"Big things don't happen in Washington on partisan votes," House Republican leader John Boehner said.
Maybe not "big things," but in the modern Congress, Big F**king Deals seem to happen on partisan votes: Health-care reform, financial reform, the Bush tax cuts, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the enormous Medicare Part D boondoggle, and the list goes on. As wise observers understand, the increase in partisanship is a result of the realignment of the two predominant American political philosophies with the two predominant American political parties. While bipartisanship was the norm in the '60s, when liberals and conservatives could be found on both sides of the aisle, now it seems the only way to pass major legislation is with a partisan vote.
-- Tim Fernholz
