The need for compromise—for making government work for the American people—has been bandied about freely since Republicans won their resounding midterm victories. But it's not surprising, given the past six years, that the reality has been different. The operative game is that both parties express their desire to compromise, while attempting to maneuver the other party into a position where it looks obstructionist and ineffective.
"Republicans have made detailed assertions that they want bring back the basic rudiments of the deliberative legislative process," said Jason Grumet, founder and president of the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington. "I think they are sincere about that, but the question is: Do they have the infrastructure and the finesse to make it happen?"
