David Broder's skewed vision of bipartisanship plays on. Today he finds comfort in the fact that his old favorites in the Gang of 14 (now down to 12) have breakfast together.
Broder waxes on and on about the "budding spirit of fellowship" among Senators, led by "Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, reelected as an independent Democrat." Broder's hero.
Now, however, you can see the independence party forming -- on both sides of the aisle. They are mobilizing to resist not only Bush but also the extremist elements in American society -- the vituperative, foul-mouthed bloggers on the left. . . . A "decent respect" begins at home, with an acknowledgment of public opinion.
Broder's independence party, with McCain, Lieberman, Graham boldly standing up to Bush and the extremist elements. I hate to tell Broder this, but they are the extremist elements. For example, on the minimum wage bill, the first hike of the federal minimum wage in a decade? The extremist wing of the Gang represented by McCain and Graham, decided that mending the bipartisan fences of the Senate on this critical piece of legislation just wasn't that important. They also had little respect for the opinion of the American people and the 81 percent of them who support a minimum wage increase.
Broder, McCain, Graham, and Lieberman aren't in the coalition of moderate bipartisanship. What McCain, Lieberman and Graham, and Broder for that matter, are good at is talking about being moderate, but never actually being moderate. These are the "moderates" that will support George Bush until the bitter end.
That's respect for public opinion? Here's Broder's idea of respect for public opinion on Iraq.
Petraeus's offer [to regularly brief Congress] . . . will not satisfy those in Congress who would like to block or protest the "surge" of additional troops into Iraq ordered by President Bush.
Nor will it satisfy the broad center of the country--the 70 percent who oppose escalation, nor the broad center of Congress, people like Norm Coleman, Ben Nelson, Chuck Hagel, Mary Landrieu, Ken Salazar, John Warner, Susan Collins, Arlen Specter. It will satisfy the Broder extremists McCain, Lieberman, and Graham.
Respect for public opinion? Respect for the intelligence of the American people? Just last year, David Broder, you posed this question:
But once the hope for victory is gone, the issue remains: What do you do? The answer from Bush. . . . Carry on. Do not waver. And do not question the logic of prolonging the agony. . . . Can we think about the costs of carrying on, without an end in sight. . . ?
So what is Broderism today? It is in essence, not resisting Bush and becoming the most extremist element in American society. And doing so in a vituperative foul-mouthed manner. Jim Webb, Chuck Hagel and the new Democratic center know how to respond to the new Broder extremism. This, Mr. Broder, is the new bipartisan Democratic center. This is where the country is.