The president's quest for a new tone in Washington. . . has a practical motive. He believes that economic recovery is about psychology as well as money and that Americans will have more confidence in the future if they see the nation's politicians cooperating to resolve the crisis.
Obama may believe this (although I have my doubts), but is it true? Will people start spending again if they see John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi prancing arm in arm through the cherry blossoms? I don’t know why they should. Maybe there’s some abstruse economic theory at work here, but to me it just seems. . .dumb.
Dionne continues:
If achieving bipartisanship takes priority over the actual content of policy, Republicans are handed a powerful weapon. In theory, they can keep moving the bipartisan bar indefinitely. And each concession to their sensibilities threatens the solidarity in the president's own camp.
Now you’re making sense, E. J. At some point, President Obama is going to have to stop acting like a spectator in his own administration. Thus far, he’s been happy to let a thousand flowers bloom, even some smelly Republican ones. That better not last much longer.
Politics abhors a vacuum.
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