Subscribe & the cover price Subscribe Now Gift Subscription Subscription ServicesWashington Monthly NewsletterGet email updates from the Washington Monthly. Sign Up John Cole had a paragraph a while back that always stuck in my head.I really don’t understand how bipartisanship is ever going to work when one of the parties is insane. Imagine trying to negotiate an agreement on dinner plans with your date, and you suggest Italian and she states her preference would be a meal of tire rims and anthrax. If you can figure out a way to split the difference there and find a meal you will both enjoy, you can probably figure out how bipartisanship is going to work the next few years.John wrote this on February 5, 2009 — just two weeks after President Obama’s inauguration.It stayed with me, not just because it’s funny, but because it was prescient. Obama walked in the door on day one ready to compromise. All that rhetoric during the campaign about finding common ground and working with people of good faith with a sense of common purpose?

Obama actually meant all of that. He sincerely believed he could work with both parties, bridge partisan gaps, and bring people together. That ’08 schtick wasn’t an act; this guy was genuine. The new president desperately wanted bipartisanship, and felt the country would benefit from it.It quickly became apparent that Republicans had other ideas. Being open to reason wasn’t one of them. Compromising with the president with the outstretched hand wasn’t either.But John’s “tire rims and anthrax” line came when Democrats enjoyed large majorities in both the House and Senate, and the nature of compromise in Washington effectively meant figuring out what Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, Joe Lieberman, and Ben Nelson could tolerate.What we didn’t know was that there would soon be a GOP-led House. The need for bipartisan compromise became literally unavoidable, but the same dynamic was made even more painful: we not only need to find a middle ground between Italian food and anthrax, failure to do so will mean economic collapse.

With this in mind, I found Jonathan Bernstein’s take on just how far apart Democrats and Republicans are in the debt talks quite compelling.The Democrats … well, it depends on exactly who we’re talking about, but the median point among Congressional Democrats is probably something like this: keep spending at current levels with growth at GDP levels for most things, cut a fair bit from defense, let the Bush tax cuts expire, and fully implement ACA including the cost controls but with a public option added on. Teacup Pomeranian Puppies For Sale PhiladelphiaThat gets the deficit under control — something that a lot of Democrats honestly seem to care about, perhaps because they’re concerned with good government and believe that large deficits undermine it.Exotic Pets For Sale In Fayetteville Nc

Without invoking the Bachmann fringe, we can just look at what they’ve voted for already this year: return the size of the government to around where it was before Woodrow Wilson was in office. Except for the defense portion of the government, which should be roughly where it was at the height of the Cold War at an absolutely minimum. Aluminum Mini Blinds Room DarkeningIt might add up, it might not; I don’t notice a whole lot of GOP concern about that (with, to be sure, some exceptions, such as Senator Tom Coburn). That was no wild bluff; virtually every House and Senate Republican voted for bills that would have implemented that agenda, including entirely unforced (albeit second-hand) votes on a Constitutional amendment this week that, title and dubious enactment mechanisms aside, was basically an attack on both the Great Society and New Deal understandings of the role of government in the US.

Which they would be glad to tell anyone who is willing to listen to them.Much of the American mainstream probably believes we have the same two modern major parties that have existed for generations — one’s center-right and the other’s center-left. They should bicker, argue, and compromise, as the system has always demanded of them.But the status quo in 2011 isn’t normal at all. The difference today between the two major parties hasn’t been quite this dramatic since the American Civil War.The mainstream may not fully appreciate what it means to expect bipartisan solutions in this setting. All wheels (cast or forged) from MHT's family of brands are available in any finish including brushed with transparent tints, from our custom paint facility.Review this business:Click to Rate04/18/2012Amazing people! They got good ...They got good deals and fast service. ShareFlag01/05/2012I'm not one for rims and such,...I'm not one for rims and such, but I happily recommend Universal tires more utilitarian services.

These guys do a great job! If you need a used tire for cheap, they have plenty to chose from, they'll do it superfast, and they're very courteous.ShareFlag01/04/2012Had a pleasure doing business ...Had a pleasure doing business with these people. Gentlemen at the front desk is very nice and helpful. ShareFlag11/12/2011Came back from Iraq last week....Came back from Iraq last week. And I was looking for some rims for my car. A buddy of mine told me to check these guys out, man did these people have so many choices of wheels for me. It was hard to decide lol but at least i was happy to get my rims the same day! And they had some pretty sweet deals too! Today I went and picked up some tires for my other car for a pretty decent price!ShareFlag10/19/2011I would recommend this place t...I would recommend this place to everyone! Well experienced people with a lot of knowledge of their work. Will do business again!ShareFlag09/16/2010Worst possible place to go!The add for this place seemed to good to be true...

Which was exactly what I found what I found it to be. First off the guy said if there were any issues to bring the car back and they would fix it free of charge. Well we had a big problem, the tires they put on were too big and destroying my wheel well guard. The guy said he could just cut it off, which he stated he had done previously with our type of vehicle ( cadillac srx). After consulting some auto body shops I found out that is bad for the vehicle not to mention the tires were rubbing against metal. When I took it back the guy said it would cost $200 since the wheels were used. Needless to say we took it to a place where they knew what they were doing. Oh forgot to mention the didn't even ballance the tires. That cost me $600 dollars to get done. The after all that because of universals lack of knowledge the too big of tires had damaged my struts and shocks! That was another $700. All together $1300 extra dollars! So for a grand total of $2650! I guess thats what I spent a year in Afghanistan for...some 20 inch rims!