A bipartisan coalition could pass a lot more than just the First Step Act

Published December 12, 2018 4:54pm ET



Yesterday’s messy display of bickering between President Trump, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and presumptive incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., didn’t inspire much hope in the public for the next two years. But as Senate Majority Leader pushes forward with the Trump-backed First Step Act, the passage of criminal justice reform could paint a blueprint for how a bipartisan government, even one as divided as the radicalized Democratic Party and our populist president, could progress.

It wouldn’t be glamorous, Trump’s base could get annoyed, and neither party would gain groundbreaking partisan victories. But using the next two years to tackle obvious, publicly popular but not politically strategic issues could be the best use of everyone’s time. This is a fantastic, improbable proposition, but it could theoretically happen.

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