Boehner-McConnell vs. Obama: Our view
After running a largely agenda-less campaign focused on opposition to President Obama, top Republicans are starting to outline their priorities now that their party will control both chambers of Congress.
The agenda, as described by incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner, is a combination of useful ideas, talking-point platitudes, political non-starters and glaring omissions.
Start with the good news. It was reassuring to hear McConnell declare Wednesday that there would be no more government shutdowns and no default on the national debt. The drama over both has been a market-rattling waste of everyone's time.
Even more promising, some of the GOP proposals are measures that already have bipartisan support and presidential backing, such as fast-track authority that would ease approval of an important trade pact with 11 Asian-Pacific nations.
Other useful ideas include corporate tax simplification (particularly if Republicans can find a way to work with Obama on using some of the proceeds to fund badly needed infrastructure projects), expanded school choice and approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
Productive agreement also seems possible on Obama's requests for money to fight Ebola and approval for the use of force against the Islamic State terrorist group. There's no real disagreement on the core of either issue; getting both done would build bipartisan trust.
So much for the good news. It's a place to start. But on the biggest issues, there are ominous signs the acrimony and stalemate that have marred most of the past six years will continue. Or get worse.
Conflict looms over the need to fix the nation's broken immigration system. Obama has made immigration overhaul a top priority, but despite stern warnings from McConnell and Boehner, the president said at his news conference Wednesday that he'll use executive authority to act if Republicans do not.
With Republicans divided, there seems to be no chance that will happen. It was telling that in a Wall Street Journal op-ed outlining their agenda, Boehner and McConnell didn't even mention the topic. (Also notably absent were any mention of addressing climate change, fixing Social Security or saving the Postal Service.)
The other big flashpoint is the two GOP leaders' declaration that they remain committed to repealing Obamacare, rather than working with the White House to improve it. They could hardly do otherwise, because Republicans promised supporters they'd do that if they got control of Congress.
In his news conference Wednesday, though, Obama renewed his own promise to veto any repeal. A foredoomed fight over repeal would set pulses racing in the bases of both parties, but it would achieve nothing and drain away energy and goodwill for things that can get done.
It would be naive to think the parties can resolve fundamental differences. The question is whether they'll let vitriol from those disagreements contaminate everything else.
USA TODAY's editorial opinions are decided by its Editorial Board, separate from the news staff. Most editorials are coupled with an opposing view — a unique USA TODAY feature.