Can America ‘delight in compromise’ again?
As the Senate Republican majority struggles to replace Obamacare, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is using a novel threat to motivate them: Pass something or, horrors, negotiate with the Democrats.
On Capitol Hill, what should be common — working together to solve shared problems — now exists only as a cudgel to batter lawmakers into passing unpopular legislation. Most rank-and-file Americans don’t agree that cooperation is a dirty word. We are, after all, a practical and hardworking people, optimists who solve problems every day and for whom compromise is a natural means of navigating life.
The roots of that outlook are deep. Alexis de Tocqueville recognized the role of America’s history as a commercial empire in shaping our national character nearly 200 years ago. This outlook, he wrote, “takes delight in compromise and studiously avoids irritation. It is patient, insinuating, flexible, and never has recourse to extreme measures.”
Most Americans long for their leaders to recognize the value of different perspectives and experiences in addressing the vexing issues of the day. Looked at in the right light, such differences are an opportunity to find a smart fix.
But after recent years of government shutdowns and gridlock, it seems we are losing the knack. Perhaps that’s a reason why Congress’ approval rating remains in the teens or low 20s.
It’s not unthinkable that we can find our way back to America’s traditional politics of compromise and cooperation. France could be showing the path. Firsttime presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, a self-described “radical centrist” who’s willing to steal ideas from left and the right to solve France’s problems, not only captured the presidency with two-thirds of the votes, but also created a political party from scratch 15 months ago that now has a majority in parliament.
Macron repudiated a surge of French populism, handily defeating a far-right candidate favored by President Trump, as well as the party of warmed-over socialism responsible for so many of France’s ills. Instead, Macron’s centrist appeal embraces the European Union, immigration and the active role of government, while favoring free markets and the reform of nanny-state labor protections that fuel high unemployment.
Could muscled, middle-of-theroad pragmatism succeed in the United States? With America’s two-party system so entrenched, a charismatic figure like Macron would have to find footing in one of the two parties. Bill Clinton did it in 1992 with the Democrats. The votes are out there.
Moderate views might have been hollowed out in Congress, but a moderate electorate thrives across the American landscape. A USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll last month found that one in three Americans describe themselves as moderate.
While the Republican majority in Congress and the Trump administration continue to pursue a foolish go-it-alone approach on health care, taxes and the budget, we hope smarter Republicans and Democrats alike will begin to see the opportunity in embracing the more traditional wisdom of compromise. Working together isn’t a threat; it’s a lifeline.