In Need of Adult Supervision: National Edition
What have the Republicans in Washington been up to since last November?
They have sought to partially privatize Social Security in the face of growing public opposition. They passed legislation to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case. They have nominated an ill-tempered ideologue to represent the U.S. in the United Nations. They have introduced any number of bills to limit the independence of the federal courts. They have promised to sweep away 200 years of Senate tradition to ensure that even the most ideologue nominees are confirmed as judges.
In each of these instances, it has been the most conservative factions that are driving the agenda--to the discomfort of their more moderate members. In none of these instance have they made the case that these issues belong at the top of the national agenda.
The system of checks and balances is our national version of adult supervision in the sense that no political group, even if it controls the White House and Congress, gets its way on everything it wants.
The Republican ideologues are acting like sore winners, unhappy that they can't get their way on every issue. When in our history has any political party gotten it's way on everything? Our system of checks and balances have preserved constitutional government by preventing any party from veering too far from the mainstream--which is just what the GOP has been doing since November.
They have sought to partially privatize Social Security in the face of growing public opposition. They passed legislation to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case. They have nominated an ill-tempered ideologue to represent the U.S. in the United Nations. They have introduced any number of bills to limit the independence of the federal courts. They have promised to sweep away 200 years of Senate tradition to ensure that even the most ideologue nominees are confirmed as judges.
In each of these instances, it has been the most conservative factions that are driving the agenda--to the discomfort of their more moderate members. In none of these instance have they made the case that these issues belong at the top of the national agenda.
The system of checks and balances is our national version of adult supervision in the sense that no political group, even if it controls the White House and Congress, gets its way on everything it wants.
The Republican ideologues are acting like sore winners, unhappy that they can't get their way on every issue. When in our history has any political party gotten it's way on everything? Our system of checks and balances have preserved constitutional government by preventing any party from veering too far from the mainstream--which is just what the GOP has been doing since November.
posted by Tom Noyes at 10:09 AM
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