Cohen’s slap at Trump divisive

U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis has never been shy about speaking his mind, which at times resulted in him making national news.

The six-term congressman made national headlines again Tuesday when on CNN he compared President-elect Donald Trump to former Cuban president Fidel Castro, who died in November, saying the two leaders had similar personality traits and ties to Russia.

“The last two people I remember in this Western Hemisphere who were so close to Russia were (businessman) Armand Hammer, who loved oil and money, and Fidel Castro, who loved to talk for long periods of time, hated disloyalty and dissent and eliminated it, and was very much an egocentric individual,” Cohen said.

Asked if he was comparing Trump to Castro, Cohen replied, “personality traits, indeed.”

Regardless of how you might feel about the veracity of Cohen’s remarks, we are disappointed that he is hurtling verbal bombs at a time when members of both sides of the political divide in Washington should be toning down the overthe-top partisan rhetoric and get about creating legislation that will keep this country moving forward in way the will benefit all citizens.

You do not have to be happy with the fact that Trump will be sworn in as president Jan. 20 and that Congress has begun a new term with Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. That is the reality.

While we do not expect, or want, Cohen or his Democratic colleagues to simply let Republicans roll over them, we also do not want Democrats replacing Republicans as the “party of no.”

The new Congress will be dealing with some serious issues in coming months, top of which is the GOP trying to replace the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, which Cohen and this newspaper have strongly supported.

With some GOP members wanting to scuttle the act, leaving some 20 million people without affordable health insurance, Democrats would be well served to work with more moderate Republicans like Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander, who are trying to craft a suitable alternative if the act is repealed.

But there are other key issues that would benefit from bipartisan cooperation, including spending and deficit issues, revving up the economy to create more job growth, climate change, guncontrol and immigration.

All of these issues are entwined in a severe divide among Republicans and Democrats, along with a host of special interest groups, about how to move forward.

Trump has added to the fractiousness with his blunt statements about where he stands on some of these issues, including Obamacare, gun control, immigration and climate change.

Congress is fractious enough without its members tossing verbal grenades at members of the other party. Both sides, including Cohen; the president-elect, who called Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer a clown; and other partisan faithful, need to stop it.

The election is over. It is what is, as former University of Memphis basketball coach John Calipari liked to say.

So, please, can we stop the name calling and simply judge the new president and members of Congress on how well they govern?