When did bipartisanship become illegal?

I considered debunking Mr. Maynard’s stroll down memory lane (rising tide of Marxism) then I realized I needed only two words: total irrelevance. Done. Instead, here are some news items that caught my eye.

The House just recently sent a bipartisan-supported bill to the Senate (yes, bipartisan). The bill, H.R. 7024 Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, does provide some tax breaks for the wealthy, but it also provides a substantial increase in the child tax credit amount as well as an extension of eligibility to many more families. The Republican-majority Senate, of course, can reject it or amend it to death. We’ll see.

The House has almost completed a second bipartisan bill, H.R. 2 Secure the Border Act of 2023, that would really alter current immigrant legislation, such as giving the President the ability to completely shut down the border if immigrant totals become unmanageable. There’s some talk that this one might be tabled until Trump takes office, so he can take credit. Shows you where their interests lie.

Meanwhile, “Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Friday called for the party to unite behind the goal of defeating President Joe Biden.” (ABC News, 2/02/2024). I can understand her desire for a Republican to gain the office, but what is going to unify two factions that are diametrically opposed to each other? If Trump is going to be their candidate, It sounds like she’s saying “Let’s compromise – and do it Trump’s way.

I’d like all voters to unite, if only momentarily, to decisively defeat Trump and Trumpism. I’d also like to see the Republican Party take some time to seriously contemplate what they want their party to be. There is a place and a need for a contender to the Democratic Party, a party for moderate conservatives who desire us to “make haste slowly.”

John H. Terrell