Goodwin: Trump’s Bipartisanship Only Surprising Because of Obama – In The Divided Era, Is It Possible To Reach Across Partisan Lines?
NY Post writer Michael Goodwin posits that “The biggest surprise in President Trump’s willingness to work with Democrats is how much of a surprise it is to much of America.” Goodwin goes on to note that President Obama was not bi-partisan, writing that “Obama made it clear he would govern strictly as a liberal. He famously rebuffed GOP attempts to get their ideas into the stimulus package, saying bluntly, ‘I won.’”
Trump, who was vilified by the Left out of the gate, made a bipartisan foray by siding with the Democrats on the debt limit. According to Goodwin, “By themselves, efforts at bipartisanship are no guarantee of success, and Trump could be stymied by irreconcilable demands from both parties. But history consistently rewards those presidents whose leadership produces results that reflect a broad consent of the governed.”
Trump has repeatedly referenced how divided Americans are. At the end of the day, we will be able to judge his presidency and bipartisan efforts by whether he convinced the country and enough in Congress to adopt tax reform. If he does, the country will be better off economically and Goodwin will be right as well.
