Whenever partisans from
different sides of the political spectrum find themselves in quick
agreement, the American people almost invariably suffer. The
classic example is the “Bootleggers and
Baptists” scenario, in which limited alcohol prohibition is
promoted by religious nuts and illicit alcohol producers alike, as
such a ban plays to the misguided convictions of the former, and
the wallets of the latter. Regardless of the motivations of the
prohibition’s proponents, liberty is strangled.

Today’s example of the same scenario is called the No Labels group,
and consists of Democrats, Republicans, and several former White
House chiefs of staff, all convinced that the presidency needs more
power and control. Because a man with an extensive kill-list and a
known habit of abusing
the living hell out of executive power must need more authority
to do his job. Of course his predecessor, a man with an extensive
kill-list and a known habit of abusing the living hell out of
executive power, didn’t give him much in the way of a good example
of leadership.

The group has fortunately only got small pieces of its stated
goals into Congress so far, according to
The New York Times, but the purported ambitions of the
movement are quite startling:

Twice a year, the president should be able to introduce
legislation directly to Congress for a fast-track vote, which would
allow the legislation to pass with a majority vote and without
amendments. To qualify for fast-track status, legislation would
require 10 sponsors from each party in the House and five sponsors
in each party in the Senate. Bipartisan presidential commissions
would have similar fast-track authority for their final report if
it is in legislative form.

The listed reasons for these changes are even well-intentioned:
fixing tax codes and immigration laws, and getting rid of debt. But
while both parties have an understandable interest in empowering
their own presidents further, one of the curious features of
democracy is that the center of power tends to swing back and
forth. If Democrats wish to empower their president, they should
remember that these same proposed powers will certainly be wielded
by Republicans in the future. Lawmakers have a way of forgetting
that granting power to the president they are affiliated with today
is tantamount to granting power to the opposition tomorrow. One day
soon the shoe will find itself on the other foot, and it’s to
everyone’s benefit to make sure that shoe doesn’t have cleats.

For more on opposing groups working together to pistol-whip lady
liberty, go here.