All for Show
Democrats want a huge infrastructure package, with a broad definition of infrastructure. Republicans want a less costly package, with a more traditional definition of infrastructure.
In the past, perhaps a generation ago, the two sides would sort of meet in the middle…each claiming victory on the things they prevailed on, and the excesses of the other side they prevented. Sure, it was a game, but it tended to serve us well enough.
Now the two sides are so far apart, and the rhetoric so harsh, it’s hard to see an end other than abuse of the now-popular reconciliation process.
Publicly, however, the White House says it wants a bipartisan agreement, so the president brought various Republican senators in to come up with something. But each, in turn, so far, has left disappointed.
The latest is a Republican from West Virginia who stood a good chance–it appeared–of brokering a deal. Now she says that the closer she and the president came, the more aides starting throwing more demands into the mix. Then the president suddenly called those negotiations off and turned his attention to a Republican from Louisiana and his plans.
Obviously, there are going to be sticking points in any negotiation, and there are points where one or both sides just walks away. But the word seems to be that more than once during all this, when things seem to be going well, a new wrinkle is added that draws things off course.
Some say that’s because the president really isn’t in charge. Others suggest all the talk is just that…talk, a show designed to let Democrats say they tried to work with unreasonable Republicans but in the end had to push forward for the sake of the country.
Given what we’ve seen out of this White House so far…one is as likely as the other.
