Here & Now

Political Panel on Polarization

Frederica Freyberg:

Another special session Governor Evers had called this week to fix the unemployment insurance system was rejected by the Republican majority. More tangible evidence of the persistent partisan divide. So there’s that at the state level. How will the polarized political culture evolve at the national level? We check in now with our political pundits, Democrat Scot Ross and Republican Bill McCoshen. Thanks for being here.

Bill McCoshen, Scot Ross:

Thanks for having us.

Frederica Freyberg:

As to that question, after everything the country has been through, the violence over the presidential election and people who still don’t accept the results, can there truly be the unity Joe Biden preaches? Scot, first to you.

Scot Ross:

I think if there’s anybody in the United States who’s going to be able to bring us back together or take the best shot at it, it’s definitely Joe Biden. I mean, after 50 years in the Senate, as the vice president, this is not a guy who people think of as a hack partisan. This is a guy who gets things done. He proved it in the Senate for decades. He proved it as the vice president and he’s going to prove it as president. It’s time we get some adult leadership in the White House. We’ve got that now. It’s time to focus on the things that are important: the economic crisis, battling COVID. Those are the two top priorities. He’s already taking steps to try to do that.

Frederica Freyberg:

Bill, what do you think about that call for unity and whether it’s actually possible?

Bill McCoshen:

Well, it’s interesting. Remember four years ago when Donald Trump was elected, Democrats’ mantra was resist. It wasn’t unity. I think Scot’s got a decent point as it relates to Biden. He’s got so much D.C. experience, he knows how to get things done, but Republicans won’t be listening to his words necessarily. They’ll be watching his deeds. So it depends on how he conducts himself and the kinds of issues that he tries to pursue early in his administration and his willingness to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans, which has been his history, at least as a Senator, and if he continues that, I think he’ll get some results.

Frederica Freyberg:

Meanwhile, there’s already a power-sharing fight in the Senate, now split 50/50. Both sides at odds over the filibuster. What is all this going to look like in practice with big items like the $2 trillion COVID package Biden wants to move?

Bill McCoshen:

Twenty years ago when we had a 50/50 Senate, Tom Daschle and Trent Lott from Tennessee did come up with a power-sharing agreement. Chuck Schumer has no interest in that. So Democrats will control the United States Senate. Provided the filibuster stays in place, we should still have an opportunity to block things Republicans don’t like.

Frederica Freyberg:

Scot, what about that filibuster? What do you think ought to happen?

Scot Ross:

Well, I think they should get rid of the filibuster because Mitch McConnell and the Republican Senate have broken every single norm that’s existed in the U.S. Senate over the last ten years. When Democrats were in charge and then when the last six years when Republicans were in charge. Mitch McConnell is a partisan hack. He will not do anything for the good of the country, he will only do things to increase his power. Now that he doesn’t have any, I don’t think it’s a great idea for Chuck Schumer to look to cues to McConnell. Chuck Schumer should look inside of his own caucus. There are moderates. There are liberals and there are centri –he has the gamut in there. They’re going to come up with solutions that will work. Joe Biden has already proven. He put — he’s nominated Trump’s FBI director to stay at the FBI. But what’s happening on the Republican side? They’re blocking President Biden’s nominee for Department of Homeland Security. It’s disgraceful. I’d like to think the Senate will come to its senses on the Republican side. I don’t think it’s gonna with people like Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz and certainly Ron Johnson.

Frederica Freyberg:

The House will deliver the impeachment article to the Senate on Monday to start the trial against Donald Trump. Should this have been delayed so Biden could move his agenda and Trump could assemble his defense, Bill?

Bill McCoshen:

There again, it goes back to the president. The president could easily say those articles should remain in the House. The impeachment should not move forward. If he’s serious about unity, that would be his best message and Democrats would lay down their arms, so to speak, and we could get on the with the Biden agenda, whatever that may be. We’ve seen a bunch of that, a flurry of executive orders this week already. But things he wants to pass through the Congress are going to be less likely to get done if he proceeds down the impeachment path.

Frederica Freyberg:

What do you think about that, Scot?

Scot Ross:

I mean, we had a president who was guilty of helping a seditious terrorist insurrection and he must be held accountable. Don’t forget, Congress and the Executive are equal branches of government. If President Biden wanted to say stop it, I don’t know that it would stop it. The Congress wants to hold Trump accountable and I think they’re right to do so.

Bill McCoshen:

It would put Biden on a different level with Republicans. If he said stop it, it would make them more interested in working with him at least early in the administration during that first 100 days, which are often critical.

Frederica Freyberg:

We don’t have a lot of time left but here at home the stalemate continues. Republicans are now going after the latest Evers’ mask mandate. Is this dysfunction just at a new place now?

Scot Ross:

I think so. I mean, it’s been 280 days since the Republicans put a bill on Governor Evers’ desk. The only thing that the Assembly has passed is a self-congratulatory resolution for Robin Vos. They’re not interested in finding a solution. They haven’t worked in ten months. Unfortunately continues for Robin Vos and Republicans in the legislature to be business as usual and that’s no business.

Frederica Freyberg:

Really quick, Bill?

Bill McCoshen:

Buck stops with the governor. The governor’s 0-7 in special sessions. Prior to him taking office, there were 97 of them. 92% of those produced some results. Tony Evers has no results in any of his.

Frederica Freyberg:

We need to leave it there. This doesn’t look a lot like unity, folks but I know you are pundits on opposite sides. Thanks for joining us.