(ThyBlackMan.com) Ronald Reagan when he was an actor at the end of the General Electric Theater television series which he hosted would say democracy may not be the best form of government but all the others are worst.
Apparently, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had expressed a similar point of view years earlier when he said “Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”
If they were alive today, not sure Reagan or Churchill would feel the same way after watching the Republicans who control the House of Representatives give a performance of “Dysfunction Is All We Know.” Their actions have not only raised questions about the danger that they pose to man, woman, child and dog, but is it time to seriously think about some other form of government?
The dysfunction currently on display actually started in January when Kevin McCarthy sought to become the Speaker of the House. He was held up and robbed of his car, house, shirt, tie, pants and most important his dignity and soul by the far right lunatic fringe of his party. He was left in his soiled underwear.
After they drained his manhood all he was left was a sign that read “Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House of Representatives.” He had no power because he gave it all away for a title. He had allowed himself to become another Shakespearean character, a present day King Lear.
It was just a matter of time when the far right wingnuts would send King McCarthy home in his underwear. Why it took them so long to dismiss him only they know. But that was their plan from the time he gave the wingnuts the power to send him packing.
House Republicans find themselves unable to come together to make one of them the presiding officer of the House of Representatives. They have proven themselves to be an embarrassment of Brobdingagian proportions.
Unfortunately, half of the American citizens who cast their votes in the 2022 Congressional elections voted to send these motley crew to Congress. Just as unfortunate they may not have any buyer’s remorse.
Republicans in the House of Representatives represent the attitudes and positions of the base which elected them. It is not like they are misrepresenting their base. In fact, they are representing their base accurately.
The dysfunction, inability to work together, to accept other points of view, anger and hostility definitely reflects their base. Mean spirited and hateful. Individuals hell bent on tearing down. Individuals who would rather point their fingers skyward and curse the heavens as rain comes down like a river onto their bare heads.
The overwhelming majority of House Republicans are totally unable to compromise with themselves let alone seeking compromise to move forward with Democrats in the House of Representatives. But again their voters did not send them to Washington to compromise with Democrats.
They were not sent to the capital to work to make a better union. They were sent to tear down the government, root out the deep state and eventually lock up Clinton, Obama and Biden.
What we have been seeing are middle school rowdies and bullies alone on the playground with no adults in sight cutting up and terrorizing each other. Anger, division, hostility and chaos are on display.
It forces one to ask why are so many Americans so angry? Why such hostility not just in politics but in all aspects of life. We read the stories and hear the news of large bawls of not children but adults fighting in ballparks and amusement parks. What is up with that? Is it covid? People seem to want to blame everything else on covid when they are not blaming it on President Joe Biden.
Or perhaps it is the House Democrats as Kevin McCarthy and some of his allies are so eager to blame. It is because of the House Democrats, McCarthy and crew maintain that the House does not have a speaker.
Never mind the fact that it was the House Republicans and the House Republicans alone who established the rule that allowed for one member of their conference to initiate removing their leader. Never mind the fact that it has always been the majority party in the House as well as the US Senate which picks their leader without input or involvement of the other party. Never mind the fact that there is no speaker because House Republicans have been unable to agree among themselves. But let’s blame the Democrats.
However, it is clear there is no House Speaker because of the dysfunction, division and chaos among House Republicans. As a result the House of Representatives remains effectively frozen. The paralysis has created a perilous situation as Congress faces the threat of a government shutdown in November and global distractions with the potential for large-scale conflict involving others including the US.
American democracy, however, has a much bigger problem than the Republican clown show. Despite the Congress being paralyzed because there is no House Speaker in reality the Congress – that is the House of Representatives and the US Senate – has for years not functioned, has been paralyzed, has refused to act on behalf of the American people.
Even when both houses of Congress were controlled by the same party and the president was also of the same party, the Congress has failed to address major issues affecting Americans.
Instead of demonstrating commitment and courage, Congress over the years has buried its collective head in the sand and played possum. Immigration reform, healthcare and prescription costs, abortion, gun control, cannabis and most of the hot button issues the American public is most concerned about have been continually kicked down the street.
It has taken federal courts, in particular the US Supreme Court to address issues which the Congress over a period 20 and 30 years if not longer have refused to address. Then after the courts have acted the Congress complains about the decisions rendered by the courts.
So the question must be asked especially in light of the House Republican dysfunction since they took control of that chamber, is there really a need for a Congress?
The members of both houses have been elected to represent the voters that sent them to the capital. But that has rarely happened.
So how about getting rid of the Congress altogether? It clearly is not working.
Just think how much money would be saved. The money that goes to running Congress, salaries, staff, junkets and other travel, office space, pension, health benefits and other expenses is probably equal to if not surpasses the gross national product of many nations.
Instead, just elect a president every four years and if not happy with his or her term vote them out. But let them run on a platform and judge them on carrying out that platform without interference by the 435 members of the House of Representatives and the 100 members of the US Senate. Interference by members of Congress who seem more enamored with special interests and their lobbyists than the voters who sent them to Washington supposedly to represent them.
In addition, amended the constitution to allow the federal budget to be increased each year based on the Producer’s Price Index or some other reliable economic mechanism. The federal fiscal budget would be set automatically at the beginning of the fiscal calendar based on the money allocated the previous year plus the index or economic mechanism. A president along with his or her cabinet would be compelled to spend according to the established budget.
All the unnecessary drama and chaos of having a Congress wait until the 11th hour to agree to a budget based more often than not on political considerations than economic and programmatic considerations would be eliminated.
The constitution would also be amended to grant the public the authority to enact law directly through referendum. If an issue mattered so much to the public that it would be willing to collect a required amount of signatures for an issue to be on the ballot and launch a campaign to see the issue passed or defeated then they should have that authority. If the next year they change their minds and decide differently, well they should have that right also.
It would be similar to them cheering a player one moment and the next raining boos and curses on that player. However, that is their right to be fickle. Let them deal directly with the consequences of their fickleness. It will not be perfect but should be much better than how it is working or to be more accurate not working now.
As for the current Republicans in the House of Representatives, pretty sure they would do quite well on a reality show. No need to be concerned about their employment.
It probably would have been exciting, made for television entertainment to have had secret cameras in their conference room the last week or so as they cursed, bullied and went at each other. It was probably an orgasm of attack, anger, hostility and hate on display.
Although there would have been some shock at their behavior, none should have been really surprised. Angry, hostile and chaotic is who they are. In that regard they represent a good portion of their base perfectly.
However, if not a reality show, definitely a circus. “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the ringmaster for today’s performance is none other than…”.
Staff Writer; Al Alatunji
Question? Comment? Regarding the above article. Feel free to send a message to this address: Alatunji@ThyBlackMan.com.