The elections are over, the House is controlled by Republicans and the Democrats no longer have a super-majority in the Senate. So the question now is, ‘Can they work together?’ Only time will tell.
However, there is one issue (at least) that lends itself to bipartisan compromise - Energy. There are all sorts of good reasons to want a substantive energy policy. In fact there are so many reasons for addressing energy policy that Republicans and Democrats don’t have to be motivated by the same rationale…
The socio-political rationale: We purchase much of our oil from dangerous and volatile regions of the world that often don’t like the U.S. very much.
Environmental rationale: Energy derived from fossil fuels is not good for the environment.
Supply rationale: Some day we will run out of oil and coal.
Economic rationale: High energy costs and fluctuating energy costs negatively impact the economy in numerous ways.
Clearly these rationales are over-simplified. How much oil is available? What is the environmental impact? Where do our oil dollars go? Who can and can’t afford energy/heat? All serious issues worthy of study and debate. But here’s the simple version - the cost of energy is problematic in a variety of ways, and there are alternatives. So the big question… ‘Will Congress have the Backbone to Address Energy?’
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