Leadership Quote by Don Nickles

Bipartisanship is the oldest costume in Washington: it signals virtue without revealing the messy body underneath. Don Nickles's line is a small masterclass in Senate-era persuasion, less a prediction than a positioning. "I think" lowers the temperature and gives him plausible deniability if the coalition collapses. "Bipartisan support" isn’t just a headcount; it’s a legitimacy stamp, a way to preempt the charge that whatever comes next is partisan overreach. In the Senate, where procedure is power and veto points multiply, "bipartisan" reads as "filibuster-proof" even when it isn’t.

The phrase "in the Senate" matters, too. It frames the chamber as the mature adult in the room, implying that if compromise is available anywhere, it’s among the supposedly deliberative few. That’s a subtle dig at the House’s sharper edges and a nod to the Senate’s self-mythology: the place where serious people negotiate.

Then there’s the most elastic word in the sentence: "good". Nickles doesn’t say what kind of reform, who it helps, or what it costs; he stakes out the moral high ground while keeping the policy details negotiable. "Good reform bill" is both promise and pressure tactic, inviting colleagues to join the virtuous side before the bill even has a final shape. The intent is to create momentum; the subtext is that opposition will look unreasonable. In practice, it’s a way to sell process as outcome - and to treat agreement itself as evidence of wisdom.