Tell media bipartisanship is alive and thriving in D.C.
I have heard the same theme over and over from the media, both locally and in Washington: Bipartisanship is dead. The truth is bipartisanship and partisanship occur daily in Washington, but the prior acts rarely get covered.
Case in point: We in Congress passed our last budget bill (omnibus) several months ago with vast bipartisan support, and with the usual horse-trading compromises made. Yet it made little difference to the partisanship narrative. We passed a reauthorization bill for NASA, including futuristic goals of going to Mars and even potential Mars colonization. This will inspire millions of Americans and be a major boost to Central Florida’s economy. But only Florida Today in Brevard County covered it extensively.
We also made America safer without major local coverage. We passed the National Defense Authorization Act out of the House with Democrats and Republicans from Florida passing several bipartisan amendments. The measure is now before the Senate. As a freshman Democrat in a GOP-majority Congress, I sponsored five amendments that passed. Among them were amendments relating to World War II and Korean veterans; assisting military doctors’ transition to employment for the VA Hospital; reporting on global nuclear threats through spacebased detection; and focusing our federal simulation-and-training policy and increasing readiness.
Another victory for bipartisan majorities included thwarting anti-climate-change and antiLGBT amendments to this defense package. Again, this major bill was supported by the majority of both parties.
In addition, we in Congress just passed our Department of Homeland Security reauthorization with overwhelming bipartisan support. And, we will likely pass an upcoming debt-ceiling bill with the help of a bipartisan majority.
Daily, we pass basic bills to keep the federal government running. Of course, major issues are fiercely debated, like how to boost our economy, the push to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Trump-Russia investigation, President Trump’s accountability, environmental policy, constitutional rights, immigration and tax reform. However, intense debate is a sign of a robust democracy at work, not the end of one.
This bipartisanship is especially significant considering that the Congresses of yore we’re compared to were populated almost exclusively by rich white men with strong common backgrounds, regardless of party. It was easier for them to identify with and understand each other. This bipartisan history may have worked for them, but not so much for women, minorities and our LGBT community prior to the 1960s. Our diversity gives historic context to this partisanship debate; yet we still work together often.
So, for everyone from undying optimists to constant naysayers in the media, please continue your critiques. The Fourth Estate is critical to a thriving democracy. I understand that sensationalizing conflict attracts internet clicks and readers’ interests and pays the bills. I only ask the media to consider covering bipartisan efforts with even a margin of the vigor that these partisan conflicts are covered.
Who knows? People may actually read them and be inspired.