Obama heads west, bidding bye-bye to bipartisanship
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The political watchword last week was bipartisanship. This week, it is bye-bye to the bi.
As President Obama headed west for a campaign swing in this midterm election year, partisanship was very much on the minds of political Washington. He will speak on behalf of Sen. Michael Bennet in Colorado and on Friday for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada. Both men face tough races this year.
But the new atmosphere in Washington goes beyond campaign appearances, which after all, are part of the rules of the game. In recent weeks, Obama has bemoaned the hot house climate of controversy in Washington, where he says Republicans act out of their own political needs to be an electoral opposition, rather than on the merits of the issue.
He has also called for more bipartisanship while at the same time warning that Republicans will be held accountable if nothing gets done.
In recent days, Obama has become more pointed. The president has complained about the GOP holding up his nominations when the real disagreement is not about qualifications but another political issue such as federal spending.
But the issue this week that roiled Democrats was how Republicans sought funds for hometown projects after opposing last year’s $787-billion stimulus act.
“The bill still generates some controversy,” Obama said at the anniversary of the stimulus act. “And part of that is because there are those, let’s face it, across the aisle who have tried to score political points by attacking what we did, even as many of them show up at ribbon-cutting ceremonies for projects in their districts.”
Obama’s spokesman Robert Gibbs dug deeper at his briefing. He mentioned Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Cantor opposed the act but praised jobs that could be created in his district with some of the funds.
“I don’t know what message Eric Cantor delivers when he tells you in Washington that it hasn’t, but then tells his constituents, gee, I hope we get this grant to build high-speed rail in the district and create jobs. In Alabama, we call that hypocrisy. In Washington, we call that par for the course,” Gibbs said.
Republicans, of course, reject the hypocrite label, pointing out that they can still disagree with size, focus and execution of the bill while applying for money for their constituents, which, after all, is part of their jobs as representatives.
Still, the personal attacks are sure to rankle, and the White House’s tougher talk could have an effect on future efforts, such as next week’s bipartisan summit on the healthcare overhaul.
Once you’ve gone partisan, it may be too hard to go back to the bi side.
--Michael Muskal
