Bi-partisan = Bull-partisan?

Would all of you arrogant politicians please stop telling us about bi-partisan solutions that you are pursuing? We, here at the bottom, know better, whether you do or not. We wish you did, but if you do, there is no evidence of it. If either case, it is obvious that you think so little of us that you just spout it out whenever you run out of something useful to say, which happens way too often, incidentally. We are not fooled, and we are not amused. Sometimes, in the most extreme cases, we are marginally entertained for a few moments, but try as you may, you are no substitute for Moe, Larry, and Curly.

When you accuse someone of not being bi-partisan, we know that what you mean is that they don’t agree with your all righteous, all-knowing, self-designated omnipotent view of the world and refuse to give in despite your obviously superior position. When you shower praise on a member of another party for being bi-partisan, we know that what you mean is that the lily-livered moron caved.

We also know that there is nothing wrong with partisanship as long as it is not taken to the extreme of gang mentality, as the Democratic Party did during the Clinton impeachment and trial or when it becomes militant and fanatic like radical Islam. Political parties exist for a reason. Some people believe in one fundamental view of how life should work. Others believe in a different fundamental view of how life should work.

To become bi-partisan is to either find common ground or to utterly surrender one’s principles to the oppositions whining. And since there has been, essentially, no common ground between Democrats and Republicans since November of 2000 (as evidenced by the experience of Democrats automatically putting down Republican ideas publicly and filibustering no matter what President Bush or other Republicans want to do), it has been surrendering principles.

Give the Democrats credit. It has not been them surrendering their principles (This is not to in any way imply that their principles are worth fighting for, but they do.). It has been the Republicans, allowing their principles (the ones we elected them to stand up for) to be compromised for the sake of bi-partisanship. That is why they were voted out of power in the legislature – not because of Iraq.

Whose approval rating was lower? Was it President Bush or Congress? It was Congress. Still, we have Republican Congressmen idiotically trying to distance themselves from the man who has higher approval ratings than they do. It’s a little like following a buy-high, sell low investment strategy.

No wonder they don’t know what bi-partisan actually means. But we do, so stop insulting us. We, here at the bottom, negotiate and reach reasonable conclusions and compromises with our friends, family members, neighbors, and business associates who have different political and religious views every single day of our lives. Our world works. Yours doesn’t. Take a lesson (a real one – not a pretend one) for a change.