Asleep At The Wheel. Warner Brothers, "Due Date, 2010."
Are Americans paying attention? As an educator teaching political science, I frequently am thankful for the actions coming from our political leaders in Washington. Not because they are doing "the people's work", but because they are giving us daily reminders of how they routinely manipulate the public with the aid of their supporting media. Just last week, Republican Speaker of the House engaged in a game of words through the media to the President than simply reflects his cynicism and the voracious appetite of the media to lap up the comments without setting the record straight for its audience. Why educate the public when the public is entertained? What am I referring to?
Just last week Speaker Boehner grabbed many a headline by coming out and proclaiming the House has already proposed two Bills to avoid Sequestration and that the Senate ought to "get off its ass" and lead with alternative proposals. Sounds great for the viewing public, but it exemplifies the problems we have with modern media. You see, by rule, none of the Bills proposed by the GOP led House exist. And if they do not exist, how can Boehner claim that they do? As any student of political science can tell you, in the event a proposed Bill is not passed into law during a Congressional session, the Bill automatically dies and must be reintroduced all over again as a new Bill in the next session. Since the actions referred to by Speaker Boehner were proposed in the 112th Session of Congress but never passed into law, they no longer exist. Boehner chose not to re-propose any alternatives to the Sequestration during the 113th Congress, even though they were called into session January 3. But where was the media to point out this fact and to educate the public on why Boehner's statement was factually incorrect? AWOL again! Are Americans paying attention?
To make matters worse, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) just released the Calendar for the first term of the 113th Session. According to Cantor, the House of Representatives will be taking 239 days off this year. You've read that right, 239 days OFF. With immigration and tax reform needed, let alone Bills to deal with infrastructure and unemployment, how can the House even begin to think they deserve to be away from their work for 239 days? To make matters worse, our enemies are beginning to wonder whether the United States Congress is even able to deal with basic matters, let alone those that might arise that challenge our very security! Certainly everyone can imagine how our foreign enemies can feel emboldened thinking the American government has become so dysfunctional, it might not be able to react militarily to a potential strike against our interests. Dysfunction in Congress speaks volumes to our enemies. Are Americans paying attention?
And with Sequestration now in effect, we are racing towards another Debt Ceiling debate that could threaten a shut down of the federal government. Obviously, President Obama does not want to see the government shut down, but some Tea Party Republicans can't wait for the possibility to become a reality. Isn't that exactly what followers of Grover Norquist want? A small federal government or none at all? And if the government shuts down, who will navigate the machinery of the federal bureaucracy the American people rely upon? Are Americans paying attention?
Why are we continuing to fight political ideological wars in Washington when we have just recently come out of a general election and President Obama and his legislative agenda were approved by the American People? Why have so many remained determined to undermine Obama for political gain, even if by doing so it hurts America? Isn't it time for political gamesmanship to be set aside and a desire to improve America be the priority again? Doesn't President Obama make some sense to everyone that our government cannot continue to operate from one self-inflicted wound to another on the rationale that it only makes great political theater? When our Congress fails to address our basic needs and instead engages in political games, nothing important is getting done. As President Theodore Roosevelt once said; "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Sweep Congress Clean in 2014! Are Americans paying attention?
Just last week Speaker Boehner grabbed many a headline by coming out and proclaiming the House has already proposed two Bills to avoid Sequestration and that the Senate ought to "get off its ass" and lead with alternative proposals. Sounds great for the viewing public, but it exemplifies the problems we have with modern media. You see, by rule, none of the Bills proposed by the GOP led House exist. And if they do not exist, how can Boehner claim that they do? As any student of political science can tell you, in the event a proposed Bill is not passed into law during a Congressional session, the Bill automatically dies and must be reintroduced all over again as a new Bill in the next session. Since the actions referred to by Speaker Boehner were proposed in the 112th Session of Congress but never passed into law, they no longer exist. Boehner chose not to re-propose any alternatives to the Sequestration during the 113th Congress, even though they were called into session January 3. But where was the media to point out this fact and to educate the public on why Boehner's statement was factually incorrect? AWOL again! Are Americans paying attention?
To make matters worse, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) just released the Calendar for the first term of the 113th Session. According to Cantor, the House of Representatives will be taking 239 days off this year. You've read that right, 239 days OFF. With immigration and tax reform needed, let alone Bills to deal with infrastructure and unemployment, how can the House even begin to think they deserve to be away from their work for 239 days? To make matters worse, our enemies are beginning to wonder whether the United States Congress is even able to deal with basic matters, let alone those that might arise that challenge our very security! Certainly everyone can imagine how our foreign enemies can feel emboldened thinking the American government has become so dysfunctional, it might not be able to react militarily to a potential strike against our interests. Dysfunction in Congress speaks volumes to our enemies. Are Americans paying attention?
And with Sequestration now in effect, we are racing towards another Debt Ceiling debate that could threaten a shut down of the federal government. Obviously, President Obama does not want to see the government shut down, but some Tea Party Republicans can't wait for the possibility to become a reality. Isn't that exactly what followers of Grover Norquist want? A small federal government or none at all? And if the government shuts down, who will navigate the machinery of the federal bureaucracy the American people rely upon? Are Americans paying attention?
Why are we continuing to fight political ideological wars in Washington when we have just recently come out of a general election and President Obama and his legislative agenda were approved by the American People? Why have so many remained determined to undermine Obama for political gain, even if by doing so it hurts America? Isn't it time for political gamesmanship to be set aside and a desire to improve America be the priority again? Doesn't President Obama make some sense to everyone that our government cannot continue to operate from one self-inflicted wound to another on the rationale that it only makes great political theater? When our Congress fails to address our basic needs and instead engages in political games, nothing important is getting done. As President Theodore Roosevelt once said; "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Sweep Congress Clean in 2014! Are Americans paying attention?
RSS Feed
