Political Definitions

Bipartianship: the quaint idea, much loved by newspaper columnists, that the opposition should help an incumbent President win re-election. A curiosity of the American political system that reflects, indeed encourages, the belief that the President of the United States should be regarded as a regal father-of-the-nation figure and not, heavens above, as a mere politician. Appeals to bipartisan comity are politics as usual, disguised as tender nurturing of the national interest. This remains true even when there’s consensus on what the national interest may be.