How Compromises Work

The ideal model of a compromise would have both parties working together to find a mutually agreeable solution to a disagreement or a problem. In a more typical compromise, both parties at least have some input or consultation--both have some say in the final outcome--and the process might involve some give-and-take.

I write this, largely because it seems to me that this concept has been lost on President Obama. This is a general statement, that is, it is a summary of a consistent pattern I have observed. His "compromises" with the bishops, for example, will continue to be rejected (and hopefully vigorously fought) so long as he does not make any serious attempts to address their objections to his HHS policy.

The impression I have of the situation is that he simply doesn't grasp these objections--which I suppose is understandable, given that a large portion of our population apparently fails to grasp the objections or their import. His base may or may not grasp the objections to the HHS mandate--the more spiteful members of it grasp the objections reasonably clearly and cite those as reasons to force this on people of good faith--and therein lies a part of the problem. He steadfastly refuses to actually act in consultation with the people who have the strongest objections to this policy. Perhaps if he actually listened to their complaints--or sent an adviser to do so--a viable compromise could be reached.

Instead, each so-called compromise only looks like he is under the mistaken idea that the objections are merely financial in nature. To be fair, most of the objections to nationalized/socialized healthcare are primarily economic (though there are other good objections beyond these); but the bishops at least are not really arguing against the economics of Obamacare. Rather, it's the moral particulars, those parts of the law which present a problem of conscience (and a fairly obvious one at that) which are the hang-up. This is especially true of the little add-ons like the HHS contraceptive/sterilization/abortifacient mandate which are irrelevant to the law as a whole but which President Obama has decided to tack on and stick with come hell or high water.