Post-Partisanship?

Please! Get Real!

President Obama is, after all, a mere mortal. The new bailout bill is being touted by the media as some kind of litmus test to see if we've really entered the 'post-partisan' era. There's nothing that any one person can or should do to create instant consensus -- even the president. We are a nation of diverse opinions and that diversity will always be with us. 'Post-partisan' does NOT mean the two parties will come together and sing Kum ba yah.

So what, then, does 'post-partisan' really mean? I believe it is about attitude more than outcome. It means that the party in power actually listens to the opposition. It means they look for common ground where they can find it and accept all opinions as valid - agree or not. It means an end to the disgusting divisiveness that exerts power for its own sake with total disregard for alternative points of view.

The neo-con movement in Washington has been pandering for ever-increasing power and wielding it like a sword to destroy even the thought of respectful bipartisanship for decades. Democrats now hold virtually ALL the power. Democrats could easily dismiss the Republican opposition just as Democrats were so long dismissed. Instead, President Obama is reaching out, he is asking for input, he is open to all ideas toward conquering the daunting mess he inherited and achieving his worthy goals. THAT is 'post-partisan' politics. It has already happened and requires no litmus test.

Elections have consequences. The Democrats won. In the end, those in power will generally get what they want. That is a simple fact of life - not partisanship. When the likes of Republican leader Boehner cherry-pick inflammatory details and play the game the old way, by their old rules, they have already lost. The American public is sick of it. It's not about what he's saying as much as the provocative way he's saying it. Republicans better get smart and realize that they are being treated far better than they've treated Democrats and try - try hard - to remember how to be respectful; how to disagree without being disagreeable; how to work together toward something instead of actively working against everything. Every vengeful bone in my body wants to crush all remaining shreds of Republican power into submission -- wants to dismiss them as they so often dismissed us. President Obama is better than that. Republicans would be wise to recognize that fact and act accordingly.