The art of the compromise

Last week’s performance by the Freedom Caucus was unconscionable. For a group that claims to represent “real conservatives,” its members have done something that will absolutely damage efforts to steer the country toward more conservative principles.

While I am no fan of the proposed healthcare reform, I do absolutely believe there are straightforward steps that can be taken to reform the current law. Rather than furthering the conservative cause and arguing for constructive changes to the law, members of the Freedom Caucus have tied themselves to the rhetorical anchor of repeal and made demands they know have no possibility of gaining support outside their small group. 

In doing so, they have forced the congressional leadership and the president into a position where they must negotiate with Democrats to make meaningful changes to ObamaCare, virtually guaranteeing what comes after — if anything — will look a lot like ObamaCare-lite. At the same time, they have emboldened Democrats on both sides of Capitol Hill and may have endangered the president’s entire legislative agenda, from tax reform to meaningful improvements to our country’s crumbling infrastructure.

For all their quoting of the founders, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, members of the caucus seem to forget one simple and inarguable fact: All of those documents reflect absolute compromise.

The founding generation did not all share the same views; in many cases they held radically different beliefs. They did, however, understand “the art of the deal,” in today’s parlance, that if they were to in fact unite the states and form a more perfect union for their constituents, everyone was going to have to make concessions. If that were not true, the Declaration of Independence would not have passed unanimously out of the Continental Congress (with one abstention) and the U.S. Capitol would still be in New York — if there were a United States at all. 

One could understand the mistake of some freshman Republican members of Congress: many just don’t understand, especially those who emerged from state houses in which Republicans hold unquestionable majorities, where there was no need to compromise. They grew up in a political environment where compromise was a dirty word. That experience taught them all the wrong lessons for working effectively in Washington.

The senior members of the Freedom Caucus, on the other hand, know better. As Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), a long time conservative voice in the House, noted on resigning from the caucus last week “you have to be willing to say ‘yes’ to something.” The senior members of the caucus know that it is not only their responsibility as members of Congress to reflect the will of their constituents — it’s also their responsibility to govern, and sometimes governing requires a member of Congress to lead his or her constituents toward the right solution for the country as a whole.

The members of the Freedom Caucus would do well to remember the observation of former President Reagan when it came to dealing with his arch political opponent, and sometimes friend, Tip O’Neil: “I will take a half a loaf today but, I will come back for the other half tomorrow.” Put another way, it is time to consider the art of the possible in a country where only 9 percent of the population defines itself as “very conservative.”

That minority and a caucus made up of only 33 out of 435 members of the House of Representatives is not going to convince the rest of the country or the rest of the government that they alone have the right solutions. What they can do is work with their fellow conservatives to begin shifting our country toward more conservative policies, one step at a time. A failure to follow not just the words but the example of the founders and find compromise will ensure that this country continues down a path antithetical to our core Republican beliefs, and undermines the very cause that the Freedom Caucus claims to promote.

I encourage my fellow Republicans, and certainly the members of the Freedom Caucus, to follow the example of our founders and our most distinguished conservative leaders. Together we can make America great again, not only through the art of the deal but the art of the compromise.

Joe Whited is the former Intelligence Lead for the House Armed Services Committee. He spent over 18 years serving in the intelligence community. Find him on Twitter @Whited_JJ

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