As I listened to President Obama speak before House Republicans the other day my mind turned to the definitions he and for that matter almost all traditional democrats demonstrate they have for two overused words:  Bipartisan and Compromise.

As I listened to President Obama I had the impression that to him these words would be defined as follows: 

• Bipartisan - join together as a team and support what I want.
• Compromise - someplace between a fraction of what is proposed and complete capitulation

Personally I hope the era is over when either or both of these definitions so accurately represent legislative outcomes.  Far too often our republican representatives have regarded bipartisan as joining hands with the democrats, abandoning republican tenets of limited government and voting democrat in a show of national unity.  Too often I have seen republicans pride themselves as having compromised because they gave up only a portion of what the democrats wanted.  But, what did they get in return?  Usually nothing at all unless one might regard temporary peace and tranquility a sufficient outcome. 

For me, a compromise involves BOTH sides giving a little and BOTH sides getting a little.  As a conservative I often cried out loud when I saw republicans give in to democrat demands without getting anything in return.  Worse, I watched as democrats came back and got more of what they wanted the next year as a result of additional republican compromises.   As a conservative I want to see compromise defined as a step to the left with an equal step to the right.  Republicans need to exact something substantial in return that makes the compromise a win - win situation for both ideologies. 

Does Obama really want a healthcare bill?  Then he must abandon the public option, strip the bill of all unconstitutional mandates, eliminate all tax provisions and  deficit expenditures, include language that forbids the use of federal funds to finance abortions, include tort reform and destroy the barriers that prevent insurance companies from competing across state lines.  Now, how about a compromise like that?  It could even be bipartisan if some democrat law-makers would be willing to sign on.