Perfect Is The Enemy Of Good

The single most formidable obstacle in US politics today is the problem of 'All or Nothing'.  It presents itself in every major issue that we face: Iraq, social security, global warming, health care, immigration, energy dependence, gas prices and so on.  Each of these issues are going completely un-addressed because there is absolutely no one in Washington with any power today who has been willing or able to bridge the enormous gap on any major issue. 

Seriously, all those issues are in a standstill mode!  It's gridlock. Each one by itself could take a lifetime to resolve.  Instead, the Democrats pretend that they need 60 Senators to get anything done and the Republicans filibuster at double the record rate.

Clearly, President Bush is a culprit, so obsessed with Iraq that he won't even sign bills to fund his war unless it literally provides no timetable for an end to the war (by the way, isn't ending a war usually the goal?)  He's simply given up his illogical plan to dissolve social security and simply let the problem fester. His party won't listen to his rather sensible plan on immigration - instead they plan to deport millions of people who technically don't exist.  And as for energy reform: can you name one thing that's changed in the past five years because of our government? I can't. On that issue we continue to lag the rest of the world.

Instead of compromise and progress, Congress and the President have chosen deadlock. In reality, you never get what you perceive as perfection. But you can still have good enough and you can still make progress.

It is not important whether a Republican or a Democrat or an Independent gets elected in 2008, as much as it matters that whoever that person is, they are willing and, especially, able to unite a divided country so that we can solve real problems in the US and around the world.  Politics as they are today are simply not sustainable.

This is my primary concern about nominating Hillary Clinton in 2008.  She's a divisive figure.  She's already burned her bridges to the other side. And whether that is perception or reality is irrelevant in this political environment. If she rules, it will be as Bush has - with a 51% majority.  And we can no longer afford to be stuck in neutral, because we have real problems, requiring real solutions - maybe not perfect solutions, but good solutions. 

Comments

[Chief Editor: Todd]

Amen to all of that! What you wrote is pretty much the definition of the word progressive. And like you alluded to, if Hillary is the nominee, I would look at other parties. Not saying I wouldn't vote for her....because Giuliani would clearly be worse. But if Bloomberg ran, maybe.