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"Paris is well worth a mass" is a remark allegedly made by Henry IV of France, who renounced his Protestant faith for Catholicism. Although his motives were entirely political, his instincts were sound. After years of Civil War, he reasoned in 1593 that peace was a bonus and the Crown was the prize. It symbolized pragmatism, blending the pursuit of power with amity,
Maybe American politics could benefit from such cynicism tempered with wisdom. Both parties are stuck trying to force the other to submit to a particular future vision. Perhaps they can come to an understanding based on reason and realities. Otherwise, this country is gambling that its democracy can survive constant strain. Given this partisanship, deficits will continue to grow, fanatics promote absurd agendas, and the world economy will be subject to the whims of random presidential comments and proclamations.
This is not the way to govern the Republic; it promotes overstatement and recklessness. Donald Trump did not invent this situation, but artfully exploited this state of affairs. Because of liberal political correctness, conservatives were often prohibited from speaking at major universities. As a result, the President has retaliated in an irresponsible manner, using a few incidents to try to cut funding to institutions such as Harvard University. The excess of one led to the folly of the other.
Certainly, Trump should be held accountable for his stated aim to punish his foes. But the overreach of the last administration, under Joe Biden, to punish and in some cases, imprison MAGA figures such as Peter Navarro and Steve Bannon, is partially to blame for Trump's "retribution" campaign. Both have their reasons, but both should accept some blame for the corrosion of political culture.
Restraint has gone to the four winds, and sanity has been the first casualty. Democrats and Republicans have spent trillions on their favored programs. Because the GOP gives billions of tax cuts to those who do not need them and who will probably not invest their winnings, we have more deficits. Joe Biden spent on his priorities, so the Republicans will match his irresponsibility and raise him to boot. The result is over 37 trillion dollars in US debt and growing.
So, no one is prepared to make a sacrifice. They talk about "waste, fraud, and abuse," but cannot define what it is. Elon Musk slashed without knowing the exact results. Political vengeance will ultimately come out of the fiscal hides of the American people. Most of the country will be losers, except those whose lives are financially secure. Dwight Eisenhower could have celebrated twenty years of Republican absence from the White House by trying to cut Democratic domestic initiatives like Social Security. He did not do it and kept the peace.
Luckily for "Ike," he had Democratic helpmates -- Lyndon Johnson, Senate Leader, and Sam Rayburn -- in the House. They weathered the storm because they compromised.
Trump's hardline positions need to be rethought if they are to be beneficial to the nation. Peace and Prosperity are worth a compromise.