By Sebastian Godinez
Hello everyone, it’s your favorite (or dreaded) political science student here to opine again on the state of affairs in the U.S. Comedians and political pundits have long noted that despite controlling the two political branches of the government, Republicans have not been able to achieve much. And because they have effectively made no attempts to work with Democrats, they do not have much to show for it. However, I think that’s missing the bigger picture.
It’s true that that had been the case up until July when the last attempt to repeal Obamacare failed. Since then, however, there have been obvious examples of the usual bipartisan order. Just look at the most recent, highly covered deal President Trump made with the Democrats to provide hurricane relief and to keep the government operating for the next three months. And many Republican senators have decided that now that Obamacare is effectively the law, it is better to attempt to fix it with bipartisan markups and amendments.
I usually speak in a passive voice (except when urging you to do things like vote). But I truly believe that while President Trump might be bombastic, lack any sense of tact and openly hostile at times, those who have been in the government for a while genuinely want some things to get done. And there are signs of bipartisan headwinds. Both the Senate and House passed bills condemning the vile act of white nationalists that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia. Both the House and Senate investigations into the influence of Russia on 2016 are on track without much partisan obstruction (except, of course, from the president). Both Democrats and Republicans are working to protect DACA members, to ensure that those who are in school, in the workforce or risking their lives to serve with our armed forces here and overseas, will not be deported. Partisanship will always exist in our government. Indeed, our government was designed for gridlock. But don’t undercut the bipartisans that are budding.
On a side note, I want to do a quick PSA for those living in New Jersey (which is a significant portion of Drew’s student body) and Virginia. Both your states have a gubernatorial election this year. If you are not registered to vote, please do so. Later on in the school year, I will be hosting a senior civic project to register new voters. Hope to see you at the voting booth in the future.
