by Justin Frank, MD
The party of “no:” is that what it means to be a Republican? We are now reminded, in case people forgot, that Biden’s push for unity and working across the aisle is mostly a pipe dream. Wishing does not make it so. Hard work could make more collaboration possible between the parties, and even that may not succeed. But simply plowing ahead with the nomination of Neera Tanden is only one part of that hard work. Facing what bothers the Republican party about Democratic proposals is not easy to do without understanding why they are unable to do anything beyond saying no.
I maintain that by saying “no” to controversial nominees, most republicans are expressing their deep intolerance of frustration and their wish to avoid it — that makes genuine thinking about the nominees virtually impossible. Saying no evades the frustration of having to think about what they are doing. It’s easier to continue to live in an either/or world of good and bad than to struggle to think about what is good and what is bad — and why.
First, it is easy to define the GOP as a group of two-year-olds dressed as adults elected to public office. It is important for two-year-old children to say “no” — and that phase of development is known as the “terrible twos.” Saying no means standing up for oneself, refusing to be pushed around by adult demands — even when they are realistic. It confers a feeling of autonomy and strength. It also is pleasurable to feel and express that power.