There are all kinds of dirty words in the English language.
That includes slang and other forms of expression that are insulting to one person or group. We hear these utterances from persons of all ages and backgrounds.
Occasionally, your eight year old may come home with an addition to his or her vocabulary that is offensive.
There is one word that I can think of that apparently makes certain people in the political world go crazy. It’s the word “bipartisan.”
Whether it is uttered in Washington, Albany or by some local official, the forces in power go crazy at the thought that some action could be taken on a bipartisan basis. We all know that bipartisan is neither dirty, ugly nor objectionable, but for some politicians the thought that Democrats and Republicans should cross the aisle and work together is their worst nightmare.
For the past seven months, President Trump has had no legislative successes to claim as his own, other than getting a conservative on the U.S. Supreme Court. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mc Connell and House Speaker have been paralyzed in their efforts to pass a new healthcare law.
With such deep divisions in both houses, it has been impossible to get a Republican consensus on any other major issue. The thought of working with Democrats seems to make both leaders nauseous.
Frustrated at the gridlock in the Republican Party, Trump had the nerve to reach out to the Democratic minority leaders and invite them to the White House.
Keep in mind that the two dirtiest words that you can utter to a House or Senate Republican is “Pelosi” or “Schumer.”
Over the past 25 years, Republicans have spent millions of dollars demonizing the Democratic Party and using Pelosi as a political piñata.
More Republicans than you can count on both hands have won their seats threatening voters that Pelosi would visit their house and frighten their children.
Mitch Mc Connell, who is probably the biggest sourpuss in Washington, turned all shades of red when the President had the nerve to agree to a 90-day delay on increasing the debt limit at the suggestion of “Nancy” and “Chuck.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan was close to hysterical when he heard that the President would be willing to speak with any Democrat.
To add to the misery of the leaders, the President issued a dinner invitation to Nancy and Chuck, at which they made some type of grand bargain on border security and the Dreamers Act.
The Republican response to the White House dinner bordered on apoplexy.
They questioned the president’s sanity, his loyalty and his very existence, because he had the nerve to cut a deal with the other party.
Lest you think that bipartisan is just a dirty word in Washington, please be assured that it is equally despised in Albany, New York City and in the suburbs.
There are countless times in my career when real political progress was sabotaged because of one party’s unwillingness to deal with the other party.
There is no reason to expect that in the weeks and months ahead Washington Republicans and Democrats will be smoking a peace pipe and exchanging holiday cards.
However, as a former elected official watching the Republican Party being forced to deal with those Democrats is a pleasant reminder that sometimes being bipartisan is in the best interests of the country.
