I’ve always viewed bipartisanship as sort of a gentleman’s agreement between the two major parties. One which has remained unwritten but occupied a very real place in American politics. It basically said that both parties are committed to a democratic capitalist economic reality, and will behave accordingly.
Post WWII, neither side would stray too far from this up until relatively recently, despite at times their very polarizing rhetoric. Behind it was an expansive view of capitalism as a world-wide system which surpassed and was opposed by the international communist movement. This domination would include times of international conflict, war and blatant interference made possible by superior American military might, including overthrowing vulnerable governments seen as presenting an obstacle to domination.
Irreconcilable Differences
To summarize the goals of bipartisanship: to maintain a strong and vibrant American capitalist standing in both the world and our own country. With both parties appealing more and more to separate constituencies, the policies they advocated were becoming further apart.
Each were pressured to do more for the constituencies that they depended on for votes, which in some ways were polar opposites. Cooperation, or at least the appearance of it, became less and less frequent. Inevitably this “agreement” began to erode.
Swinging Left (60s — 80s)
After a 30 year swing headlined by the left and progressive activists pushing the country leftwards, the Republicans launched a 50 year counter attack to return us to the 1950s. They were able to steal a constituency that was once monopolized by the Democrats, mainly because the latter eventually recognized and supported many of the goals of the Black Civil Rights Movement.
Swinging Right (90s — 2019)
Many whites, both North and particularly in the South, began to vote Republican in reaction. This helped form the basis of major changes in the two party system and the eventual Republican annihilation of bipartisanship.
In an effort to tone down the leftward lunge of the country after the end of the Vietnam War and George McGovern’s defeat at the hands of Richard Nixon in 1972, the Democrats pursued a centrist, wishy-washy kind of politics. Moving back to the right, as exemplified later by President Bill Clinton.
Clinton attempted to adopt/co-opt some of the Republican law and order themes. Like “ending welfare as we know it” and mass incarceration, mainly directed against poor blacks. Rather than addressing the fundamental, and long existing, economic inequality between blacks and whites as a major cause of street crime.
Putin and Trump
Over time, the Republicans realized that the same old, same old approaches had to be ratcheted up, that the day was coming they would be not be competitive. One of the turning points was when Putin adroitly observed this maturing divide and was able to extend his influences into the Republican Party via his desire to see Trump elected. Apparently the KGB and Putin also own Trump! And perhaps some other prominent Republican legislators in addition to him.
Their constituency was long prepared for extremism, and much more extremism was decided upon. Republican big donors did not care about what was required to do to win elections. So the gloves came off and war was declared on both the Democrats and Liberals, defined by them as anyone to the left of where they were. That war was soon extended to war being declared against both Democracy and the Republic.
The Final “Divorce”
After the 8 years of Obama, who in the opinion of some Democratic voters failed to live up to expectations, the shocking electoral college victory of Trump followed. Some feel that Obama responded poorly to Republican resistance legislatively, despite having both houses at times.
Bipartisanship really started unraveling at an accelerating pace in Obama’s terms, with the Republicans sabotaging everything they could, especially Obama’s only major accomplishment, The Affordable Care Act, which was considerably weakened before it could be passed. It was even rumored that he had strained relations with some key Democrats in Congress as well. Perhaps his greatest disappointment was failing to organize enough pressure to break McConnell’s block on his Supreme Court nomination almost a year before the end of his last term.
Trump Addictions
Due to Trump’s unexpected electoral victory, both parties were under enormous pressure to go their separate ways. It was confirmed in the view of the ultra right Republicans and the rest of the party that without Trump and the appearance of waging outright war on Democrats and liberals, they would loose their constituency.
Republican Political “Acts of War”
This formally marked the end of bipartisanship and a de-facto declaration of war against the Republic became very real. Recent Republican acts of war include: the January 6th attack on Congress to prevent the affirmation of the 2020 presidential vote count, destruction of federal abortion rights for women, criminalization of those receiving and performing abortions, numerous state abortion bans, voter suppression, gerrymandering of election districts and repeated attempted extortion over government funding.
MAGA: Dedicated to Destroying America and Bipartisanship
This may be one of the most unusual facts in this article. But if you study other fascist movements, as many of you here at KOS have probably done, MAGA success is based in part on their ability to masquerade as a popular worker’s movement in times of crisis.
I don’t think I’d go so far as call MAGA a worker’s movement, except that it is partly composed of workers and small business owners. Mainly white ones. It’s goal is not to advance the class interests of workers except to the extent these workers falsely believe they have a class interest in maintaining their white skinned privileges and that Trump will protect those interests.
Their was, of course, no economic crisis that lead to MAGA or a masquerading worker’s group being formed. MAGA’s real reason for creation was to pander to white supremacy in order to achieve unlimited power for its leaders and the destruction of American democracy.
America Enters a Period of Political Instability
The slow death of bipartisanship heralds the beginning of an unstable period in America. Both the Constitution and Democracy are dependent of political parties with similar goals. And a willingness to compromise. Our Civil War represented a period in which having common goals became impossible.
The two party system and bipartisanship can only work if both sides are willing to compromise and agree on Democratic and Constitutional government. The Republicans have been signally for some time that their aim is dictatorship.
Undermining Government
Years of Republican anti-government propaganda have undermined both Constitutional democracy and bipartisanship. The Republic cannot stand for long when one major party is committed to its destruction, launches an attack on Congress, and uses the very laws that were envisioned to keep her functioning as a dagger to her throat.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.” — Abraham Lincoln
Only One Party Will Survive
It is inevitable than one party will perish. The Republicans apparently know this. It is hoped that the Democrats also realize this. Which one has yet to be decided. A life and death struggle while much of the nation sleeps walks in response to the danger thanks to a corrupted media that refuses to tell the public the truth as to what’s at stake.