Soon after the televised exchanged between President Barack Obama and the U.S. House Republican Caucus, two days after the president's State of the Union Address, Internet chatter exploded. The public, press and pundits were electrified. They wanted more. It was good theater.
Better yet, it was good politics.
While most observers would agree with the Associated Press' description of the event as a ``remarkably sharp face-to-face confrontation,'' it was also hailed as ``civil'' and ``conciliatory.'' Political commentators were downright giddy, though one suspects that a few were disappointed that no physical blows were exchanged.
Obama set a good-natured tone in his opening remarks. ``You know what they say, keep your friends close, but visit the Republican caucus every few months.'' The line got a laugh, and for the rest of the event the president reminded all who might have forgotten exactly why the American people supported him over more experienced Washington insiders: his humor and grace under pressure, his confidence when confronted, his determined search for higher ground.
Who can blame people for wanting more? The event raised hopes that the acrimony and hatefulness emanating hourly from inside the beltway might just ease up enough to allow for important work in the national interest to get done.
But hold the cheers, folks, we're not there yet. Part of the problem is the lack of trust between the political parties. Another part is that we lack leaders with the political will to do what's right for the nation and not just a narrow slice of the electorate.
As I have written before, my hands are not clean. Yet I have accepted responsibility for any and all of the dumb things that I might have contributed as a political operative to today's partisan division. I have repented, and my penance started long ago. To move forward in bringing the country together, both parties must pledge to repent and work on creating a more civil and tolerant political climate that will enable moderates on both sides of the aisle to find common ground without being chastised for it by their party leaders.
Let's start with finding a common solution to creating jobs. Many fear there is no hope that Republicans will work with Democrats on a jobs bill. The GOP plan, they suspect, is to use failed legislative efforts to bludgeon Obama and derail Democrats in November. ``If we're able to stop Obama on this (health care reform),'' crowed GOP Sen. Jim DeMint, ``it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.''
As a political strategist, I ask: With everything to gain and nothing to lose, why would Republican leaders reject a winning strategy of obstructionism?
As a concerned citizen of the United States, I answer: Republicans should end their obstructionist campaign to throw out the baby with the legislative bathwater because, though it may be good politics in the short run, it is bad governing. It is selfish. It is dangerous. It is unpatriotic. And, in the long run, it will prove to be bad politics.
The vast majority of voters would like to see bipartisan cooperation. In fact, they are demanding it. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid share at least one thing in common with GOP House Leader John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: sky-high negative ratings. Voters of every stripe are disgusted by supposed leaders who allow partisan nonsense to derail progress in achieving common-sense solutions.
Meanwhile, though treading on ground fraught with potential landmines, the recent engagement between the president and the House Republican Caucus was a healthy step in the right direction. Like the children of a troubled marriage, voters were cautiously thrilled to witness a civilized conversation replace hurled accusations and counterattacks. Obama was rewarded with a sigh of relief from a nation grateful for a leader willing to enter the lion's den for the sake of the national good.
The Republicans now need to step up to the plate. Yet even if the GOP leadership refuses to put on their big-kid pants and join Obama in seeking common ground, the president must continue his bipartisan offensive. Contrary to rumors, there does exist a handful of moderates in the Republican Party willing to work with Democrats and the president to shape the bipartisan legislation the public mandated in the 2008 election.
There is hope - if for no other reason than nothing can be solved, no jobs created, no budget cut, no ending of two wars, and no health care reformed without Republican votes.
With Democrats commanding a supermajority, voters held the Democrats' feet to the fire in the pre-midterm elections. With the GOP now in control of 41 votes, voters will hold the Republicans' feet to the fire in the midterm elections.
If Republicans use their extra vote to block the change voters asked for in 2008, what then? Must we wait until 2013? As a nation, can we afford to wait? Let's answer that question in the midterm elections with a revised battle cry: No, we can't.
Donna Brazile is a political commentator on CNN, ABC and NPR; contributing columnist to Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill; and former campaign manager for Al Gore.
