Why bipartisanship can't work right now: the other axis

by: OpenLeft

Sat Jan 02, 2010 at 18:00

A Darcy Burner Golden Oldie
September 22, 2009. Original HERE.

There has been a lot of talk lately about bipartisanship, particularly with respect to the healthcare bill. Paul Krugman in the New York Times recently described how bipartisanship is impossible because moderate Republicans have been driven out of the Republican party. I'd like to take the analysis a step further.

When we talk about the political spectrum, we usually talk about it as though it is a line with a left and a right, like this:

But that's inadequate to describe a lot of the political dynamics that are playing out. There's another axis perpendicular to the first that's become very important recently, which I have been referring to in conversations as the cause-effect axis:

Bipartisanship at the federal level is impossible in any meaningful way right now because there are almost no elected Republicans in the upper right quadrant.

(More below the fold.)  

Now, we can argue about the specifics of where people are, but the gist is there.

For instance, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky is reasonably far to the left, but very very focused on outcomes and cause-effect relationships. She's a pragmatist.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich is about as far left as you can go, and very focused on ideals and principles - not so much on outcomes.

Our current President seems to be a bit left of middle on the left-to-right axis, but pretty focused on outcomes and cause-effect. That's a distinct contrast with former President Bush, who apparently didn't care about outcomes in the slightest.

You get the idea.

So why is this relevant?

First, it's important to realize that traditional bipartisanship can only happen above the line. With almost nobody in the upper right hand quadrant, that makes bipartisanship impossible - not because the Democrats aren't trying, but because there's nobody to partner with.

Second, on the left we need to recognize that there's value in the folks both above and below the line. Below the line is where we speak truth to power; above the line is where we move policy. It would be distinctly helpful if people in each of those two quadrants stopped taking potshots at their fellow travellers. (Or, at the very least, understand why they're approaching the problem differently than you are, and why that might be useful, before you start taking potshots.)