BIPARTISAN vs TRANSPARTISAN

Now  that we have finally flushed the word "chad" from our power talk and  political cartoons, lo and behold "bipartisan" enters the fray. One gets  the distinct feeling politicians put tongues firmly in cheeks whenever  they utter the term, realizing they must embrace same along with  motherhood, the flag, and Starbucks coffee. 'Tis the season to be  "partisan-ly" correct. 

There  are reasons for the "bi" in front of "partisan." You know what they  are. The entire election, like a sudden lightening bolt in a dark, rainy  night that momentarily illuminates the land contours, has exposed the  deep divides in our society. The fault line runs through ethnic, racial,  religious, gender, political, media, judicial, and social  neighborhoods. When political parties are virtually 50/50, neither has a  mandate to do much more than sit across from each other and stare. 

So,  the prefix "bi" appears to reassure us that our parties, both ancient  enemies and contemporary protagonists, will subdue their natural  inclination to engage each other in World Wrestling Federation-like  bouts. We hope there will be a long honeymoon. We know better. Political  juices are high octane and explosive. Revenge and get-backs are strong  motives. Potomac fever is contagious. Neither can walk the bipartisan  talk very long. 

Unhappily,  bipartisanship won't get it done anyway. We need something different at  this time in our history. Consider the values within "transpartisan" or  "beyond partisan" attitudes and processes.  

You  know what nonpartisan means. Parties don't matter at all. You know  where partisanship leads us. Only parties and their respective perks  matter. They play the win:lose game amazingly well. And, bipartisan  leaves the false impression that the two warring entities with  respective lobbyists and media megaphones can stand down from doing what  they do naturally. The Rush Limbaughs of the world, and his  counterparts on the Left Wing of American politics, declare bipartisan  to be a devil word, equating it with selling out or giving in. Even  former presidential candidate Gary Bauer declared the centrist position  to be "left wing."  

Bipartisan  leaves out all of the other parties and interest groups while  transpartisanship transcends but includes them all. Everybody is invited  to the table. While bipartisan is still operating beneath the cloak of  the win:win game, transpartisan leaders seek after the Power of the  Third Win – society itself must win, first and foremost. Transpartisan  problem solvers hang their plumb bobs over a specific problem, then  cobble together from the full range of "conservative" and "liberal"  possibilities the exact equation that will work in that situation. They  don't sit in consensus circles contemplating emotional navels nor do  they tarry long in the camps of ideologues or political flame throwers.  

There  are times when transpartisanship must be used to set a system right, to  overcome decades of extreme views and cultural wars, to intervene in  times of extreme emergency, or even to appear when a country is evenly  divided into two camps, thus producing a vapor lock. Transpartisan  thinking cleans the deck, rewinds the clock, and resets the hands. Then  partisan, nonpartisan and even occasional bipartisan efforts keep the  system in motion until, sometime in the future, transpartisan  perspectives and efforts are once again necessary. Clearly, the  complexity and diversity in our society have outstripped the bipolar  political processes that attempt to contain them, like new wine in old  wineskins. 

The  real challenge confronting President-Elect George W. Bush and the  Congressional leaders in this new century is to move beyond  bipartisanship. They must, during the next year, elevate their  respective games onto the transpartisan level. Last October candidate  Bush said in an Albuquerque speech: "There are good people in both  parties willing to rise above the confrontation and stalemate of the  last eight years. People who are ready for a fresh, bipartisan  approach." 

I think he means transpartisan. 

Actually,  Bush's natural style fits this transpartisan mode, which is why he is  so confusing to so many. There are others. Mark Gerzon from Boulder,  Colorado designed and implemented the popular "bipartisan" Congressional  retreats in l997 and l999. He actually taught what I call  transpartisanship. William Ury from Harvard has pioneered this approach  in dealing with the difficult global conflicts by describing the role of  "The Third Side." Definitely, transpartisan. 

The  Florida Fiasco has taught us a valuable lesson. The "bolts" of  lightening have, indeed, exposed the extent to which we have become  fragmented. Neither partisan or even bipartisan methodology can now  carry the load. We are at this stage not because of the failure of our  political processes, but, rather, because of their amazing success.  Today's problems are the result of yesterday's solutions. Do we now have  the collective wisdom, combined with the fierce Yankee spirit of  ingenuity to reinvent our political wheels? Yes, Vice President Gore, we  are "Americans" still. 

What better gift can we give ourselves at this season than the gift of transpartisanship, in a Red, White and Blue wrapper.