbipartisanshipâ itself in our Hall of Political Virtues. Thatâs too bad, because while there are merits to bipartisanship, it is not an unalloyed good, and the exalted status that the pressâand the publicâaccords to it has become an obstacle to sensible policy-making.
Leaving aside high-water polling marks for one side or another, thereâs plenty of evidence that many Americans want a âcentristâ political leadership (for one example, see Andrew Gelmanâs conclusion that John Kerry would not have gained votes by shifting left during the 2004 election, but George Bush would have). Bipartisanship is valuedâand not just by the pressâbecause itâs seen as encouraging outcomes that are consistent with that desire.
This instinct is coloring the way people respond to the current health care debate. According to a new Washington Post poll, 71 percent of respondents said Barack Obama and Democrats âshould try to change the health care reform bill so some Republicans in Congress will also support it.â But the very next question produced a seemingly incoherent response, one that underscores the limits of bipartisanship: 62 percent of those polled said Republicans âare not making a good faith effort to cooperateâ in negotiations.
Why would anyone want Obama and the Democrats to make concessions to people who arenât operating in good faith? Because Americans value political consensus and moderation, and the language of âbipartisanshipâ is the only way we have to talk about those goals. But hereâs the trouble: for the reasons outlined in the Politico story and elsewhereâmore disciplined and coherent parties, increased ideological polarization, a strategic stance of opposition by the minority, and a general shift to more parliamentary behaviorâbipartisanship has become largely unachievable; thereâs no way to negotiate with someone whoâs not interested in making a fair deal.
Many political and media elites find this distressing, and continue to celebrate bipartisanship. This is a peculiar act of denial. It also misses the point. Just because âbipartisanshipâ is a dead letter doesnât mean that the underlying idealâthe inclusion of diverse perspectives in policy-makingâis lost, too. Again, consider the health care debate. Democrats in Congress hold majorities large enough that they could pass a bill on a party-line vote and give it a wider margin than some past âbipartisanâ measures.
How did they gain such large majorities? Partly through bad opponents and good luck, but partly by accepting a wide range of views in their caucusâsuch a wide range that, even in an era of increased party discipline, theyâre having a heck of a time agreeing on how to address their top priority. The center didnât go anywhere; it just happens to be in one party at the moment. When Republicans recoverâas they surely willâit will be because balance has been restored.
The word âbipartisanâ acquired value not because of what it literally meantââgot votes from Republicans and Democrats,â but because of what it signifiedââreflects a broad range of political views.â But the word is no longer the best way to express that idea (if it ever was). So the press shouldnât use it that way, and shouldnât hold it up as an exalted virtue on par with actually getting policy decisions right.
As for what the press should do, coming clean with the public would be a start. Explaining that âbipartisanâ policies arenât in the works is a good first step. Explaining why we shouldnât be worried about that fact would be even better.
Has America ever needed a media defender more than now? Help us by joining CJR today.