What the Dems Will Do If They Take Over

[RedEarth]

What the Dems Will Do If They Take Over
By Matt Taibbi, RollingStone.com
Posted on October 17, 2006, Printed on October 20, 2006
http://www.alternet.org/story/43125/

Late last week, toward the tail end of my research for the "Worst Congress Ever" story in the current Rolling Stone, New York congressman Charlie Rangel told me an interesting story.

Rangel recounted an incident in the House in which he went over to say hello to Florida Republican Clay Shaw, who had been ill. Although the two men had been longtime political antagonists, and had frequently ripped each other in public during hearings of the Ways and Means committee (Shaw is the committee's second-ranking Republican, while Rangel is the ranking minority member), they had always maintained a friendly personal relationship. So when Rangel saw that Shaw was back at work, he went over to pay his respects.

"But then a funny thing happened," said Rangel. "When I got back to my seat, a young Democrat leaned over to me, and he said, 'What was that all about?' Like there was something wrong with saying hello." Rangel sighed. "Even in our party, for the younger generation of congressmen, this is all they know. That's how bad things are between the two parties."

Rangel was one of a number of people I talked to in congress who spoke wistfully of an age long gone, when congressmen could cross party lines to socialize. But starting in the mid-to-late nineties, things began to change. Among other things, the famed freshman class of 1994 was comprised to a large degree of young congressmen who ran against the institution of congress in their campaigns, promising to shun "Washington politics" and spend more time in their home districts. A new strategy of ironclad party discipline ushered in by Newt Gingrich furthermore decreased opportunities for crossing the aisle on votes; the old days of horse-trading and committee compromises brokered over the weekend on the links of northern Virginia were replaced by party line votes and the three-day work week. A decade later, congress was setting the record for fewest working days ever, and House freshmen don't even shake hands with the guys on the other side of the floor. "We used to travel the world together," sighed Rangel. "Now we don't even come to Washington long enough to get to know each other."

There is no question that congress has plunged to historic lows in the last six years, rolling up an impressively ugly record of corruption, failing to get much of anything accomplished in the way of major legislation, racking up an $8 trillion debt and provided the ultimate in matador-defense oversight for the most dangerously incompetent president in recent memory. But there's a big question about exactly how much of that is the fault of the Republican party alone.

http://www.alternet.org/story/43125/

[RufusEarl]

1. Politicians

Allot of friends tell me that we need to rid ourselves of politicians, i couldn't disagree more. We need real politicians, we need reps in congress that understand what being a politician really means.

Thanks for the post, i always new Charlie was a real politician.

[INdemo]

2. The problem is the ordinary citizen cant afford to run

It takes loads of money just to get a campaign started..Getting enough signatures just to get on the primary ballot is expensive.

[lcordero2]

3. there isn't going to be much governing

So its time to put the smack down

[Demit]

4. Good piece to make us think about it, whoever controls Congress—

I liked how it concludes, with regard to standing up to the executive branch, and actually governing:

"Think about it; if there's ever been anything sadder than John McCain "taking a stand" against Bush on the torture bill a few weeks back, have you seen it? I sure haven't. McCain bent over faster than a college student on his first night in Attica. But I wouldn't expect anything better out of the Democrats -- at least not until they show they can act like adults, and not like the hired clowns of their party's financial backers. Until that happens, we can expect more of the same: vicious partisan bitching while the cameras are on, obscene handouts behind closed doors.

"You can either govern or you can get even," says Rangel. "But you can't do both. I hope we make the right choice."