Bipartisan? Not so much…

We’re still on the mend here. Lee and I are functioning at about 80% today, which is a huge improvement. Landon is by far still the worst but hopefully in the next day or two he will turn a corner as well. In the meantime, well, I’m going to discuss politics again. I know, I know, I said I’d stop but there’s really just so much going on these days, how can we ignore it?

Listen, I’m appalled, dismayed, outraged, you-name-it, about the “stimulus” bill that passed last night. Dana wrote a great article about it for BlogHer and since I can’t say it any better than what she did, I’ll let you read her words. In a nutshell, though, she makes the point that while this is being touted as a stimulus, what it is is another bailout – and it’s a bad one.

What I would like to talk about, however, is the idea of bipartisanship that everyone seems to be going on and on about but no one is really making an effort to achieve. Look, I’ll be honest with you here. I only received two C’s in all of my college career. One was in Earthquakes and Other Natural Disasters, which – well, okay that’s embarrassing. The other was in Political Science. Incidentally, I also barely passed that class in high school as well. It just didn’t make sense to me. Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, blah, blah, blah…

I didn’t vote in an election until 2000. I could have voted in the ’96 election but I was barely 18 and truly could have cared less. I’m not even sure I knew what day the elections were held. So my first experience voting was the 2000 race between Gore and Bush. My husband stayed up late into the night watching the crazy results – I went to bed because blah, blah, blah.

So, there’s a brief bit of history. I’m no political expert and I am not trying to be. But, I do care now about the political climate of this country more than ever before and now that I’m a mother, the decisions that these politicians make matter to me. As Dana has said before (yes, I quote her a lot, but I respect her very much and appreciate her amazing gift with words) motherhood is political.

So, here’s my take on this situation. President Obama came into office proclaiming his desire to reach across party lines and work in a bipartisan matter. Well, he’s one week into office and I’m already doubting the sincerity of those words. Did I really think he meant it? I don’t know. I hoped. As I said here, I want his success.

What happened yesterday, however, was anything but bipartisan. Which brings me to the climax of this post. I do not feel like there should be the opportunity for one party to have such a broad majority in the House. If we’re going to be a bipartisan nation, then we need a bipartisan government and when we have a party that is so dominant, bipartisanship goes down the drain. It’s all about survival of the fittest. This bill did not have one single supporter from the GOP. Does that not say something? House Republicans were not trying to deny America the help that it needs. But they saw things in this stimulus, nay BAILOUT, bill that were flagrant and unnecessary and all they asked was for their voices to be heard.

But it’s a popularity contest right now and the Democrats win. I’m not saying that the Republicans are perfect and their ideas were a save all, but come on – they deserve to have a say because they speak for a lot of people in this country. The last poll I heard, 40% of the American population disapproved of this package. Is that not significant?

To the Democratic party – look, you guys won elections fair and square (for the most part). You’re in office because we the people put you there. But just because you have the majority doesn’t mean you get to bully us. We want a voice and we deserve a say in the direction you take our country. Don’t say you’re going to work in a bipartisan way then walk away laughing. If you plan on running our government like this for the next four years, then please, have the dignity to tell it like it is. Don’t lie to us because we’re not buying it.

So that’s my take. We now have an massive bill out there that’s going to cost us and our children a lot of money. It was passed by a majority, but the entire majority was of the same party. This, in my opinion, is where we went wrong. There’s another chance today as the bill goes to the Senate. Will Obama listen? Will he follow through on his word to work in a bipartisan manner? Well, I certainly hope so because I want to believe in my President. But, you know, don’t listen to me. I’m just the girl who got a C in Poly Sci.