Posted by Morbo
Carpetbagger is taking a few days off for a well-deserved rest. I, Morbo, will post in his absence through Monday. The first thing I would like to say is that rumors that Carpetbagger is taking time off to get Botox injections are inaccurate and mean-spirited — although amusing.
On to my first rant:
There was a time when Americans entered public life to serve the people, not merely advance the parochial goals of a political party. That time ended some time ago.
Today’s Washington Post discusses House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s new policy of refusing to advance any legislation unless most House Republicans back it, regardless of how many Democrats do. (See The Post’s website www.washingtonpost.com.)
Critics are not impressed. Notes the story, “The long-debated intelligence bill would now be law, they say, if Hastert and his lieutenants had been humble enough to let a high-profile measure pass with most votes coming from the minority party.”
The story contrasts this approach with what the Democratic leadership did in 1993 during the debate over the North American Free Trade Agreement. Some Democrats had reservations about NAFTA, but the party leadership was able to get it through by lining up GOP support.
Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute noted that the job of House speaker is a constitutional position with duties that go beyond a narrow partisan scope. The speaker, for example, is second in line to be president should the president and vice president to be killed or become incapacitated. Thus, a good speaker must be willing to put the needs of the country ahead of his or her party. This is the true test of leadership, and Hastert fails it miserably. Perhaps he will popular among GOP stalwarts, but history won’t rememeber him as a particularly effective speaker.
Hubris has brought down many, many people over the years — real people, not just characters in Shakespeare plays. One would think the Republican leadership would understand that its majority is fragile and work to gain support across the aisle. Apparently, one would be wrong. These guys are arrogant and rude; they are more interested in scoring partisan points than serving the people.
There is one bright spot: Scoring cheap partisan points like this is an inside-the-Beltway obsession. Out in the country, most people are weary of this bloodsport and really want the parties to at least try to work together. Sooner or later, Americans are going to wake up and see who the real obstructionists are. Let’s hope that happens before November 2006.