The effervescence of politics

In the middle of the first presidential impeachment trial, of Andrew Johnson in 1868, Walt Whitman wandered over to Capitol Hill to witness the proceedings. “Our American politics,” the poet told a friend, “are in an unusually effervescent condition.”

A century and a half later — and 127 years after Whitman’s death — our American politics are in an unusually effervescent condition again.

In a month that included President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address, it became increasingly clear that there were several moving parts to American politics — and that American politics was changing dramatically, and importantly.

Washington Republicans — first resistant to Trump, then the captive of the Manhattan billionaire, more recently resistant again to the president — are in the throes of a profound identity crisis, tethered to a chief executive they revile but cannot repudiate, ardently supporting some of his policies, reluctantly swallowing others.

The two profiles of the president — Prince Charming to some, the Prince of Darkness to others — were apparent during his nationally televised message, especially when he combined an appeal for bipartisanship with his dismissal of the “ridiculous partisan investigations” examining any ties he has to the Russians.

For years one of the principal struggles in Congress was between Republicans who were troubled about the swiftly mounting costs of Social Security and Medicare entitlement programs and Democrats determined to preserve these benefits.

And yet for the last four presidential elections, voters over 65 have sided with the Republican candidate.

The new capital conversation is apparent in debate over climate change, newly revived by the Democratic capture of the House.

This debate was largely dead while the GOP controlled both houses of Congress with a president who believed the concept was a hoax. Last week, there were two House hearings on a so-called “Green New Deal.”

This is occurring as (overly optimistic, perhaps unrealistic) House Democrats discuss how to distribute revenues from a carbon tax.

Prospects for such legislation are slim, but this is a topic that dared not speak its name only three months ago, when even the consideration of new taxes was inconceivable.

The biggest new change — the one with the most significant possible consequences — is the emerging Republican view of the president.

Trump, to be sure, won wild applause from the GOP side of the House chamber during his speech Tuesday night when he pushed some of the buttons that reliably set Republican hearts aflutter.

There was thunderous applause for Trump’s appeals for border security, but the cheers came from Republicans who understand that the House now is a stubborn impediment to the border wall the White House wants far more than congressional Republican leaders do.

There was no mention in the president’s remarks about the government shutdown, but it’s clear congressional Republicans will not abide another a such spectacle.

Trump’s relations with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have changed as swiftly as this winter’s weather in the Northeast — freezes followed by thaws only to be overtaken by new freezes.

There is a distinct chill in the congressional air right now, with the Kentucky lawmaker unenthusiastic about the Trump Syria policy and his wall rhetoric and even less eager to support an emergency declaration to begin border construction.

The next few months will be critical for both parties. Somehow the president and Congress will have to find a sliver of common ground to keep the government operating.

New Democratic presidential candidates will emerge, and somehow the party is going to have to resolve how it is going to handle a nomination fight with more candidates than a major-league ballclub. But all is not lost. Pitchers and catchers start reporting to spring training on Monday. Washington is going to have to start playing ball soon, too.