On Mandates

by Eyck Freymann


Kakofonous has an excellent post about the possible dangers of a Democratic supermajority. I agree with his basic premise: that filibuster-busting discourages dialogue. But although this may be true in principle, in response I merely point to the converse: the past eight six years (following the beginning of the Iraqi occupation). Ever since we invaded, the nation has been bitterly divided over many critical issues. Until now, the senate and house have been almost evenly split. With Americans divided along partisan lines, we saw increased animosity and less bipartisanship than ever. CONTINUED: Click "Read More"

This is not to say that filibuster-proof majorities are great for reaching across the aisle. Frankly, I doubt Obama will get much meaningful bipartisan work done in the congress. He doesn't have to. Kakofonous correctly suggests that Democrats will recoil from compromise, knowing that they have the votes to get their way with or without Republican support.

In practice, I doubt that the Democrats will shun compromise. If they do well in the 2010 elections, they will have nearly enough votes in the senate and house to override a veto, a majority that will take decades to undo. They understand that Obama's postpartisanship message has been given a stamp of approval by the American people. Pelosi and Reid may have their problems, but they're not politically blind (Reid may be more of one than Pelosi). They forsee future election cycles in which the Democrats fight for seats in socially conservative states in the Midwest and interior west. Unless they can present themselves as a party with which North Dakotans and Georgians and Missourians can identify, they've gone about as far as they can go.

Obama may have a mandate from the people, a nod of approval for his economic and foreign policies, but the Democrats aren't going to waste it on a symbolic and unpopular measure like gays in the military. The party recognizes that they have an opportunity to show what they are made of and reap lasting benefits. Part of that is demonstrating bipartisanship.

With these new majorities, we will use our mandate to begin cleaning up Bush's mess. We'll also try to remodel problems with our economic and political systems. Kakofonous is right: the Democrats will use the mandate to their political advantage. And the best way to do that is to get things done.