Politics is becoming stranger than ever and worst mannered. Despite some hints that bipartisanship would somehow break out, the evidence does not support such an occurrence. Amity is not the spirit of the season; blood red partisan fury, unfortunately, is. Mike Johnson’s eagerness to adjourn the House of Representatives is so frequent that one is tempted to believe he would prefer the one-session popular in the 19th century. As for Donald Trump, he is not in a particularly good mood, so forget National Brotherhood Week.

As a result, much does not get done, and Republicans seem resigned to either swim or sink with Trump. The leadership in Congress, Democratic and Republican, is at present anemic. Johnson clicks his heels, and Hakeem Jeffries hopes that GOP members of Congress keep leaving, perhaps opening the door to Democratic victories in special elections. No one budges and refuses to concede a point.

This is especially true in health care. Republicans are very reluctant to extend the Obamacare benefits expanded during the COVID pandemic and Joe Biden’s administration. The GOP never liked the Affordable Care Act. They reasoned that it primarily benefited insurance and pharmaceutical companies. Moreover, they do not see a bailout of rural hospitals as a successful solution. Democrats counter that many will be left in the lurch if these benefits and subsidies are not renewed.

That, as they say, lies the rub. Republicans are stuck with bad options. However, they are far more endangered if they concede. Barry Goldwater in 1964 complained that Republicans had become too accepting of Democratic programs created during President Dwight Eisenhower, “a dime store New Deal.” Stephen Bannon rails against a “uniparty” within the GOP that would concede recent Democratic initiatives to preserve the peace.

However, despite their defiance against liberal programs, they are messy and vague in explaining their case. Trump, in his eighteen-minute speech, was as forthcoming as Rose Mary Wood’s 18 ½ minute gap in 1973 when she produced a tape transcription. Perhaps Trump should, for once, eschew the dramatics and explain his objection to Democratic health plans. He prevaricates when the truth would suffice. During his so-called address to the nation, he could have made a more straightforward presentation of his ideas. Vagueness and deception do not work in the President’s favor.

For Conservatives, they have had to hold their noses for almost 100 years. First, it was Social Security, which they saw as a government intrusion. By the 1950’s, the party expanded the program. Next up was Medicare, which they regarded with suspicion, then the 1970s and 1980’s, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan expanded the program, another concession. Fast forward to the Affordable Care Act, and they are placed in a position to approve a program they never approved.

To pass legislation, both sides have wafer-thin margins, which is the reason for this donnybrook. Overreach is not partisan; it is an obsession by both parties to get what they want without considering the cost.