Trump warning to GOP: Get your act together

The anti-Trump “resistance” is dead. Instead, we have the smiling trio of Don, Nancy and Chuck. And you can thank maladroit Republican congressional leaders for getting them together.

In the past week, President Trump has done what many considered impossible, reaching deals with Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi on the debt ceiling, government funding and hurricane relief. The trio also opened a dialogue on immigration policy to protect “dreamers” as part of a border security package.

There was a time when bipartisanship was considered a value in this country. The spirit of compromise is hard-wired into the Constitution. The system of checks and balances and overlapping powers grinds to a halt when politicians dig in their heels. Governing strictly by ideology has never been successful in America.

Making bipartisan deals does not have to mean unilateral surrender by either side. President Reagan achieved his signature first-term legislative achievements working with liberal Democratic House Majority Leader Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, a Boston pol who knew something about horse trading. The relationship was contentious at times, and neither got everything he wanted, but Reagan was able to reach favorable deals on tax cuts and military budget increases. Economic boom times followed.

Trump’s supporters initially believed that the president would have a much easier time pursuing significant legislation, given Republican control of the House and Senate. Voters had every right to expect rapid progress. Last January, the GOP House leadership announced a 100-day agenda that included action on Obamacare repeal, tax reform and infrastructure. But eight months in, none has passed. If the president is forced to deal with Democrats because of inept Republican leaders, so be it.

A Rasmussen poll showed that Americans approve of Trump’s bipartisan outreach by a 53-point margin, with Republicans especially supportive. This indicates that voters are tired of partisanship and naval-gazing. You would think that congressional leaders would get the message. Apparently, only the Democrats have.

Granted, the opposition does not have Trump’s best interests at heart, any more than O’Neill was all in for Reagan. Schumer and Pelosi are willing to deal when it serves their interests but would turn on the president in a second given the opportunity. Trump is under no illusions, either. There are significant limits to how much the president can accomplish by working with the other side. But reaching out to Democrats is the art of the deal in action. The White House is sending a message to Republican congressional leaders to get their act together, by letting them know they are not the only game in town.

It remains to be seen whether the majority can focus on the job they were sent to Washington to do. It is strange indeed when the GOP is becoming the resistance.

James S. Robbins, a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors, was a special assistant in the office of the secretary of Defense in the George W. Bush administration.