WHAT'S WRONG with politics today? Gov. Mark Warner, who spoke in Larry Sabato's politics course on Monday, blamed partisanship for stalling productive legislation. In the case of Virginia's recent economic recovery, Warner attributed the feat to "a reemergence of a sensible center." Many politicians, however, use this rhetoric only when facing dire circumstances. The question then becomes why legislators continue to reject bipartisan efforts.
It took the devastation of the southwest Virginian economy, one of the largest state deficits in the nation and drastically reduced funding to higher education institutions in order to force legislators to move to the "center" in the Commonwealth's tax policy. Shortly after the bipartisan solution, the Commonwealth's economy rebounded and has experienced unprecedented growth. As Warner said, the legislators took off their "party hats" and evaluated policies to improve Virginia's future.
Bipartisan reasoning closely resembles Aristotle's ethical prescriptions to utilize the "golden mean." In applying Aristotelian ethics to politics, liberal and conservative policies would take the form of excess or defect (depending on an individual's party affiliation), and bipartisan agreements would be the mitigating factor and promote virtue in society.
In a bipartisan nation, the necessity of compromised agreements should be evident to any educated politician. Warner's tax reform policies addressed liberal apprehensions to cut government-funded programs and conservative attempts to satisfy the public's desire to pay fewer taxes. This is Aristotle's "golden mean" and democracy at work. Lawmakers responded to the citizenry's concerns by mitigating the two extremes and enacting policies to improve the state's future. It seems reasonable in democratic societies to assume that two-party legislatures need to strive to find middle ground.
On the national scene, Social Security policy has stalled due to this same irrational desire to be overtly partisan. The need for Social Security reform is evident -- the Bush administration and Republicans are taking steps to modify the policy for future generations. Many Democrats in Congress, in true stubborn, partisan fashion, simply reply "no" due to fear of political defeat.
However, legislators' primary responsibilities are not to maintain party lines and further their party's interests. Instead, legislators are accountable to the well-being and interests of their constituents. If the economic situation is dire or social security policy is proven inept, politicians should legislate on behalf of their constituents. Making concessions and working across party lines does not change a politician's party affiliation -- rather, it demonstrates a superior ability to legislate.
Warner attributes some of this bipartisan reluctance to party disrespect. It is possible, in Warner's mind, for two legislators to disagree, either ideologically, religiously, politically, etc., but still maintain respect for each other. Religious differences, for example, should not create irreconcilable divides in legislative proceedings, as in the Terri Schiavo case. These are democratic institutions which are founded upon principles to respect dissenting viewpoints. It is healthy for democracy to have multiple parties, because they represent different factions and viewpoints in society. However, to make legislation function effectively and responsively, sensible politicians need to realize that differences can be resolved or compromised in peaceful and productive manners. Disrespect for the other side never brings any progress and proves the stagnant reputation of legislative bodies.
Differences aside, legislators can find common interests in representing their constituents. All legislation does not necessitate polar politicization -- the art or practice of legislation is to represent one's own views, while accepting the need to compromise across party lines. In this manner, a legislator's ideological "pull" will bolster the center, because the "golden mean" will address all viewpoints, and mitigate the extremes -- this is the objective of democratic institutions. Gov. Warner has a remarkable ability to find these "sensible centers," and he attributes the future of bipartisanship to legislators' ability "to play on hope, instead of fear." This is a valuable lesson to all politicians -- legislators' duties are to the people, not to their party.
Michael Behr's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at mbehr@cavalierdaily.com.
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