Issa and Cummings praise each other: Return of comity or moment of calm?
Washington Solar rays didnt break through storm clouds to cast a magical light over the Capital dome Tuesday, but something more mundanely positive did happen in Congress: Two leaders who have been at odds engaged in a show of mutual praise and respect.
Elijah Cummings, the top-ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, paused during a hearing on Obamacare to tell Committee Chairman Darrell Issa that you have made me a better person in so many, many ways, adding accolades for the Republicans expertise and dedication.
Later in the hearing, Representative Issa waxed lyrical about Representative Cummings hard work and referred to him as my friend.
The words didnt pass between just any Republican and any Democrat. These were the leading members of a House committee tasked with a watchdog role that can make it a hotbed of maneuvering for partisan advantage. And these were two men who at times have been sharply at odds encapsulated back in March when Issa abruptly shut down a hearing on the IRS after getting in a shouting match with Cummings over whether the Maryland Democrat was raising a valid question.
The peacemaking on display Tuesday is a reminder that even in time of high partisanship and rivalry, lawmakers in Congress are also human beings with capacities for forgiveness, bridge-building, and even affection toward members in the other political camp.
Dont expect a renewed era of bipartisan comity to emerge all of a sudden come 2015. What happened at this one hearing isnt a sign that Issa and Cummings no longer have disagreements, let alone that the two parties are ready to join in a chorus of Kumbaya.
To get a real sense of whether bipartisanship stands a chance what matters most are the roll call votes, the back room interaction, and what they say in front of the media on stations like Fox or MSNBC, Princeton University political historian Julian Zelizer says in an e-mail interview.
Measured in those ways, he says, right now the broad climate in Congress shows not much evidence of any change.
Its worth noting, for example, that partisan differences were on pretty full display during the Tuesdays hearing. As Democrats defended President Obamas Affordable Care Act, Republicans sought to raise doubts about how the law has performed for Americans and especially whether public comments by one of the laws so-called architects suggest that Democrats were willfully secretive in passing the controversial law.
Jonathan Gruber, an MIT scholar who advised Democrats as the law was being hatched, faced harsh questioning at the hearing about his prior statements implying that a lack of transparency played a crucial role in getting the law passed.
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Issa and Cummings praise each other: Return of comity or moment of calm?