In the OpEd section of Wednesday”s (July 5th) Wall Street Journal, columnist William A. Galston exhorts his fellow Democrats to begin to see the other side’s viewpoint. This would be a move toward a compromise, something recently unheard of in Washington! He quotes pollster Stanley Greenberg, who has investigated, for election reasons, why white working class voters went for Trump. He quotes partisan economist Paul Krugman in 2006 talking about fiscal burden of low-wage immigrants, and the reduction of wages in low skill jobs. He quotes other Democrats–Robert Kuttner, Peter Beinart, Jeff Colgan, and Robert Keohane who are acknowledging at least some of the points of the other side.
Both sides have some valid points, as well as some positions so offensive to the other side of the debate as to cut off discussion. A centrist, compromise position appears in some of the early postings on this blog, if you would like to review them.
What we need now in Congress, in the absence of a third party, is some courageous leadership. We need to have a bill introduced, with bipartisan sponsorship, and the sponsors of the bill need to get out in front of the media and the public, and explain why such balanced legislation will please everyone a little bit, no one completely, but will allow the issue to be put to rest for a generation or so, and allow the country to move forward.
THE AMERICAN CENTRIST 
I think the congressional leadership required here is going to have to come from people who aren’t congressional leaders. They’re too caught up in the rat race. It will have to come from centrists on both sides of the aisle realizing that they can actually get things done if they work together and bypass the extremes on each side.
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Matt–While I agree your comment on the likely failure of “congressional leaders” in the sense of official positions–minority leader, majority whip, etc., I meant the term more broadly, in the sense of someone recognized as a leader in their name-recognition and ability to get things done.
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I agree with Matt. There is a significant leadership vacuum from the top down in the administration and congress. I perceive a willingness in the general populace to accept leadership from wherever it might appear if it would point to some rational conciliatory
effort to bypass the extremes on both sides.
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Thanks, Stu. See my response on Matt’s comment below.
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