Among most of his supposed 2020 Democratic presidential primary opponents – particularly those hitching their political wagons to the New Left – Joe Biden’s recent comments on the days when those with significant differences within their own parties and certainly with those in the opposing parties could reach out and work together for the common good have been denounced as political heresy and compared to “dog vomit.”
Joe Biden’s record on civil rights, other than on the topic of busing, certainly in no substantive way compares with those of Georgia U.S. Sen. Herman Talmadge or Mississippi U.S. Sen. James O. Eastland. Biden was also a protege of sorts of Mississippi U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis, but Stennis was up until his final years on Capitol Hill an opponent of civil rights legislation.
The rest of the 2020 Democratic presidential field saw Biden’s musings on how he coexisted and interacted with political opposites like Talmadge, Eastland and Stennis as evidence of a sort of betrayal of the views of modern day New Left Democrats who are at best hyper-partisan and who speak the politically correct language of the young and angry wing of the Democratic Party.
Biden’s recent remarks closely mirror those made in the past by Teddy Kennedy, who famously drank whiskey and smoked cigars with Eastland in his office during the days when Eastland controlled the Senate Judiciary Committee. Biden was clearly closer to Stennis, but he maintained a working relationship with Eastland as well.
Unfortunately, we have reached a point in this country where hyper-partisanship – blind, unyielding devotion to one party or another at the expense of all else – has become virtuous while bipartisanship has become ignoble vice. It’s not enough to disagree politically, but the new partisanship almost requires that political combat ensue and that there be clear winners and losers. Both parties are guilty of it and neither of the major U.S. political parties can claim much moral high ground.
The castigation of Biden for giving countenance to bipartisanship and the notion of reaching out to political foes shows how deeply political gridlock grips Washington, D.C., now at a time when legislation that passes the Republican-controlled Senate is virtually guaranteed to be dead-on-arrival in the Democrat-controlled House.
The proliferation of political “purity” TV news coverage makes the rejection of bipartisanship a virtual certainty. Conservatives are told on Fox News about the supposedly dangerous strategies and motives of liberal Democrats. Liberals get the same political indictments of conservatives MSNBC while CNN carries on a running battle with the Trump White House.
And what the political affinity news networks don’t accomplish in terms of undermining bipartisanship, social media accomplishes with great precision. The steady torrent of social media posts and Tweets designed to sway voters is a big part of the economic collapse of traditional media outlets and leaves readers to fend for themselves in the marketplace of ideas. In far too many cases, the loudest voice dominates the conversation.
Biden offered the fair point that governing is about finding common ground with political adversaries and negotiating for public policies that generate buy-in from both sides of the political aisle.
Gridlock in Congress is clearly part of the dynamic driving Donald Trump’s rise to power and his appeal to voters who are sick and tired of traditional politicians who can’t seem to make the process work. In the absence of working bipartisanship that can lead Congress to get the people’s business done, voters will likely continue to gravitate toward political leadership on the extremes of both major parties.
And before Republicans take too much glee in the internecine warfare among Democrats, the GOP has their own problems between those solidly on the Trump train, the Tea Party wing and the mainstream Republicans. Many of Trumps supporters appear more supporters of him in an almost cult of personality rather than traditional partisans.
Biden pointed out something that should be elementary to both sides. There is an independent group of voters in this nation looking for a functional government that can actually govern. For them, bipartisanship is a good thing and desirable. Their goals run deeper than trading social media barbs and exchanging insults.
They want government to solve real problems and serve real needs.
Biden is the presumptive Democratic frontrunner, but he has a record that will be examined and may produce obstacles to his campaign. Calling for mutual respect and bipartisanship on Capitol Hill – even among Americans with vastly different beliefs and values – is not one of them.
Sid Salter is a syndicated columnist. Contact him at sidsalter@sidsalter.com.
Wednesday, June 26, 2019
Sid Salter: Biden's 'Reach Across the Aisle" is Pragmatic Approach
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26 comments:
Sid...Fox news doesn't need to tell me a damn thing about how dangerous the left is to this country. I (unlike yourself) have the cognitive abilities to listen the Dem idiots and understand that for myself. You have devolved through the years to a two bit, left wing, condescending political hack. But keep up the good work, people of your ilk are who keep us poor dumb conservatives energized. I doubt this gets posted but it made me feel good just typing it.
Tune in to the Cartoon Network 7 cst tonight if you want to watch the dem debates. Tune in 6:30 if you want to see the clown car unloading.
My bet is Pocahontas and Spartacus get out first. Biden will stay inside to cop a feel
Biden is trying to have it both ways - he shamelessly panders to lawless, far-left extremists while attempting to beguile moderates in a desperate struggle to appear reasonable.
Joe will ultimately be his own undoing with his constantly evolving stances on everything from trade to climate change to border security...everything I've come to expect from a Democrat.
Biden...LOL. Trump wins in 2020, period. Probably a landslide.
His old boss is a Marxist.
'Nuff said.
Similar topic: Is that Mayor Pete a top or a bottom?
Sid, this is not an example of bipartisan negotiations.
Eastland and Tallmedge were of the SAME PARTY as Biden, Democrats.
The party of Jim Crow, KKK and Citizens Council was the Democrat Party.
Simply on moral grounds Trump is done, the people who claim to support him today actually have morals and will either not vote or write in someone else.
Clinton lost not because of who voted but who didn't vote. The same thing will happen to Trump. Their aren't enough people who can hold their nose!
It has been said that politics is “the art of compromise “. Currently there is no compromise, only name calling and hate between the parti. The division between the parties has gotten too wide for compromise and until there are sensible and honorable individuals elected it’s not going to change. Biden isn’t either.
Joe Biden issued a public apology for daring to call vice-president Mike Pence a "decent guy." Where I come from "decent guy" is hardly laudatory praise.
Joe Biden cannot pontificate on the need to reach across the aisle.
Then again, Joe Biden thinks the word "jobs" is composed of three letters.
Reaching across the aisle is what got us gun control, human poo in the streets of San Francisco, drag queens reading filth to children in public libraries and a massive flood of 3rd world invaders.
The average at least semi-intelligent voter has long come to the conclusion that neither party really represents his interests, so the party power was left to the fringe crazies and interest groups. Those groups wield their power isolated in the party primaries, so the candidates pander to them. They promise damn near anything to get the nomination, free college education, medicaid for all, a border wall paid for by another country, etc. When the general election comes around you can choose between Satan and Lucifer. Unless this party crap is reformed it will only get worse!
Biden may be the only candidate who is as mentally challenged as is the current occupant of the WH. A genuine Hobson's choice awaits us.
Remember when candidate Obama, and later President, talked about bipartisanship and reaching across the aisle? It was bunk. Same with Biden. If elected, he will be as bipartisan as Obama was, which means he will not be bipartisan. His party will not let hem be, even if he were genuine, which is doubtful.
I beg to differ, the current office holder is a league on his own.
He lost the popular vote the last time. If it wasn't for the electoral college, Clinton is President. He hasn't did anything to Expand his base. I just don't see how he wins either.
If it comes down to Trump and Biden, I'm with Biden! Couldn't bring myself to vote for Trump last time (or Hilary!). A decent guy and someone who looks for the common good is priority. Sad that every candidate can't have those two qualities so we can get down to core issues!
It's going to be hard for anyone on the left to appeal to the extreme right and why should they? If the people want a lawless, lying, raping, stealing, thug POS, the Republicans already have the best man for the job.
12:03 He wins unless the Democrats can somehow select a nominee who has not made a buttload of outrageous commitments to the young and vocal far left to win the nomination. People will simply stick with the liar we already have rather than start all over with a new one. It's a ridiculous situation.
Biden’s attempts to cater to the extremist right vote is beyond misguided. The right wants a pussy grabbing doofus, and there is no way they can compete with the king of grabbing pussies.
9 million more jobs now that at the exact time in Obama’s presidency. Obama told us 2.6 million of those jobs were gone and not coming back. Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians have the lowest unemployment rate in HISTORY. America has more than 1.6 job openings than job applicants. Minimum wage is up 16% on its own. The average hourly wage in America is $26.00. Texas has negative unemployment as does 7 other states. Yet dems want you to believe the sky is falling and to be frozen in place because Trump is mean. Vote America First not hysteria first. And for damn sure if you have been on the same bus for 50 years and it has not gotten you any where near where they promised - get off. Particularly if that bus’s previous stops included slavery, poll taxes, Dred Scott, segregation, the eugenics movement and mandatory sentencing.
Biden is not the solution; he and his ilk are the problem. This lifer has been in DC for 50 years!
How many of those years has he been a pervert? Asking for a friend.
Hey put me on 3rd when I hit a single and it's a home run. Just about every economist will tell you this is still Obama's economy that Trump's tax cuts and tariffs are going to screw up.
Sid, you make some good points while at the same time use the word 'bipartianship' to describe Biden working with Eastland, Talmedge, Stennis et.al. That was not bipartianship - it was Democrat to Democrat. And it was not so much of a stretch for Biden to reach his other civil rights opponents as partners - because Biden in his almost pure white conclave of Delaware was not beating the drum to integrate their facilities either.
Biden's problem is that he has been all over the board with his policies and positions, not to mention his 'ethical breeches. His son's billion dollar deals done via AF2, along with Kerry'a son being the most visable. But once brother Jim's 'transactions' done solely by the last name association all come to light it will take years to investigate them all. (And several of Jim Biden's operation can be seen right here in MS - using another 'brother' to help grease the wheel - Tom Espy while Mike was AG Sec. (And as usual when dealing with nasty Democratic politics, there is always a 'brand' left on the deal to help identify it.)
When a Democrat is back in the White House I can imagine the stink raised complaining about the national debt. But for now all that's important is tax cuts on easy money income. If the Fed is forced to raise the prime rate to 4%+ while Trump is POTUS what will he do?
If you are on third and you hit a single you are playing some whacked out game just like those so called economist that know everything about money but somehow are never millionaires. Obama had the SADIM touch ( opposite of Midas) everything he touched turned to shit. Only people that got rich were his globalist buddies. He murdered small businesses with mounds of regulations and certifications. He destroyed the middle class. The lower class was constantly under cut by cheap illegal labor. That is why you are seeing Obamavilles sprouting up in Democrat strongholds all over America. He was an economic nightmare.
Sid...Fox news doesn't need to tell me a damn thing about how dangerous the left is to this country. I (unlike yourself) have the cognitive abilities to listen the Dem idiots and understand that for myself. You have devolved through the years to a two bit, left wing, condescending political hack. But keep up the good work, people of your ilk are who keep us poor dumb conservatives energized. I doubt this gets posted but it made me feel good just typing it.
And its comments like that, that keeps my disgust for Mississippi Republicans going strong!!! Yee-haw!!!!!
God help us!
Our " greatest generation" and their children who were born before WWII understood there were things more important than their personal preferences, selfish interests and ambitions.
There was not only cooperation across the aisle but each side actually thought that the country had to come first and that what was good for the country was good for their party.
Now, it's whats good for the party and the party's biggest contributors and getting rich while in office.
And, those of you who believe the simplistic drivel and propaganda and don't bother to get the facts or educate yourselves about how government works so as to know how easily you can be duped, have sold this Nation down the river.
You believe what you want to believe out of convenience or to go along with your group of identification. Thinking for yourselves or imaging what you may not know or been taught would never occur to you.
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