The Secret to Bipartisanship
White oaks are in a bad way.
They need what we all need: sunlight, nourishment, some room to grow. But those wise old controlled burns – the ones the Narragansett, Wampanoag, Pequot used to do to thin out the beeches, birches, maples so the oaks could have some space already – those are a thing of the past.
Parking lots and golf courses, back yards and shopping plazas have eaten away at forests; controlled burns are risky with so much development so close. And in the shrinking woods, the oaks that remain are being choked out by understory.
Enter an unlikely hero: Kentucky's own Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a faithful and true friend of coal with a lifetime score of 9% from the League of Conservation Voters.
You see, white oak is made into barrels. Lots and lots of barrels that hold lots and lots of Kentucky bourbon. That white oak doesn't leak. And it's generous: it gives bourbon its color and as the oak wood sugars break down, they give bourbon that caramel flavor.
Senator McConnell cares about Kentucky, Kentucky cares about bourbon, and there is no bourbon without white oak.
Now, a lot of white oak grows in the hardwood forests of the Virginia Upland. These trees are ecological powerhouses, feeding hundreds of species. They are made into kitchen tables and bureaus and cabinets that furnish the houses where the forest once stood.
And this is where Democratic Senator Mark Warner from Virginia enters the story (91% League of Conservation Voters lifetime score).
Specifically with the White Oak Resilience Act, introduced by this moderate blue Virginia liberal and that hardboiled Kentucky conservative. The bill would mobilize federal resources and spur research to protect these grand trees.
What brings uncommon bedfellows together is common interest, the beating heart of all bipartisanship. These politicians may disagree on just about everything else under the sun. That's ok. This bill isn't about everything under the sun. It's about white oaks.
They may care about these trees for different reasons. That's ok, too. This bill leads to the same outcomes: more white oaks.
Fans of either Senator may pinch their noses at the pairing; you're working with that guy?
Yes. Because each guy brings power to the table that the other can't bring. McConnell can't brings Dem support. Warner can't bring GOP support.
Despite all outward appearances, bipartisanship is still allowed; in fact, it's how most bills pass Congress these days. And that bipartisanship is powered by shared interests and unshared constituencies. Which just might be what saves Virginia white oaks and Kentucky bourbon.