To Compromise Or Not To Compromise

A case for compromise as spelled out by the Compromiser-In-Chief:


And a case against, as spelled out by the some of the wingnuts now running the GOP:

Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann and John Kline, as part of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, chastised President Obama for not portraying America as a more Christian-like nation to the rest of the world. In a letter on Monday, the caucus complained that Obama omitted the word “God” five times during his recent trip to Indonesia and called on him to correct the record.

The caucus wrote that Obama used e pluribus unum (“out of many, one,” in Latin) as the motto of the United States instead of “In God We Trust.” While e pluribus unum is part of the nation’s seal and has been an unofficial motto since the country’s founding, the group was upset he didn’t use “In God we Trust” in its place.

I'd love to know how they know he omitted the word five times. How many times have I omitted the phrase "separation of church and state" in this blog posting? Anyone have a guess?

Anyway, here's the offensive part of Obama's speech in Jakarta:

But I believe that the history of both America and Indonesia should give us hope. It is a story written into our national mottos. In the United States, our motto is E pluribus unum -- out of many, one. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika -- unity in diversity. (Applause.) We are two nations, which have traveled different paths. Yet our nations show that hundreds of millions who hold different beliefs can be united in freedom under one flag. And we are now building on that shared humanity -- through young people who will study in each other’s schools; through the entrepreneurs forging ties that can lead to greater prosperity; and through our embrace of fundamental democratic values and human aspirations.

But let's look at the differing meanings of the two mottos; the National Motto ("In God We Trust") was made official in the mid-50s in order to differentiate the US from those godless atheists, the Communists running the USSR. The other ("E pluribus unum") is actually the motto of the Great Seal of the United States and dates back to the founding of the Republic:

Compromise is usually good. But when the people you have to compromise with don't want to compromise with you and just want everything (EJ Dionne described the Republicans' negotiating tactic as "What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine.") little good can come of it. Giving in to bullies only makes them bully more.

Remember this is the party that:

• Thinks Obama isn't a natural born citizen
• Thinks Obama is a socialist

How do you compromise with that? Why would you want to?