Screw bipartisanship - just get to work

I just saw a recent national survey that once again finds Americans interested in a Congress that is "bipartisan" and "get things done." After all, most of the spending bills got tabled until the new Congress convenes and a lot of work is needed on the minimum wage, ethics, health care, and of course, Iraq.

But I think that the question about bipartisanship is kind of a false question. People want government to do things that are good for them and good for the country. They want lower taxes, but only if it can be done without damaging good programs. They want good health care, but only if it doesn't break the bank. They want good paying jobs. And when it comes down to it, they aren't going to care if these things come via party-line vote, as long as they're effective.

There's an illusion out there that good policy has to be bipartisan, but I think that some of the best government work ever accomplished (Social Security, Medicare) only succeeded because the Democrats had overwhelming control of Congress. Bipartisanship only matters when good legislation fails because the proposing party can't peel off enough of its opposites to pass the legislation. And some really vile legislation (the Bush tax cuts, the Iraq war authorization, the Medicare prescription drug benefit) had plentiful votes from both sides of the aisle.

So when Congress convenes in January, I want them to get things done. If it happens to be bipartisan, that's the icing on the cake.