Chris Cillizza is concerned about the possibility that it may no longer be possible for the politicians in Washington to work out some grand compromise on anything of consequence to the country. I agree that it is a problem and I acknowledge that Cillizza puts most of the blame for it on the Republicans. But, what I’d like to see is a recognition that a Grand Bargain with lunatics might not be a good idea in the first place, as well as some acceptance of the idea that the only way out of this impasse is for the Democrats to get the power they need to govern.
It’s okay to exhort the Republicans to compromise, but it is unseemly and childish to do the same to the Democrats. The Democrats cannot make the Republicans behave. All they can do is offer them something tolerable and crush them if they won’t take it. Part of crushing them is dividing them and then running over them piecemeal. In the short term, with the GOP still in control of the House, this means forcing Boehner to allow votes like the Fiscal Cliff bill that pass with a majority of Democrats and a minority of Republicans. There is no other way that we can pass anything remotely sane and responsible on virtually any topic.
The sooner the Village press understands this, the better.
