Measures & Countermeasures: Distrust and Gridlock

Watching the round table discussion on ABC Sunday mornings is instructive. George Will always provides unique insight couched in history. He made the essential point last Sunday that the two political parties are so far apart, any compromise on financial issues appears unlikely. Along with Sen. Johnson, Will’s input was routinely constructive, oriented to problem-solving, never going so low as to employ personal attack.

Others, like Rep. Wasserman Schultz and Paul Krugman, agreed with Will: there is a tremendous trust deficit responsible for gridlock.

Conservatives in the legislature do not trust this President, and for good reason. It is very difficult, if impossible, to work with someone who is smiles reassuringly in private, then eviscerates in public.

I find it amusing people like Wasserman Schultz and Krugman decry distrust and gridlock. They call for restoring trust. And in the very next breath, attack conservatives, calling them liars and obstructionists. Apparently they didn’t learn everything they need to know in kindergarten.

Wasserman never missed a chance to demonize Republicans and the Tea Party, her central reason for existence it appears. Krugman called Jeb Bush a liar and dolt and condemned anyone embracing Reaganomics. Without missing a beat both of these people also called for a new civility and real debate! Beholding this display of dysfunction only serves to buttress Will’s point: an intractable Left prefers demonization which accounts largely for the gridlock. Promoting failure is successful for them, so why change?

However, it appears the Poser in the White House is beginning to employ a little of Reagan’s wisdom, reaching out to the other side of the aisle, a “hopeful” sign say some Republicans. It won’t work. You cannot make a dove from a strutting peacock.

Recently we have seen the Poser attack Republicans for sequestration cuts he created. (Not even actual cuts but only reductions in the rate of increase.) To rub the country’s nose in it, the Poser closed the White House to public visitation, claiming sequestration prevents visits to The People’s House. We have seen him play other games to make the “pain” as severe as possible, such as suspend all college programs for military personnel and threaten massive layoffs resulting in reduced security.

Fear and demonization are and will remain the centerpiece of the Poser’s attitude.

But to appear like a real leader, the Poser then took Senators to dinner in a phony show of willing conciliation. Have we forgotten this man has hammered conservatives most of his adult life, most intensely in the last four years? In one night we are supposed to forget years of double-dealing, underhanded maneuvers, accusations and vicious denunciations?

To their credit, conservatives appear willing to attempt, once again, to work with this Alinsky organizer, whose motto is “isolate and ridicule”. However, they should be reminded of Reagan’s advice when dealing with a lawless adversary: “trust, but verify.” It might also be prudent to look into drone counter measures.

Image: Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla; source Flickr; author:Elena Schneider; Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license