Now Democrats are getting challenges from their left flank the way that Republicans are getting from the far right. Soon the moderates of both parties will be gone. Congress is beginning to look like European parliaments, with their ideological conservative and socialist parties. Some say that this is not a bad thing as it simply reflects the country. I don’t buy that. Sure, there are differences between ths suburbs of Indiana and downtown San Francisco - but there is a vital center of Americans, who tend to be moderate in most matters. In fact, the proportion of Americans who describe themselves as “independents” is growing rapidly, even as the percentage of Americans who are registered as either Democrat or Republican is going down. The Senate, however, does not reflect this growing trend. Rather it reflects Cable TV. And so, nobody can agree on anything.
Houston, we have a problem.
It used to be that when Congressmen and Senators got to Washington, they would work with the other side and get things done. Now, with all the grandstanding on 24 hr news channels, they’re politicing, not governing. So, perhaps we should call their bluff on this grandstanding. If Republicans want to filibuster, let them. Let them stay up all night if thats what they want to do. (My gut is that they neither have the energy to do it, nor the guts to do it on TV). If progressives on the left want to push the Democratic Party out of the national mainstream at a time when the President is already having problems with his message, let them. They can put up primary fights across the country and lets see how the electorate reacts.
But for God’s sake, do something. Maybe we need total war before sheer exhaustion, or sheer shame, will get Washington governing again.
