Thoughts on a Do-nothing Congress

So, now that we have a new president, I feel compelled to share some thoughts about the process we’ve just witnessed. Much has been made of President George W. Bush’s approval ratings of 27%. There were certainly a good many reasons for it and I’m not here to suggest that is was unfair. The fact is, he made mistakes and the price he paid was declining approval, the price our soldiers have paid for his mistakes was far greater.

But I’m not going to dwell on that (yet), I want to explore the curious nature of polls and approvals. It seems that as much as we disapprove of the job George W. Bush has done, we are in far greater agreement about the job our congress has done. A July 8, 2008 Rasmussen poll concluded that the approval rating for congress was 9%, one-third of the president’s approval rating. Or said another way, Bush had three times as much approval as congress.

And yet, we just keep re-electing these people to go back to Washington and do nothing of note and spend our money without even asking how it’s being spent, as in the three hundred fifty billion we gave to the banks. With a 9% approval rating, we still sent 96% of them back to Washington to continue doing a lousy job. If we are so unhappy with the job our congressional representatives are doing, why did we re-elect them at a rate of nearly 96% in 2008. In fact, since 1964 the lowest re-election rate was 85% in 1970.

To me, several things are clear - they’re not doing their jobs; the American voters don’t seem to care that they’re not doing their jobs; and not much is going to change just because we have a new president. The sad reality is that the same people who didn’t do their jobs during the Bush administration are going to continue not doing their jobs during the Obama administration. They didn't decide to ignore their responsibilities because they didn't like Bush, they ignore their responsibilities because it's a way of life for them.

One of the reasons for this is that we have allowed congress to become populated by professional politicians who, once they get there, spend a tremendous amount of energy seeing to their re-election instead of looking after the needs of the people. Gone are the days when serving in congress was considered public service, we now have a congress whose purpose is heavily weighted towards protecting one another’s seat. Deals are made to solidify power without consideration of what’s best for the country. Votes are traded not to ensure anything more than support for one another. Secret deals are covered up by burying them in amendments that are not debated or disclosed until after they become law.

Longevity is an effective way to become a powerful force in congress, but the flip-side is that the more powerful a congressman or a senator becomes, the less likely they are to be defeated. The more powerful they become, the less likely they are to respond to the wishes of their constituents because they know they’re no longer being judged by how well they serve the public but by how many important committees they chair.

Along the way, feeling impervious to opposition at the polls, it seems that congress has lost its moral compass. Not all of them, to be sure, but certainly too many have decided their position entitles them to behave in ways that are simply unacceptable. Whether it’s stashing cash bribes in the freezer or accepting home renovations, these are acts of people who feel they’re entitled to something more than a good salary and a great medical plan.

Term limits would help the problem, but only congress can make that happen and what motivation do they have? The only way it can be fixed is through grass roots efforts on the part of the voters. If you work to fix it in your district, you will be a part of the solution. It’s not about finding fault with your congressman, it’s about recognizing that the longer a person serves, the less effective they become in representing your interests.

If you’re among the 91% of Americans who believe that congress is not doing its job, remember that your congressman and your senators are among the people not doing their jobs. It’s not just the other guys who are failing us, it’s the whole flippin’ lot of them. They’re not going to fix the problem, it’s up the voters, are you doing your part?