Compromise Compromised

Compromise has, for many years, been a word we hate to love.  It enabled groups to make progress despite making concessions that conflicted with their personal agendas.  Despite our reluctance, we cooperated for the sake of progress towards something.  This has occurred, conceivably, for centuries, and quite possibly, for the entire history of mankind.  In recent years, compromise has become a concept we love to hate, especially in the political arena.

            In light of the State of the Union address given by the President this past Tuesday, reactions have ranged from satisfaction to downright animosity.  In reality, this speech was just a speech.  An over dramatized event that really only serves as a platform from which the president can offer framed recounting of his accomplishments and overly optimistic plans for the coming year of policy-making.  In all honesty, I did not watch/listen to the speech, though I did catch some of the coverage afterward with varying highlight reels shown by the news channels.  The post-speech coverage also turned into an event.  Commentators, analysts, and regular Joe’s weighed in on deciphering what was said in the speech as if they were the very words of Nostradamus predicting the end of days. 

Some called the President’s speech realistic and cautiously optimistic; others labeled it delusional, which was used to paint the entire party the same color.  When it came time to ask viewers their opinions, it was difficult to ignore the way questions were framed to influence the responses.  One woman from Atlanta called the President an hypocrite for advocating partisanship when he himself has never “reached across the aisle”.  I wondered where this woman was when a month ago the President conceded on key details of legislation that was to extend expiring tax cuts; an act of compromise that earned the President criticism from his own party. 

It has become near impossible to find truth amidst all this bitterness.  It’s no secret that younger generations are being raised with an unfounded entitlement that seems to puzzle sociologists far and wide, but has that influenced politics and the media as well?  Entitled to their bitterness because they are not getting what they want from Washington.  The cold war may have ended over 20 years ago, but a hot war within the annals of our capitol seems to be raging hotter than ever.  Or is it merely in the media coverage of it?  Has Journalism become an industry that has learned to thrive by selling the sensational and irrational to the masses?  Compromise has been pushed into the obscure, only to be scoffed at as an outdated, out-hated concept. 

When the President spoke of partisanship and the need for compromise, some said he was being realistic, others delusion.  In this era of skepticism, it’s hard to believe his sincerity, but maybe he was being both realistic and delusional.  In order to progress from here, the need is real, but the reality says it’s impossible.  But an American can dream, can’t he?