The Last Refuge Of Scoundrels

Turtle-American Mitch McConnell gave an interview where he predicted that 2018 would be about bipartisanship.  Of course, some of that is a reflection that he barely has the votes to pass a resolution in favor of apple pie once Doug Jones takes office.  Some is to create a cloak from whence to whine under when Democrats gain a small advantage in the Senate next November.

We have also seen paeans to bipartisanship from Doug Jones and Ralph Northam.  This has created apoplexy in some left-wing circles, because...politicians always speak the truth and never try and spin things?

Bipartisanship is traditionally thought to be popular - and among some Americans it still is.  So what would bipartisan legislation look like?

McConnell says he will allow votes on a DACA fix and Murray-Alexander, which was the price for getting the votes to pass the Kick America In the Nuts Act of 2017.  He will have those votes, and then it will promptly go down to defeat in the House, proving that Jeff Flake and Susan Collins are either dupes or cynics.  Still, from the Senate perspective, look for DACA, CHIP and probably Murray-Alexander to get votes and pass.  Whether they pass the House...

As far as new legislation, they probably need to address the opiod epidemic in some form.  There is, in fact, no good reason why there hasn't been significant legislation to address a plague that is killing tens of thousands of Americans every year, except that the GOP can't govern for shit.

McConnell is positioning himself to be - I can't believe I'm saying this - the moderate in comparison to Paul Ryan.  The House is unlikely to pass Murray-Alexander, though they might take up DACA and CHIP.  Opiod legislation would be popular, but since it would require the government addressing corporate malfeasance by Big Pharma, it will need to pass with Democratic votes.

Ryan can also be counted on to produce a draconian bill to slash entitlements.   Hopefully, he will do so, because you simply can't have too many attack ads.  But that legislation will die in the Senate, if McConnell even allows it to come to vote.

So "bipartisanship" for McConnell will likely come down to deals he made with GOP Senators to get a party-line vote on the odious tax bill to allow votes on popular legislation that will die in the House.

UPDATE: As I was drafting this, I kept getting distracted.  I forgot one obvious area that the Democrats and Republicans could come together: infrastructure.  However, this is CLEARLY a case where Democrats should withhold support unless it's a good bill.  Infrastructure spending is a good thing, and unless it meets Democratic objectives, they shouldn't vote for it, especially if their votes are required for passage.