It is this concession that bipartisanship is unequivocally a desirable goal and therefore to advocate one's philosophy is somehow parochial and even unpatriotic which perception causes conservatism huge damage. When the Democrats pursue their parochial goals it is not reported as rank partisanship but when Republicans and conservatives behave in accordance with the very reason for their existence, they are blackguarded.
All of this talk about independents recoiling at partisanship may or may not be true but we certainly ratify this reaction to our own detriment when we act as though bipartisanship in itself is a healthy state of affairs. This is an adversarial democracy designed to operate when two healthy political parties engage in competition for acceptance of their ideas. It is an adversarial party system not a consensus system.
I have often thought that the Bushes thought that party politics was somehow beneath them, even smarmy, and something they must hold their nose and indulge in so they could otherwise behave as statesmen.
We should attack the very assumptions that the media uses to intimidate Republicans and conservatives.
