Compromise is Not Unity: Countering Republicans' New Favorite Empty Complaint
A GOP Mantra of yore: goodwill should not go unpunished. Upon hearing Biden’s promise to for unity in a divided nation, Republican lawmakers were eager to repurpose the president's rhetorical crutch as a cudgel of their own device.
Biden received complaints on day one when reversing the previous administration’s executive orders. A move expected as part of administrative turnover, and is the primary deterrence in continued executive order expansion. Impeachment, occurring prior to Biden’s inauguration and criticized by the president himself, was likewise deemed a vindictive move by Democrats. Now, as the administration moves forward to lift the nation out of unprecedented disaster Republicans are jumping on the opportunity to bemoan Biden's commitment to achieve any semblance of his campaign promises.
These theatrics were exemplified recently by Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey, on CNN’s State of the Union, when criticizing Biden’s proposed stimulus package, “While President Biden has given some great speeches about unity, he’s governing from the hard left.” In a regurgitation of campaign-esque talking points, he continues in a clumsy tone-deaf spat, “This is a liberal democrat wish list for massive spending. Don’t let a crisis go to waste. People remember we did have an economic crisis, so try to load up as much spending as possible irrespective of need.”
Surely, Toomey must have received the memo earlier than the rest of us; nevertheless he shares exciting news: the economic crisis has passed! Toomey, who had called for Trump to resign in the wake of the Capitol riots, represents the old guard amid the ongoing rift in the GOP. The alleged reasonable faction, and a faction who’s expected reaffirmation in the post Trump era appears shaky at best amid the events of the last week. Made no more certain with Toomey himself is set to retire in 2022. This old guard has shown they have learned no new tricks fully bent on repeating Obama era obstruction.
Biden, not without first toying around and testing the bounds of bipartisan compromise, made the apt decision to press forward with a stimulus package through budget reconciliation. Reconciliation being a limited congressional procedure regarding legislation impacting budgetary concerns, but requiring only a simple majority to pass. This is a position many have advocated for since the victories in Georgia, and hoped the administration would have acted on quicker. Be it as it may, this direct course of action presents a far more optimistic outlook for the future than many would have predicted immediately following Biden’s victory.
In the face of a nation divided Biden has made a correct assessment; bipartisan compromise is no guarantor of unity. A public in crisis does not weigh the success of government action by the number of republican legislators willing to go along, “I sure do enjoy affording rent this week, but if only Senator Pat Toomey would have been on board” Polling has clearly shown how out of step Republicans are with the American public. Pew polled that nearly 80% of all Americans see a need for additional stimulus. Liberals across the board are in near unanimous support, and likewise a majority of conservatives agree. Among those in the lowest income bracket 88% of Democrats and 81% of Republicans see a need for additional stimulus. Biden is wise in following that advice.
To his credit Toomey does make a case for the 10 senators who attempted to negotiate Biden down to a lower deal. A group Toomey, himself, disagreed with, favoring ranks instead with an entirely overrepresented minority of Americans. I’ll be, it was something, not nothing. A token effort by Republicans against Dems already poised to move forward without them. However, I’m willing to bet it was not the 80% of low income Republicans represented at the table when this small group proposed a bill a third of the size of Biden’s plan. Governing and governance is of the utmost importance, and detractors be damned. While the GOP fumbles through an identity crisis, Dem’s are sitting in front of incredible upside as the only party serious about governing in the middle of a crisis. Biden’s decision to press forward is both the correct political move and more importantly sound policy.
It should not go unsaid, from a left perspective, Biden has been far from perfect. It remains to see how Democratic internal concessions bear out over the course of the next month. A meek defense of $15 minimum wage, moderates’ commitment to means testing stimulus relief, dragging feet on student loan relief; by no means should progressives be satisfied. The fight goes on. While the left ought not be satisfied, there must be reasonable comfort in having these debates now rather than the bipartisan alternatives. Pragmatically, the continued pursuit of progressive policy goals is made that much more possible by Biden’s success and the hope for major electoral victories in 2022.
The cries now by Toomey and the GOP ring hollow. Nothing more than the alligator tears of a party defined by obstinance. No on will confuse bipartisan compromise with unity, it is successful governing that will bring the country together. Biden’s decision to move along without them, to do more not less, is a resolute bet that Republican wishes are not representative of the American public. A bet any conscious observer should be willing to make.