in•tran•si•gent [in-tran-si-juh nt] adjective 1.refusing to agree or compromise; uncompromising; inflexible. noun 2. a person who refuses to agree or compromise, as in politics.
It is not an understatement to say this country was built on compromise. Fence sitters and wishy washy compromisers have had some of the most profound and lasting impacts on our country. Documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Emancipation Proclamation and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, to name just a few were all controversial to say the least. The impact of many historic documents like these were actual bullets and burials. The leaders and patriots who compromised, who met sincere disagreement with centrist solutions are the ones we remember, the ones who made history. The ones who couldn’t make a deal were swept away by history.
We have all heard the story of the Constitution. The former colonies already had the Articles of Confederation. Those men could have walked away but, they knew the status quo wasn’t good enough. Negotiations were tough and in votes on close to a hundred resolutions, only a handful were unanimous. Truth is, they agreed on nothing really. From the very basis of government like the branches to seemingly insignificant details, they fought about it all. They kept at it through principled differences and we were the beneficiaries. No one calls them sellouts. Their constituencies didn’t send them toy weasels or disown them. They were even human enough to try and perfect their work with the Bill of Rights.
Today, somehow compromise has become a dirty word for the left and the right. It is said of centrists that since they are perceived not to stand for something they will fall for anything. We are called fence sitters and worse. The left and right love to quote the Constitution but, won’t give credit to the mindset that wrote it. They tell us the country is headed for the crapper if we don’t do it their way. They demonize the opposition, they call them names, they question their patriotism and finally, they try to embarrass them in front of their children. They seem to find contemptible the very process of making laws they claim to hold sacred. Their jaded speeches and actions belie the offices they presumably fought to hold.
Instead of sharing power over the country they presumably love, they would rather burn it down. Remembering your utopia could be someone else’s hell and settling for the middle is not only pragmatic, it is the American way.