(Bulging eyes)
Well...Chris Rock certainly has a way with words!
To be honest, though, it can be a VERY good thing if both the Left and the Right are ditrustful of--and angry about--each other.
A good illustration of how the Founding Fathers envisioned America is the Three Headed Eagle. Observe:
The picture emphaszes "checks and balances". It is at the heart of everything the American Representative Republic (or "Liberal Democracy", whichever) is and should be. The three heads, for example, represent the three basic branches of government--Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The center head (Legislative) has two eyes--the House and the Senate.
But it is the two wings which are important for this discussion. There is a Left Wing and a Right Wing--and indeed, the titles are highly appropriate.
The Left Wing is the "compassion" wing--it's "desire" is to use the powers and resources of government to solve the problems of society (hence "Progressive" and "Liberal").
The Right Wing is the "conservation" wing--it's "desire" is to
conserve the resources and culture of the nation (hence "Conservative") and preserve the
liberty and rights of the people (hence "Libertarian").
In order for the eagle to fly, both sides must keep themselves strong--"on the alert", as it were. The Left Wing sees problems that need fixing, and asks "Can we do this?" The Right Wing looks at the proposed "solutions" with narrowed eyes, and asks, "Wait a minute--
should we do this?", pointing to the rights of the Constitution and the resources of the budget.
Of course, this leads to conflict--
as well it should. Frankly, the "partisan bickering" and "ideological conflicts" we hear so much about are necessary to keep both wings alert and strong.
Notice the scale above the Eagle's head. On the Far Left is tyranny. On the Far Right is Anarchy. If the Right Wing becomes complacent, and fails in its duty to "check" the Left Wing's desire to expand government's programs and therefore, power--the eagle drifts Leftward, toward a government that gets progressively
too strong.
If, on the other hand (and this is where I freely admit we on the
Right need to be careful), the Left Wing becomes submissive, and the Right Wing is unshaken in its compulsion to "conserve", nothing gets done, except for a cut-down of massive proportions--eventually, a limiting of government even
beyond what is prescribed in the Constitution, as the eagle drifts farther and farther Right, towards a government that becomes
too weak (such as the old Articles of Confederation). And that, in turn, crumbles into anarchy.
So,
once the Eagle is "centered" on the government and powers of the Constitution--the power of one Wing must check and balance the other, to tackle the problems which need tackling while at the same time
preserving our Individual Rights and regularly
balancing our national budget.
In other words, they must then view each other with suspiscion--sometimes even contempt. Bipartisanship is a dangerous friend, which should only be implimented with extreme care and caution.
At its best, it is a wonderful agreement which effectively fulfils the desires of both wings (recentering the eagle where it should be--on the Constitution). If we honestly
do agree, it is a wonderful expression of our Unity as Americans.
At worst...it is one Wing allowing itself to weaken and "compromise", causing the Eagle to drift.
