Ahhh…bipartisanship. The unicorn of Washington, D.C. So many Ponce de Leons seek this Fountain of Youth. Like de Leon, most finally give up – and just retire in Florida.
Congressional gerrymandering has rendered so many districts so very partisan. And then we wonder why a 72% Republican-district-representative and a 78% Democrat-district-representative can’t find common ground.
About the only time there is bipartisanship is when an idea is so terrible, it criss-crosses the aisle. Enter the Barack Obama Administration.
We have said since the Administration’s inception that if you’re looking for bipartisanship – look on the other side of whatever position the President is pushing. This President is the king of strident partisan-only support.
There was bipartisan opposition to ObamaCare. And there has been bipartisan opposition to this President just about all the way through – up to and including members of both Parties being highly skeptical of the just announced Iran capitulation deal.
Which brings us to the President’s push to strip mine patents and their legal protections.
This President doesn’t particularly like private property of any sort – physical or intellectual. And he’s spun that contempt into Crony Socialism gold.
Huge Business Google is a world-class, international intellectual property (IP) thief. And with huge amounts of campaign cash, tech support and high-level personnel-lending, this Administration is the de facto Google Administration.
Nowhere is the sell-out more clear than on patents. Who is the head of the Obama Administration’s Patent and Trade Office? Michelle Lee – who’s last gig was…Google’s head of patents and patent strategy. Shocker.
So when this President repeatedly expresses his support for patent “reform” – grab your Government-to-English dictionary. Because his definition of “reform” almost certainly isn’t yours. (See also: ObamaCare “reform.”)
Enter the House’s woefully misnamed Innovation Act (again, get your dictionary). Which makes it exponentially more difficult for patent holders to defend their property from thieves like…Google.
If this were the Wild West, the Innovation Act would mandate ranchers use pea-shooters to fend off bazooka-armed rustlers. In short, the Innovation Act undermines innovation.
It’s an idea so terrible, it triggers the Obama Bipartisan Opposition Rule. Later today…:
Senator David Vitter (R-LA), Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Representative John Conyers (D-MI) and Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY), will hold a joint press conference to highlight the broad opposition to sweeping anti-patent legislation moving through Congress.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on H.R. 9, so-called the Innovation Act, before the House concludes legislative business in July…. H.R. 9 is strongly opposed by inventors, small businesses, venture capitalists, startup communities, and manufacturing, technology, and life sciences companies.
The opposition isn’t just bipartisan – it’s omni-partisan. Just about anyone who has a thought worth having – and thus patenting – is opposed to the bill.
Do we all come just to oppose? Of course not – we offer bipartisan alternatives. That are actual, small-bore solutions. Not omni-directional, vastly-overreaching, Government-defined “reforms.”
Senator Coons is the author of targeted patent legislation, the STRONG Patents Act, which Senator Vitter has co-sponsored.
Rather than destroy the patent village in order to “save” it – let’s actually only address the only problem anyone ever cites.
It’s the bipartisan thing to do.
This first appeared in the Daily Caller and Red State.