Saturday, March 27, 2010

Post Postpartisan

First, a little throat-clearing. Don't call it a resuscitation. Okay, do. Apologies for The Pickle's lack of pulse. It's just that there hasn't been much going on in the political world.

Second, a quick and dirty thought about Obama's post-partisanship. Promises of PP were part of what garnered support from independents, and for much of the past year, moderates pointed to these promises in an effort to keep progressives from rocking the boat. Ultimately, the story goes, Obama threw PP aside after a year wasted on chasing down Republican support that would never come. My little thought is this - perhaps the administration should pitch PP policymaking in the larger context, ie in the context of the President's entire agenda. Within the context of one specific issue, chances are it's hard to pursue policy that's "post partisan" when the parties want things that are mutually exclusive. If you're setting out to universalize health care, there's no way Republicans ever come on board. But if the context is broadened, Obama can point to policies in other areas where traditionally Republican ideas are being taken very seriously (specifically in education) (and in a great way, in my opinion).

Third, a quick little point to undermine the second point. The cost-savings component of HCR was totally traditional Republican turf, so while it's true they'd never come around on universal coverage, this at least was a bone that should have enticed them. You know, if intransigence wasn't their top policy priority.

Fourth, most alliterative post ever. Look at all them P's!