McConnell's misstep shows GOP inflexibility

Much is being made of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's objection to the bill that he himself had asked a vote to be taken on. This in effect meant that he filibustered the bill he had asked for, meaning no vote could be taken on a bill he had asked to be voted on. And while this is laughable, it just highlights the major problem with GOP today.

Politics is the art of cajoling people into agreeing with you, but even more it is the art of compromise. It is the majority party finding positions that the minority can accept. And the minority has to agree with that after they get the best deal they can, and that since most of the country disagrees with them, the other side will get the most in any bill. If the bills are unpopular, or take the country down a road that hurts the country, then the majority will lose their advantage, and the minority will be the majority. This is why the two sides must agree on common ground and pass that bill, to show the country that while both sides have some different ideas, they can move forward for the betterment of the country.

But when one side become inflexible, refuses to accept the views of the other side, or even refuses to debate with the other side, then one of three things can happen. The majority can refuse to talk to the minority and pass bills unilaterally. When this happens, any bill that a large part of the country finds questionable can be used against them, and they are in trouble. Second, the minority can refuse to debate and allow the majority to run the country. But if the bills that are passed are acceptable to the country, they look irrelevant, and they are in trouble. But in the third case, the minority can refuse to debate and refuse to allow bills to get passed unless they completely agree with them. The majority will look lost and helpless, the minority will look obstinate, and it is the country that is in trouble. Sound familiar?

The filibuster by the Senate Minority Leader of a bill he had requested a vote on has to be one of the strangest things that's ever happened in Washington. But in reality, McConnell's misstep simply showed exactly how inflexible the GOP has become.