The Bipartisan Spirit

I’m busy working on some other projects, so posting may be light again today, but in the meantime, I’ve got an op-ed on the stimulus package in today’s American Spectator:

Ah, bipartisanship. What would Washington be without it? It’s a lovely word that gives politicians the opportunity to link arms and claim that they’re working for the common good of the American people — while mainly working for their own good.

Case in point: the economic stimulus package, hailed far and wide (which in the nation’s capital is defined as “both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue”) for its refreshing bipartisan spirit.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wants to make sure everyone takes note of this spirit of comity. Her fact sheet emphasizes that it’s not just an economic stimulus package, but a bipartisan economic stimulus package.

According to the Washington Post‘s Peter Baker and Jonathan Weisman, Pelosi used the words bipartisan and bipartisanship 10 times when announcing the deal — just to make sure she got the point across.

The Posties seem to have bought it, too. According to their article, the package spotlights the “rarity of bipartisan action.”

With all the fuss over the two parties’ lovey-dovey hand-holding, you’d think we’d somehow achieved peace on earth and good will toward men, or at least a four day Frenchified work week.

But no, the parties have come together to push a stimulus package that looks to be largely ineffective — an election-year political pander, pure and simple.

Whole thing here.