What does the wisdom of Solomon tell us about our politics, specifically the Republican and Democratic parties these last few years.
A friend of mine, about a year ago, reminded me of a truism: "Those that care the least control the relationship"
We all know the story of King Solomon's wisdome:
Two women claimed to be the mother of the same baby. Solomon said cut the baby in two and give each women half. One women said fine, the other women said, no, let her have him. The wise Solomon knew that a mother's love would never except the death of her child, and awarded the baby to the mother willing to give the child up if only to prevent the child's death.
Now think about our politics, at least for the last decade, but especially in the last two years.
ime and time and time again, Republicans have prevailed their agenda upon the Democrats even though, or especially after they gained a majority in the house. The democrats want nothing more than to end the war and bring our soldiers home from Iraq. Yet they continued to award Bush the money he needs to keep them there. Why? Basically because Bush is holding our soldiers hostage over the democrats in Congress' collective heads. Bush puts the lives of the soldiers on the table. Congress knows that he might be bluffing, but they care to much about the soldiers to force Bush's hand so they fold and give him what they want.
Remember: the person that cares least controls the relationship. Bush and the Republicans don't care.
Now take a look at the economy. Bush and the Republicans relentlessly pursued reckless 'free market' and 'supply side' policies that have a long and ancient history of triggering epic collapse, from the Fall of the Roman Empire to the Great Depression, paved the way to Hitler, WWII, and the holocaust. Under those circumstance, wages don't keep up with productivity, real demand falls, the short fall is made up through borrowing to sustain demand, and the lack of regulation means that borrowing takes place well past where it is sustainable.
Those are the fact that lead us here today. It wasn't Democratic economic policy. That's all pre-2001. Its Republican policy.
Now we stand on the brink of an abyss. Bush's legacy is about to crater inside the crater it already is in. The democrats craft and agree through bi-partisan negotiations to a rescue plan to bail out the worst effects of the Bush administration's and the Republican party's recklessness. The Democrats never liked the Republican's & Bush Administrations economic policies. They don't like the rescue plan. Yet 60% of them voted for it. Why? Because they care about the American people who will be terribly affected by a wall street melt down.
Meanwhile, the Republican's voted, 66% against it. Why? Because they basically don't care. It's party first, crash and burn, baby.
The party that cares the least controls the relationship.
The country is the baby. Rather than prove the failure of Republican policies, Democrats voted to a plan to rescue those policies from their worst fate. The Republicans voted to split the baby in half.
I think we all are blanching now. To paraphrase John McCain: "We are all split babies now."