Wednesday, March 27, 2024

When Do Democrats And Republicans Compromise

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A Coalition To ‘protect Its Self

Do Democrats Keep Falling For It? GOP Squashes Manchin’s Compromise

The modern-day 1st District can trace its origins to the 1960s.

As former Congressman Bill Clay explained in his book,13 Black legislators, 57 Republicans and nine white Democrats from rural areas voted to establish a St. Louis-based district that would be highly possible for an African American to win. In the book, “Bill Clay: A Political Voice at the Grassroots,” he said the unusual coalition held strong to protect its self-interests.

The newly drawn congressional districts provided representation in the cotton-driven, agricultural economy of the Bootheel section of the southeastern part of the state, maintained a substantial number of Republican voters in the suburban area of St. Louis County, and created a Black-majority district located mostly in the city of St. Louis, Clay wrote. Democrats and Governor , a Democrat, opposed the redistricting proposal. They filed a lawsuit supporting a plan to place the Black population in three separate districts. However, the U.S. Supreme Court thwarted the will of the Democrats and ruled that the district drawn by legislators was legal.

Bill Clay was elected to the 1st Congressional District in 1968. No white candidate has even come close to prevailing in that district since that election. And because of the Voting Rights Act, lawmakers cannot draw the 1st District in a way that diminishes the ability of a racial or language minority to elect its candidates of choice.


Senator Vandenbergs Bipartisan Foreign Policy

While Americans were fighting overseas in World War II, many congressional Republicans were increasingly wary of a lengthy American involvement in Europe after the war ended. Among these isolationists, Michigan Republican Senator Arthur Vandenberg was the unofficial spokesman. But seeing Democrats and Republicans growing increasingly polarized about Americas role in the world while recognizing the threat a remilitarized Germany and Japan might pose, Vandenberg was moved to address the Senate in 1945, declaring that no country could immunize itself from the rest of the world. Vandenberg offered his cooperation to FDR in post-war planning that eventually encompassed Americas role in both the United Nations and NATO. Years later, Vandenberg summed up his view of bipartisan foreign policy: In a word, it simply seeks national security ahead of partisan advantage. Politics, he famously said, stops at the waters edge.

In Bidens Washington Democrats And Republicans Are Not United On Unity

The new president seeks bipartisanship, but he is caught between Republicans who want tangible concessions and Democrats who are in no mood to compromise.

WASHINGTON In defining his mission for history as bringing together a divided country, President Biden has made unity the watchword of his fledgling administration. But one thing that divides America is what unity actually means.

In his Inaugural Address on Wednesday and in other public appearances, Mr. Biden reached out to Republicans with messages of conciliation, vowing to work together to tackle the nations enormous challenges a starkly different tone than President Donald J. Trump typically took. But in Mr. Bidens opening hours at least, the outreach was more about words and symbols than tangible actions.

He did not appoint any members of the opposition party to his cabinet, as Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama did, and many of the executive orders he signed in his first two days in office were aimed at reversing Mr. Trumps policies and enacting liberal ideas, not finding common ground. He has offered no examples of Republican priorities he was willing to adopt in the interest of bipartisan cooperation nor described what compromises would be acceptable to win congressional approval of his initiatives.


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Senate Democrats Introduce Joe Manchin

A group of eight Senate Democrats have introduced a new version of comprehensive voting rights legislation after months of negotiation to secure the support of Sen. Joe Manchin .

The bill, now called the Freedom to Vote Act, is a streamlined version of the For The People Act, which the House passed in May and Senate Republicans blocked twice over the summer. It contains most of the former bills voting access enhancements, its ban on partisan gerrymandering and some of its campaign finance reforms. But it also adds new provisions including a national standard for voter identification and protections against partisan election subversion; while jettisoning all of the federal ethics enhancements in the old bill.

Negotiations between Manchin and Democratic Sens. Amy Klobucher , Jeff Merkley , Raphael Warnock , Alex Padilla , Jon Tester , Tim Kaine and Independent Sen. Angus King began over the summer, after Manchin announced his opposition to the For The People Act and then released an outline of provisions;he could support in a compromise bill. The new Manchin-led bill released Tuesday largely sticks to this outline while maintaining some provisions from the old bill.;

Democrats push for voting rights legislation comes as Republican-led states pass a historic wave of new voting restrictions, which are based on former President Donald Trumps lies about election fraud that led to the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol earlier this year.;


Bipartisan Budget Act Of 2013

Why Republicans Don

Two years after reaching a bipartisan agreement on the debt ceiling, Congress announced a two-year budget agreement prior to the budget conference in December. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 set overall discretionary spending for the 2013 fiscal year at $1.012 trillion, which was about half-way between the proposed budgets of the House and the Senate. Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray stated that both sides of the aisle agreed to the proposed legislation after having several extended discussions. During the announcement of the agreement, Ryan and Murray noted that they specifically avoided striking a grand bargain, which required the Democrats to agree to reduced entitlement spending in exchange for the Republicans agreeing to higher tax rights. As an alternative, Ryan stated that congressional members strived to focus on common ground to get some minimal accomplishments. The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 was a rare, but promising act of across-the-aisle collaboration in a time of intense gridlock.

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Blue Dog Democrats Formed

In the historic 1994 mid-term elections, House Republicans staged an unprecedented takeover of the congressional body, turning a large Democratic majority in a serious minority. For some Democrats, though, the election-day thumping wasnt surprising. Forty-seven House Democrats, fiscally moderate if not downright conservative and mostly from conservative-leaning districts, had long grown wary of what they saw as their partys drift to the left and its unyielding demand to toe an orthodox party line. Feeling theyd been choked blue by their partys leaders, they named themselves the Blue Dog Coalition and set about finding a middle ground between the warring edges of both parties. Encompassing a variety of viewpoints, the Blue Dogs are, to this day, engaged in the search for common fiscal ground between the political parties.

Compromise Of 1: The 1876 Election

By the 1870s, support was waning for the racially egalitarian policies of Reconstruction, a series of laws put in place after the Civil War to protect the rights of African Americans, especially in the South. Many southern whites had resorted to intimidation and violence to keep blacks from voting and restore white supremacy in the region. Beginning in 1873, a series of Supreme Court decisions limited the scope of Reconstruction-era laws and federal support for the so-called Reconstruction Amendments, particularly the 14th Amendment and 15 Amendment, which gave African Americans the status of citizenship and the protection of the Constitution, including the all-important right to vote.

Did you know? After the most disputed election in American history, the Compromise of 1877 put Rutherford Hayes into office as the nation’s 19th president; outraged northern Democrats derided Hayes as “His Fraudulency.”


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Exclusive: Abbott Says Republicans Are In No Mood For Additional Compromise Over Voting Bill

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spoke with Texas Standard host David Brown about Texas House Democrats leaving the state during a special session for Washington, D.C. to prevent a vote on Republican-backed election legislation.

DAVID BROWN, HOST:

No matter where you are, its Texas Standard time on this 15th day of July 2021. Im David Brown. Great to have you with us. And for many Texans and folks who just follow the news nationwide, it remains one of the biggest stories of the week: the quorum-busting exodus to D.C. of more than 50 Texas House Democrats a last-ditch attempt to derail Republican proposals to tighten Texas voting laws. The governor called the special session after lawmakers failed to pass GOP-led changes during the regular session, which itself ended with a walkout of House Democrats. This time, the move was much more high profile not without precedent, as weve reported here, since something similar happened at the Lege almost 20 years back during a redistricting battle. But with House Democrats now pledging that they wont return before the end of the 30-day special session underway, the Legislature has effectively been brought to a halt. And Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to have the missing lawmakers arrested upon their return to Texas. And weve been asking listeners across the Lone Star State to pass along their questions for the governor so we can put some of them to him as he joins us today. Gov. Greg Abbott, welcome to the Texas Standard.

Senate Democrats Unveil Compromise Bill On Voting Rights

Does GOP compromise on immigration mean disregarding voters?

WASHINGTON A group of eight Senate Democrats introduced new voting rights legislation Tuesday after reaching a compromise with moderate Sen. Joe Manchin on the bill, which focuses on expanding voter access, boosting election integrity and encouraging civil participation.


The bill, dubbed the “Freedom to Vote Act,” contains a long list of provisions that includes making Election Day a public holiday, requiring same-day registration at all polling locations by 2024, and ensuring at least 15 days of early voting for federal elections.

House Democrats have previously passed two other voting bills, the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act along party lines, but the legislation did not advance in the Senate.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday on the Senate floor that he intends to hold a vote to proceed to the compromise measure as early as next week, which would require 60 senators to support advancing to the bill. It’s unclear whether Democrats can garner the support of 10 Republicans, though Schumer said that Manchin has been discussing the bill with GOP senators.

“This is a good proposal, and I encourage all my Senate colleagues to support it,” Schumer said, adding that “time is of the essence.”

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said Monday evening on MSNBC that the bill “will have the support of every Democrat and Joe will be working to solicit the support of Republicans.


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The Public Says It Prefers Compromise But Compromisers Often Face Anger From Their Own Party

Congress nearly always fares poorly in the eyes of the American public no matter which party is in charge. Only in cases of national crises, like the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks does it seem that Congressional approval rises.;In recent Economist/YouGov polls, congressional approval rarely rises above 20% and a majority of Americans disapprove of how Congress is handling its job.

Sometimes, the level of disapproval is bipartisan, but not this week. With Democrats narrowly in control of both Houses, Republican approval of Congress drops to single digits , while Democrats are as likely to disapprove as approve .

Americans claim they prefer compromise from their representatives but thats assuming the compromise can help get things accomplished. Democrats and Independents say they overwhelmingly favor compromise over sticking to principles, while a majority of Republicans reject it .

Those Republicans who call themselves very conservative are the ones who; prioritize sticking to their principles over compromising to get things done and by a more than two to one margin. Democrats, whether they think of themselves as liberals or moderates , claim to overwhelmingly support compromises to get things done.;


Advocates Fear Montana’s New Ballot Law Could Harm Voters Who Struggle To Be Heard

The efforts come amid unprecedented action at the state level over voting and elections. While several states have expanded access to the ballot box in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a number of Republican-led states, including Georgia, Florida and Arizona, have enacted restrictive voting measures. Many GOP officials in those states and others are repeating former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was fraudulent.

Democrats in Texas recently blocked election legislation there a dramatic step that got many of them invited to Washington, D.C., this week to meet with congressional Democrats and Vice President Harris, the White House point person on voting issues.

Their visit was designed to drum up support for a federal elections overhaul, and pressure Democrats to get it over the finish line. On Tuesday the Texas contingent met with Manchin’s staff, not the senator himself.

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Why Cant Democrats Republicans Compromise And Reach Agreements

  • In the past two decades, various sequences of divided government have prevented Washington from performing even basic tasks – such as passing the U.S. budget.

    Photo: Reuters

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, faces perhaps the biggest dilemma of his leadership of the lower chamber one with potentially large implications for the U.S. economy and domestic and global financial markets: whether to try to lobby a fiscal cliff deal through his fractious, Tea Party-dominated House Republican caucus or hold firm against tax rate increases that a bipartisan Senate bill contains.


If Boehner lobbies for the bill, the fiscal cliff will be averted, but he will likely lose support in his caucus, and there is a better-than-decent chance the right wing will attempt to oust him as speaker.

On the other hand, if Boehner refuses to compromise and holds firm against any bipartisan Senate bill that contains a tax increase one rooted in higher income tax rates at the top end or other tax increases hell retain the support of the Tea Party and other conservatives, but the United States will have fallen over the fiscal cliff with likely serious consequences for the U.S. economy and domestic and global financial markets.

Under the latter scenario, stock, bond and currency markets — perhaps as soon as Wednesday — will likely react negatively to the inability of the U.S. Congress to forge a plan to enable the nation to pay its bills.

How To Fix This Mess

Corn Dogs Butter Sculptures And Political Civility: Republican Democrat Model Civil Bipartisan Exchange

Did the Republicans and Democrats Switch? Part 1

Two congressmen look for common ground at the Minnesota State Fair.


America Strong: Bipartisan problem solvers find common ground

More than 1 million people attended the Minnesota State Fair this year — snacking on pork chops, sizing up the famed butter sculptures and posing with prize-winning farm animals.

But Reps. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and Dusty Johnson of South Dakota were looking for something else: an opportunity to find common ground and prove that civility in the country’s politics is not extinct.

At a time when partisanship is uglier than ever in the halls of Congress, Phillips, a blue state Democrat, and Johnson, a Trump country Republican, are piloting a novel bipartisan political exchange program, featuring joint visits to each other’s districts and intimate joint town hall meetings with a diverse mix of constituents.

“There are lots of good people in Congress,” Johnson told ABC at the Minnesota State Fair where both men poured fresh milk together, visited a barn filled with pregnant livestock and rode down a giant slide.

“You cant work with people you dont trust, and you cant trust people you dont know,” Phillips said.

Both lawmakers are members of the House Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of moderate consensus-seekers on Capitol Hill who have notched success brokering compromises around COVID-19 relief and in shaping debate around a bipartisan infrastructure agreement.

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Democrats More Likely To Favor Compromise; Republicans Holding Firm To Beliefs

PRINCETON, NJ — Americans think it is generally more important for political leaders to compromise to get things done rather than sticking to their beliefs , but Republicans and Democrats hold differing views on the matter. Republicans tilt more toward saying leaders should stick to their beliefs , while Democrats more widely endorse compromise .

These results are based on a USA Today/Gallup poll conducted Nov. 4-7, after the midterm elections. The elections resulted in divided control of Congress, with Republicans set to become the majority party in the U.S. House of Representatives and Democrats holding on to a Senate majority.

Because this was the first time Gallup has asked the question about compromise versus holding firm in one’s beliefs, it is not clear whether the partisan differences in the poll are typical or whether they reflect Republicans’ and Democrats’ responses to the current political situation. Republicans were able to make big electoral gains in the midterm elections largely by opposing President Obama’s agenda of the last two years. On the other hand, the president will now need to work with Republicans in order to get things done after having the luxury of Democratic control of both houses of Congress during his first two years in office.

Implications

Survey Methods

For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±4 percentage points.

Senate Republicans Aren’t Interested In Compromise It May Be Time For Democrats To Use Plan B

No one would think of blaming Sen. Joe ManchinJoe ManchinOvernight Energy & Environment Presented by the League of Conservation Voters Biden, Xi talk climate at UN forumElection reform in the states is not all doom and gloomManchin presses Interior nominee on leasing program reviewMORE for shrinking West Virginias population by 3.5 percent since 2010, one of only three states that lost people over the last decade. There are lots of economic and demographic dynamics that accounted for the drop.

But given that the Mountaineer State will lose a House seat and an electoral vote, one should question whether Manchin should be determining the fate of multiple bills in the U.S. Senate. For the record, I really dont mind that Sen. Manchin says he only wants to make sure that West Virginia has a seat at the table. What I do mind, and what every American concerned about our democracy should mind, is that he now apparently thinks he gets to decide what everyone at the table will eat.

In The Federalist Papers, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton wrote that while the Senate was designed in a way to ensure that the majority didnt ride roughshod over the minority , those two Founding Fathers insisted that the majority must eventually always win; that minority rule was antithetical to a democracy. Common sense tells us that this is still the case in 2021, Trump Nation notwithstanding.

Yarmuth represents the 3rd District of Kentucky and is chairman of the Budget Committee.

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