Bipartisanship: It's about the Electorate, not about Congress

[SidneyCarton]

There has been endless criticism of Pres. Obama's "reaching across the aisle" to talk to the Republicans, only to have his hand slapped back by the recalcitrant GOP, who has decided to go into full obstructionist mode, and let the country burn. It has been said that the attempts at bipartisanship are proof of the inherent spinelessness of our DLC-led party, who have few, if any ideas of their own, and out of fear of both the teeming masses, and right-wing hate media, pile themselves onto whatever policies the Republicans cook up in order to avoid criticism.

While the frustration inherent in such criticisms is understandable, it fails to understand one of the key goals of a bipartisan policy: it is not the GOP Legislators who are being courted, it is the moderate components of their base. Consider for a moment: we know that somewhere between 20-35% (These figures are approximate, if anyone can send me more accurate data, I'd appreciate it) of the electorate are raging conservatives who could see a GOP national politician slaughter small children on Capitol Hill and not care, because there's an (R) after their name. Yet, over 40% of the electorate voted for John McCain in the last election. Hence there is a portion of the Republican electorate that votes for GOP candidates, but are not flaming ideologues, these are the voters that the Obama Administration are focusing on through bipartisan strategies, because these voters, if they can be swayed, make all the difference in which party is relevant and powerful for the next generation.

Consider for a moment the example of New England. It was once a Republican bastion, albeit made up of relatively moderate conservatives. As the GOP moved further and further to the right, it alienated the base in this region, and now, with very few exceptions, national offices in the northeast are solidly Democratic. In part this is due to changing views in the area, but it also is owed to the successful wooing of moderates who value competence over ideology. This is unlikely to occur as dramatically across the nation, but if moderates in certain regions can be solidly won over, certain regions (such as the west, or parts of the mid-west) could be reclaimed from the Republicans, marginalizing them as a party of the south, (and the a few mountain states, such as Utah, and Idaho) and effectively making them irrelevant for a generation. Such a process is neither fast, nor glamorous but it offers the opportunity of lasting and meaningful change for our nation. Such change would take more than a single Presidency to overturn, and holds the potential to dramatically change the destiny of the country.