Clarity Please!

Glenn Reynolds says the newly invigorated Republicans' approach to the Democrats shouldn't be all compromise nor all confrontation, but that they should take a stand for clarity.

Sometimes, of course, compromises can bring clarity -- when it's clear what's being given up, and what's gained in exchange. Generally speaking, though, the Washington approach is to pretend that there's a free lunch, rather than to acknowledge the trade-offs.

Ed Morrisey has some further thoughts.

People honestly disagree on policy and political philosophy. Congress gives us a forum for confrontation and compromise. Representative democracy requires elected officials to be accountable for their votes in Congress, and clarity is an absolute necessity for that process to work. Passing 3,000-page bills doesn’t add to clarity, nor do back-room deals with opaque codicils for favored interests. As Glenn says, confrontation forces those issues out into the sunlight.