Our Views: Hopeful view for Washington
As a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that studies public policy issues facing New Orleans, the Bureau of Governmental Research is a natural place for Republicans, Democrats and independents to join hands in the interest of the common good. With that in mind, we found it fitting that Kathleen Parker, who spoke at BGR’s recent annual luncheon, expressed hopes for renewed bipartisanship at the federal level, too.
Parker, a Pulitzer Prize-winning syndicated columnist for the Washington Post, has a presence in many newspapers across the country, including the commentary pages of The Advocate.
Parker, who has described her own political views as mostly right of center, suggested that a federal budget deal between Congress and President Barack Obama is not only possible, but likely. “He’s well-regarded,” Parker said of House Speaker John Boehner, who would be responsible for rallying his fellow Republicans behind such a deal. “He’s not one who has to get the credit.”
Parker said that Obama began his first term by noting that there wasn’t just a “blue” America or a “red” America, but a United States of America.
“I would like to see him come back to that,” Parker said of Obama’s upcoming second term. “I think President Obama is in charge of setting that in motion.”
We hope that Parker’s prediction of a rapprochement between the president and Capitol Hill Republicans proves correct.
That would be a welcome development after such a heated campaign season.