The Good Ole Days!

I am always a bit reluctant to express a longing for the “Good Ole Days” as I vividly recall a discussion with my father in the late 1960s. It had been an unseasonably warm month of January, and some older acquaintances of my father were saying that they had never seen a month of January so warm and predicted that the entire month would be snow free. My father was rather dismissive of this commentary and cautioned that comments like that from old timers should always be taken with a grain of salt. Sure enough, within a few days southern Indiana received nearly a foot of snow with freezing cold and high winds which drifted the snow and temporarily closed the road leading to our house! So, with that cautionary introduction, I want now to harken back to what I will call the good ole days in our country when the national political atmospherics were calmer, more cooperative, and far less polarized.

To be sure, my line of sight for national politics goes back only to the 1960s, so I can not personally speak to the political landscape prior to this time. But I will accept the history book narrative that there were other times in our nation’s history when bitter disputes and acrimony characterized the tone among our elected national representatives. With that said, I recall the national debate and bitterness associated with the Vietnam War in the 60s and early 70s; the Watergate fiasco and resignation of President Richard Nixon; and of course, the horror of 9/11 and then the divisiveness associated with the inconclusive military engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq. Those periods were indeed challenging, but I do not believe they come close to the political rancor and vitriol which has characterized our national debate since around 2010. I will attempt to lay out my case for this in the discussion below.

Following the passage of the Affordable Care Act (Obama Care) in 2010 along party lines with no Republican support in the House or Senate, Republicans captured the House of Representatives and made notable gains in the Senate in the 2010 midterm elections. This election outcome stalled President Obama’s progressive legislative agenda. Unlike President Bill Clinton’s pragmatic legislative approach following Republican’s capture of the House and Senate in 1994, President Obama largely avoided working with Republicans in Congress and decided to go it alone and govern with a “phone and a pen” as he put it. This phone and a pen approach enabled governing through Executive Orders in areas such as Immigration and Healthcare. I believe this approach has set the tone for what has happened since.

The first Trump Administration followed the Obama approach with numerous Executive Orders and Tax Reform legislation passed through the “Reconciliation Process” which allows tax and revenue legislation to bypass the 60-vote filibuster requirement and be passed in the U.S. Senate with only 51 votes. The Biden Administration adopted the similar approach with Executive Orders and in passing the Inflation Reduction Act under the Reconciliation Process. The second Trump Administration has seen more than 200 Executive Orders issued by President Trump. President Trump has also imposed a variety of tariffs on imported goods. His use of emergency federal legislation to impose many of the tariffs has been challenged in federal court and the case is now before the U.S. Supreme Court. Many legal observers believe a decision is likely during the first quarter of 2026. The Reconciliation Process has also been used to pass tax reform and other revenue related legislation. President Trump has also sought to expand Executive Branch power and influence by removing members of the Federal Trade Commission and National Labor Relations Board. These moves have been challenged in federal court, but most legal observers believe the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately decide in favor of President Trump.

So where does the current polarized political environment leave us as a nation? At this point, I see very limited opportunity for a breakthrough. The polarized political atmosphere has greatly limited the opportunity for bipartisan legislation as both Republicans and Democrats in Congress are reluctant to cooperate on any type of controversial legislation for fear of being “primaried” by an opponent from their own party who can rally support from ideological purists who oppose any type of cooperation and compromise with the other side. Social media and cable news greatly exacerbate this tendency. As noted above, recent U.S. Presidents have been able to accomplish many of their policy objectives through Executive Orders without the need for engaging in the “sausage making” task of getting legislation passed by Congress. The limitation with this approach is that Executive Orders issued by one President can be overturned in the future by a new President.

Unless the American people become so tired and frustrated with the current legislative stalemate and insist on a change by voting for candidates who are willing to reach across the aisle and work toward bipartisan legislation (I say this knowing how unlikely this is!), I see only two real opportunities for change in the status quo and neither is desirable. One possibility would be the elimination of the Senate 60 vote filibuster requirement for passing legislation which could open the flood gates for a party that controlled the Presidency, House, and Senate to pass most any type of legislation it wished with little need for compromise and cooperation with the other side. Not likely a great development for national unity!  The other possibility for change would be some type of national emergency such as an economic collapse or a terrorist attack which demanded swift bipartisan legislative action, but surely no rational and thoughtful person would favor this development. In the meantime, Christians should pray that God will extend His grace and mercy on our nation as the fabric of our nation becomes ever more frayed.

God bless you and thank you for the privilege of your time in reading my blog.