In Biden’s Washington, Democrats and Republicans Are Not United on ‘Unity’

The new president seeks bipartisanship, but he is caught between Republicans who want tangible concessions and Democrats who are in no mood to compromise.

In defining his mission for history as bringing together a divided country, President Biden has made “unity” the watchword of his fledgling administration. But one thing that divides America is what unity actually means.

In his Inaugural Address on Wednesday and in other public appearances, Mr. Biden reached out to Republicans with messages of conciliation, vowing to work together to tackle the nation’s enormous challenges —...