Why the GOP must not be succored into the Trap of Negotiation
With all of this talk concerning Republicans who, having recently won control of the Senate and broadening their control of the House, and how they should negotiate with President Obama, I am beginning to see a pattern here- a pattern of self-destruction, being promoted by the usual suspects in the media, based upon the supposed need for moderation on the part of the GOP, as though they should somehow be cowed by President Obama, and the illegal actions he has taken as president. They seemed to be almost psyched by his finaglings- as if Obama was the strongest president since FDR.
History has shown quite the opposite. For instance, LBJ was far more effective at corralling bi-partisan support for his agenda, and so were his successors, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. All three of these presidents worked within, and not outside, the Constitution of the United States, and for the greater good.
Another problem is the inherent corruption of the Obama administration. Obama’s actions as president, and those on the part of his cabinet and administration are, by metes and bounds, far beyond anything, ANYTHING, that occurred during the Nixon administration- the only, ONLY difference being that Obama has had a complacent media covering for him, as opposed to Nixon having the media bound and determined to bring down his presidency.
This spirit of moderation and advocacy of cooperation that are presently being advocated, if so acted upon, are defeatist in the worst way- in effect having the GOP say, “We know the 2014 election was an anomaly and we know our positions on the issues are wrong, so we will just be placeholders and allow the Democrats to re-attain their rightful majority in 2016.”. This is the unintended effect of that for which these “pundits of moderation” are advocating- a go-along-with, get-along-with, restrained GOP which brought them to defeat with the nominations of Gerald Ford in 1976, Bob Dole in 1996, John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012- all of whom were GOP moderates who went down to defeat with their own respective, all-too-tempered tone. Unlike Obama, who knows that politics is war, what they and the voices of moderation within and outside the GOP advocate, was and is a soft-spoken, well-thought-out, and oh-so-temperate strategy that will only serve to make people question what the difference is between liberal Democrats and moderate Republicans, of which there is absolutely none- and one which will assure a Democratic trifecta in the next election.
In order for negotiation to work, both- not one, but both- sides must be pragmatic, and thereby willing to negotiate on a bilateral basis. Such bilateral negotiations can and do work, to wit:
LBJ effectively negotiated the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with Republicans, led by Everett Dirksen of Illinois. Ronald Reagan effectively negotiated the tax cuts of 1982 with Democrats, led by Dennis DeConcini of Arizona. Bill Clinton, once he lost both houses of Congress, effectively negotiated a balanced budget (in exchange of welfare reform) with Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. All three of these presidents were, at day’s end, pragmatists of the first order- hence they were able to negotiate effective governance with members of their respective opposite parties.
Obama, on the other hand, is incapable of negotiation as he is neither a pragmatist, nor is he interested in the “pursuit of the greater good”, as the predecessors I have listed. He is a dogmatic ideologue who can’t even manage to negotiate with the hapless members of his own party, much less the members of the GOP. Our allies abroad don’t trust him to keep his word, our enemies abroad don’t fear his resolve (for there is none to be feared) and he cannot be trusted to keep his word with anyone, save for Valerie Jarrett and Michelle Obama. In essence, caving to Obama and his political operatives will never work, because there is no spirit of “give and take” in Obama- only take, take, take, ad nauseam. No one will ever negotiate anything with Obama, so it is pointless to try.
What Republicans CAN do, on the other hand, is to restrain the president through controlling the all-important purse-strings. For instance, if Obama signs an executive order on immigration- they can withhold funding for its implementation. They can do the same with ObamaCare, which may end up being skewered in the Supreme Court, anyway, due to pending litigation, now in the works. Social issues, such as gay marriage, are facing similar scrutiny in pending litigation, and may end up being decided on a state-by-state basis, which is where it should be decided, anyway. In the end, negotiation and compromise only work if there is bi-lateral cooperation, and Obama has not yet shown any penchant for either- hence such a naïve, and well-meaning approach will not work, not with this president- not ever.
-Drew Nickell, 10 November 2014
© 2014, by Drew Nickell, all rights reserved