This is an excerpt from a column I wrote this week for Dome Magazine.
By Chad Selweski
… Rather than genteel bipartisan cooperation, Michigan voters should brace for an onslaught of hyper-partisan campaign rhetoric as the state may experience several competitive congressional races in this year’s midterms. Things are about to get nasty. Yet, back in Washington, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell assures us that, “We hope that 2018 will be a year of more bipartisan cooperation,” as he incredulously predicted “a significant number of Democrats” will support President Trump’s agenda.
On the other side of the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is reportedly pursuing a pre-election strategy that relies on getting a few low-priority bipartisan bills passed to give the impression that the Dems are capable of collaboration, unlike the strident GOP. Ten Democratic senators are up for reelection in states the president carried in 2016, so the trick for the Dems is to look capable of governing while not granting too many Republican victories on legislation. At the same time, McConnell and Schumer will push the envelope on appearing reasonable and rational while fully aware that they cannot alienate their fringe constituencies, respectively, on the far right and the far left.
Do they not realize that their sales pitches sound like BS to the average, middle-of-the-road voter who has no strong allegiance to either party? Do they not recognize that, in the national tug-of-war over politics, nearly identical criticisms of the opposition are simply transposed, depending on who currently sits in the Oval Office? The two sides blindly switch positions 180 degrees to provide partisan comfort to the faithful. These hypocritical divisions and defenses range from big issues like the economy and the battle against ISIS to more miniscule matters such as the amount of time the president spends golfing or the relative grace demonstrated by the First Lady.
Independent, moderate voters see through this charade and, in the midst of this political whiplash, can’t help but painfully shake their heads. On Capitol Hill, both sides are so obsessed with the upcoming 2018 congressional campaigns that, like some ethically comprised re-election candidate for a lowly city council seat, they govern in a juvenile manner with the intent of manufacturing partisan talking points for use at election time. Potent attack ads dance in their heads.
Most of the internal deliberation in the House and Senate focuses not on what is good for the country or how to break through the gridlock, but what PR messages are available to convince voters that one party is better than the other. This is the sports-like “Yea, Team!” approach that is ruining our politics.
Continue reading here.
