Dueling Icons of Deniability.  My, but those Democrats do love them some Clinton; very much like those Republicans do love them some Reagan.  You would think that given their enshrinement in party lore, their records would reflect the bedrock principles of their respective parties.  I submit to you that a closer and broader reflection on their accomplishments tells a different story and that each party, in their loving embrace of the two icons, is in a state of denial.

One would think that each man’s record would reflect a “party platform’s worth” of conservative or liberal principles, but is that really the case?  A close examination of each President’s record shows that their most significant and effectual benchmarks were in fact products of bi-partisan actions; great examples of the two parties compromising in order to fashion legislation that truly reflected the “will of the people”.  Is it any surprise that both men started out their first terms as “firebrands” for their parties and encountered, in some form or fashion, a high degree of gridlock and resistance from the opposing party?  But each man, in his own way, learned to function in their office as a leader and producer of results.  This ability to evolve and grow resulted in some historical accomplishments for each man.  The American People recognize and respect results.

Watching the party conventions transpire over the last few days and reading their official platforms, one would think that the extreme factions in each control the policy apparatus of the organization; I would hope this is not the case.  Rather, I would  hope that each nominee, if fortunate enough to reach the magic 270 number in November,  will realize history has shown us that the only meaningful accomplishments of past Presidential icons have been of the bi-partisan nature; the kind that reflect the best thinking of both parties and their respective leaders. 

Like many others, I was hopeful that after the Democrats were soundly rebuked in the 2010 election cycle, Obama would turn towards the center and we would see some actual legislative progress over the last two years.  That obviously did not happen and, I am sure, there is sufficient blame for that failure on both sides of the political aisle.  However, the ultimate challenge lies with the ultimate leader and that is the President.  Of all the things that one might fault Obama for, this to me is the most damning.  The colossal expenditure of political capital on Obamacare in his first two years was, in hindsight, a huge miscalculation; a squandered opportunity.  But, a case can perhaps be made that the cause it represented was sufficiently important to Obama and the Democrats that they should spend whatever it took to get it done.  However, following the unambiguous message of the 2010 mid-term elections, President Obama would clearly have been served much better by finding some way to work with Boehner and McConnell to pass some good law and begin to clean up the mess this country is in.