Can they be listening?

Tales of the tone deaf in Washington

THE MESSAGE must not have gotten through. Despite a shellacking that extended from coast to coast, east to west, north to south from Massachusetts to Florida, Wisconsin to Florida and all over the map in last month’s just concluded midterm elections, the Democratic Party’s leaders remain as obtuse as ever, maybe even more so.

The party’s dwindling number of congressmen just re-elected Nancy Pelosi, architect of defeat, their minority leader in the House, demonstrating that in her case nothing succeeds like failure. At this rate she should be leading an ever smaller minority.

Meanwhile, responding with equal grace, the victorious Republicans have reacted to their triumph by striking out in all directions. Acting with more fury than savvy, they talk of impeaching the president, or at least suing him. Whether the issue is Obamacare or illegal immigration, litigation remains the first refuge of a party with no real program except opposition for opposition’s sake.

Promising to demonstrate its ability to govern, the GOP’s first, instinctive reaction to its victory has been to obstruct. There’s just nothing like a sore winner, is there?

Instead of being the Party of No, why not strive to be the Party of Better? Instead of defunding Obamacare with all its manifest problems and uncertainties and ad-hoc changes every Tuesday and Thursday, why not pass an alternative that incorporates its best features and corrects its worst? For example: Keep universal coverage and go on including young adults on their parents’ health insurance. But avoid Obamacare’s hallmarks: canceled insurance policies, ever higher premiums and the general uncertainty it has meant for American health care.

Instead of throwing a hissy fit when the president of the United States proposes a sensible and humane way to handle illegal immigration, why not pass a comprehensive immigration bill that tries to fix this problem instead of just continuing to fight it? Why not compete instead of carp? And fight smart instead of just spinning your wheels.

The GOP didn’t so much win this November as the Democrats lost. All the American people ask is a government that solves problems, not makes them worse. Why should the Republicans, in their hour of victory, imitate the party they’ve just beaten so soundly, and go off on some ideological tangent instead of just making government work better?

After the returns were in election night, leaders of both parties were promising to work together. All those good intentions seem to have lasted till the next morning.