Whats bipartisanship and why does Joe Biden care so much about it?
KEVIN DIETSCH, GETTY IMAGES  Tweet Facebook Reddit Share this article on Reddit Email Email this story Share Share this story President Joe Biden This reminds me of the days when we used to get an awful lot done up in the United States Congress. Quote icon  But in most scenarios, it can be boiled down to cooperation between two typically opposing political parties  a feat that many Americans fear is unreachable on a large scale. A study conducted by Pew Research Center after the 2020 election found that just 21% of Americans believe relations between Republicans and Democrats would improve this year. Still, that figure has more than doubled since the 2018 midterm election, when about 9% of Americans thought relations between the two parties would improve, according to the study. Biden has remained more hopeful than most that the two parties will find common ground. He ran his presidential campaign on promises of unity, often romantically calling the search for compromise part of a battle for Americas soul.  Democracy requires consensus, Biden said Oct. 12 during a campaign speech in Cincinnati. Im running as a proud Democrat, but I will govern as an American president. There will be no blue states and red states with me. Its one America. Ill work with Democrats and Republicans.  Bidens nearly 50-year political career reflects the rhetoric of meeting people halfway he used throughout his presidential campaign. As vice president to former President Barack Obama, Biden often took the reins on negotiations with senators. In the early days of his first presidency, Obama tasked Biden with convincing GOP senators to support an economic stimulus bill amid the Great Recession. According to POLITICO, Biden called one Republican senator 14 times and tracked down another in their hometown to talk. He ultimately sealed the deal. As a senator, Biden also sought compromise. A bipartisan index created by the Lugar Center, a nonprofit that advocates for bipartisan governance, found that for a Senate lifetime record of bipartisanship, Biden ranked in the top 20 percent of the 250 senators ranked. But Bidens definition of bipartisanship has evolved since taking office, some say. While the term has typically referred to support among elected officials of both parties, Bidens team has recently suggested the focus on two-party support should center on other party members: voters. If you looked up bipartisan in the dictionary, I think it would say support from Republicans and Democrats, Anita Dunn, a senior Biden adviser, said in April. Despite Bidens efforts, key leaders of both parties arent fully sold on the presidents approach to bipartisanship. On June 8, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell proclaimed that the era of bipartisanship is over, apparently referring to a disagreement in negotiations on the infrastructure package.