Let's Try the Art of Compromise

Let's stop keeping score.

We have so much finger pointing going on over healthcare – who won, who lost?  We have a planned filibuster against one of the most qualified individuals ever to be nominated for Supreme Court Justice because the Democrats want to win or see the Republicans (or Trump) lose.  News stories involving politics so frequently begin with a suggestion that one party or coalition or another won, or another lost.  It really sounds far too much like the sports report rather than news.  It is really well past time to put a stop to this.

I was going to say, “If I were President Trump here’s what I’d do.”  But, if I were Trump I’d do exactly what he is doing.  So, how about instead, "If I could tell President Trump what to do, here is what I’d say":

First, there is too much team playing going on all over Washington.  I know, anyone who doesn’t know that has been living under a rock for the last several years. But it has become almost exclusively about the game and the score – who won, who lost – and not about what is being done for the country.  And this game playing is truly hampering if not putting a complete halt to getting anything at all done for America.

So, here’s what needs to happen.  Instead of having the Republicans put forth a bill on this or that, and then have the Democrats have a knee-jerk opposition reaction, why not at least try to get them to work together.  Bring the leaders of both sides to a meeting at the White House together.  But them in a room TOGETHER and ask them to talk about the issue that you want to work on:  health care; taxes; infrastructure; regulations; terrorism; government waste; etc.  Listen to thoughts from both sides.  Ask questions.  Demand that they talk to one another.  Tell them the bill that you will sign must come out of and evolve from this meeting – this is its starting point.  It will include the best ideas, regardless of who it was that proposed them. 

Idealistic?  Perhaps.  But, imagine if it worked.  You’d have support for the bill coming from both sides of the aisle.  You’d have people on both sides trying to sell the bill to their constituents.  Because the bill would be bipartisan you would not have each and every Democrat vote against the bill.  You also would likely not have all Republicans vote for the bill, but that is actually not a bad thing.  It would indicate that the Congresspeople are thinking about what is best for America and their constituents, rather than just a win for their party.  Maybe the people would begin to feel that the politicians could see their job as other than a game in which they and their team try to win at all costs; maybe the politicians would begin to see that their job is not about them but what is best for the country and the American people. 

And, with such a change in perspective we would all win.  This ought not to hurt the individual politicians’ careers or chances in future elections: if they are truly serving the people well, it follows that the people will want to retain their services.  The country would win because we would likely have less animosity and certainly more actions supporting the greatness that is America.  And, the Presidency would win because things would be accomplished, and the things accomplished would likely last because of the underlying bipartisan support.

So, how to get it there?  This would likely not work well in the beginning.  The first few group meetings would doubtless be very difficult with a lot of political posturing, name-calling, and refusal.   Let them get it out of their systems.  Make them stay.  Ask them why they cannot accept the point they are opposing.  Ask them how they could reach a compromise.  Don’t give up.  And, if anyone refuses to cooperate in this exercise, hold their feet to the fire.  Tell the press.  Or, let the press in; record the meetings and share them with the public. 

There will of course be certain things on which the two parties’ ideological positions are so different that they will never agree.  But, there are many other things on which we have to believe that there is great room for compromise so that both sides (and their constituents) can feel that they leave the table having won something.   Work on the art of compromise; be its leader and make it as successful as the art of the deal.

In the end, the most important point to which all must hold true is that this is not about a particular side, or team, or party, or coalition winning or losing; this is about America winning or losing.  And, as long as we continue keeping score for Democrats vs. Republicans, America is losing.