“Bipartisan.” Most people think that the word means that politicians have put on their thinking caps (if they have them)‚ crossed the aisle‚ and had meaningful discussions about the direction Americans — their constituents — want the country to go in. (READ MORE: This Has to Be the End of the Road for Mitch McConnell) That’s what it should mean. But the odd thing about compromise is that it is only a good thing to engage in if there are issues and values that you won’t compromise on. Given that we live in a country with some democratic values‚ I think it’s fair to say that the issues politicians shouldn’t compromise on are the issues the American people care about. But alas‚ politicians breathing in the swamp gas in Washington‚ D.C.‚ don’t always have an accurate reading of what the American people want. They are also easily distracted by green paper‚ and most are so old that they have no reason to care about the future. Sen. Mitch McConnell apparently thought a border bill funding illegal immigration and a war Americans no longer care about was going to work — although exactly why he thought that is unclear. What is clear is that Americans are having none of it. The internet erupted in a veritable storm of protest‚ and GOP senators who still have to face the ballot box may listen. Even if they don’t‚ GOP representatives‚ including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.)‚ have promised that the bill will be a total waste of time. It’ll be dead on arrival. (READ MORE: Chuck Schumer: ‘I Have Never Worked More Closely With Leader McConnell’) Why‚ you ask‚ does this matter? Well‚ according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Maris poll‚ just 29 percent of Americans approve of how President Joe Biden is handling immigration — a number that translates into the issues that will be most important in the 2024 election (one that matters for 34 out of 100 senators and 435 representatives). Forty-one percent of Americans think reducing illegal immigration by increasing border security should be the top immigration priority. GOP senators and representatives want to get reelected — and they also may be finally taking the hint that Americans aren’t interested in half-baked compromises that don’t address their needs. One can always hope. This article is an excerpt from The American Spectator’s Spectator P.M. newsletter. Subscribe today to read future letters from our staff! WATCH the podcast: The Spectator P.M. Podcast Ep. 20: New York Times Questions Transgender Insanity The Spectator P.M. Podcast Ep. 19: Nikki Haley Says She Would Be Fine With States Seceding The Spectator P.M. Podcast Ep. 18: Woke Women Can’t Stop Buying Themselves ‘Little Treats’ The post Is Democracy Alive and Well? appeared first on The American Spectator | USA News and Politics.