A good American and a fine Speaker made a serious but not fatal mistake yesterday. John Boehner forget his own principles. He strong armed and brow beat his fellow Representatives just like Nancy Pelosi did. These freshmen Congress members campaigned on the platform of a New and Fresh Change in the way business is conducted in the Capitol. They are people of philosophical and political conviction who believe what they say. They are not phonies who talk one way and act another way. They are sincere members of Congress who intend to stand upon their principles and to work very hard at making those principles serve the good health of the nation. Either John Boehner, and Eric Cantor forgot that or they simply got caught up in the frenzy of the political moment. Either way, that it happened is a little sad, but not too much. Rather, it is a bold indicator that politics as usual in Washington has ended and that a new and more enlightened time has come to our Capitol.
The so-called “Tea Party” backed freshmen Representatives are not to be bought. They remember the episodes with Mary Landrue and the so-called “Louisiana purchase. (When Congressperson Landrue accepted what was basically a 300 million dollars earmark for her State in return for her vote in favor of the Obama care.) The conservative members of Congress remember that the 60th vote in the Senate came from Ben Nelson of Nebraska when he too accepted a mega earmark of money for his state in return for his vote. People were appalled by the purchase of votes by the Obama/Pelosi people and they promised the voter’s back home that they would not do that. Well, the freshmen and other Congresspersons kept their word and would not be threatened, bullied or bought into voting for a Bill that they did not want.
This is a great day for America and a day for which we should be thankful. The cynical opinion of the population is that Washington can never be changed. Many had began to abandon all hope for integrity among our leadership. Last night’s stand up refusal by the members of the House of Representatives is an affirmation that America is still strong, still brave and still free. Freedom was heralded last night in the halls of the House of Representatives. Integrity was affirmed last night in the office of the Majority whip and the Speaker. The people we elected to represent us and not themselves, did so and did it with courage.
This is not grid lock. This is not dysfunction. This is democracy at work. I know that a lot of people talk about democracy but they do not like the effort involved in making it work. But “freedom is not free”. That slogan is often used regarding our military and the need to defend freedom in Iraq or Afghanistan or Libya. But we need freedom at home, in the USA. The stance of the Republican conservatives last night was a Patriotic act by sensible, intelligent, responsible, Representatives and they should be applauded and not vilified.
So what to do today? This writer believes in Speaker Boehner. He did his best to do what he thought was best. He was mistaken. His true stature will be decided today as he meets again with his fellow Representatives. People whom he has declared and I know he believes are fully and completely his equals. It will be his respect for this equality that will win the day. I believe the Speaker should acknowledge that he was not reflective of the will of the Congress. I believe that he should admit that he too like others was caught up in the frenzy created by Timothy Geithner and Barrack Obama. He should then ask his fellow congress persons to work diligently with him, yet again, to craft a workable compromise bill that will serve the nation. For myself, I think that he should acknowledge to those members who we believe he tried to bully that he was sorry about that and ask them for their understanding of his zealous and well-intentioned patriotism because he wanted to do the “right thing.”
Then I believe that Calm and Reasonable Reflection should be mandated. We already know that August 2nd is a false deadline. The Treasury has admitted that they have enough money already on hand to pay our debts. The Social Security Administration has admitted that they have enough Treasury Bonds in the Vaults that will cover payments to Social Security recipients for more than a decade (not counting yearly revenue) ! So we need to stop, regroup, reflect and renew our efforts to create significant legislation that honestly and realistically tackles the short term need and the long-term problem of our national debt. For this writer this period of calm should include a day off of work and for those inclined, a day at their respective house of worship.
Do we need a new Speaker? No. Not over a tactical error. Generals make tactical errors all the time. Will we need a new Speaker in the future? Maybe, if Speaker Boehner continues a strategy that stereotypes duly elected members of Congress as Teapartiers! If the Majority Whip continues to use the strategy of “Arm Twisting” instead of persuasion using rational and philosophically and politically reasonable argument. The new climate among the newly elected members of Congress is a volcanic shift in thinking and in practice. They are not interested in power. They are interested in reasoned and practical solutions to our national problems starting today and not in ten years.
My hope is that the Speaker and the Majority whip and other old line Representatives will Get it straight, and they may yet save the day.
One last thought. “The one who makes the rules, wins the game.” Realistically, it is still the House and the Senate that make the rules. Obama has not played by the rules but forced new rules on the Congress. Last night said to the President, who has himself repeatedly name called, criticized and vilified the members of the House of Representatives, “No, Mr. President. It is not our job to do your job for you. And you will not scare us and bully us and threaten us from the White House. “
Progressive Politics 