ptown_trojans_1;540544 wrote:True on 2000, but I have no faith in current R's or D's that we will return to anything close to that level of bipartisanship.
I have no faith in the current lot as well. But the bipartisanship, at least in the situation in the senate in 2000, was on the republicans part. There was no bipartisanship on the side of the democrats.
The republicans reached across the aisle and their hands were slapped a few months later when the democrats made a deal with Jeffords to secure power for themselves. I have no doubt that the controversy and the closeness of the 2000 presidential election played a part in the republicans willingness to share power in the senate. Rightfully so perhaps in this unusual instance. But in may of 2001 Jeffords left the republican party and caucused with the democrats. Negotiations were likely going on for months before that.
They made the power sharing agreement with the republicans only to find a way around the electoral process by making political deals. Their little political deal had two major consequences for the party. One the republicans will never trust them with such a deal for decades. Or any deal for that matter. Two it cost them the senate in the next cycle of elections.
As believer says the republicans were trying to play nice in the sandbox and the democrats threw sand in their eyes. I am no fan of how the republicans have governed, but when it comes to by partisanship the democrats burned some bridges with their actions in the senate in 2000. We all rightfully have legit bitches as to how our government has been run. IMO it will take revolutionary change to bring any productive change about. Otherwise we will continue in this back and forth foolishness.
I have faith that this change will come at the ballot box. Either way at some point things are going to come to a head.