June 21, 2007
The body politic is sick
Ed Morrissey uses an essay by Mark Tapscott as a jumping-off point for a worried look at what the implications are when Americans and their Congresscritters appear to view each other with suspicion and contempt.
Tapscott uses the Congressional support for the Illegal Alien Amnesty to highlight the disconnect between us and our legislative representatives.
President Bush's insistence on pushing a bi-partisan immigration reform measure that is opposed three-to-one by people who are familiar with its provisions is indicative of the overall alienation of the political class from the views and concerns of everyday Americans.
The opposition to the Bush/Kennedy/McCain immigration reform appears to be hardening, too, as indicated by this UPI/Zogby International survey that finds only three percent - three percent! - of those surveyed approve of the way Congress is handling the issue. Bush gets only a nine percent approval rating on the issue in the survey, which has a 1.1 percent margin of error.
Captain Ed then broadens the discussion, highlighting the myriad ways Congress has failed to do anything other than bloviate and pass new laws -- that often remain unenforced -- adding to the general sense that the only thing the politicians are good at is pursuing power, perks and payola. And ignoring the wishes of their constiutents.
This results from more than just a bad policy choice on immigration in this session, but the immigration experience serves as a good example of what ails the political process. Congress has decided to pursue a deeply unpopular solution to a generational failure of both parties. Congress has made promises and passed laws that purported to fix the immigration problem, but usually has failed to follow up and ensure that the solutions get implemented. The border wall of last year and the visa reform of 2004 are excellent examples of why Congress has little credibility.
It doesn't limit itself to pressing issues of national security, either. Everyone in politics knows that the entitlement programs will drown the American government in red ink, both sooner (Medicare around 2016) and later (Social Security around 2025). We've known this for at least 25 years, and clearly Congress needs to act in some fashion to modify both programs to keep them solvent without bankrupting American taxpayers.
In the past 25 years, Congress has done nothing of significance to stave off the coming economic crisis, paralyzed by demagoguery on both sides.
Both parties have won control of both chambers of Congress by promising to end undue influence of lobbyists and corruption on Capitol Hill over the last 15 years. As soon as both come to power, they inevitably conclude that maintaining their power overrules their promises of clean government, although the Democrats may have set a speed record in that regard this session.
Is it any wonder that the public now rates Congress as less credible than almost any other national organization?
It's a dangerous development. Congress is, after all, the people's branch of the government. The judiciary has no accountability to the people, and the states elect the President, at least formally. Congress writes laws, determines tax policy, and in general dictates the direction of our representative government.
If we cannot trust ourselves with that power, eventually the people will turn to another, less representative form of government to get the difficult issues addressed.
What will America look like when that happens?
What does it say about Congress that its members are less popular, less respected than the ever-so-unpopular Pres. Bush?
I don't think the answer to Ed's question -- or mine -- is likely to make liberals or conservatives happy.
Posted by Mike Lief at June 21, 2007 11:07 AM
| TrackBack