John Whitehead's Commentary
Should We Re-Elect a Do-Nothing Government?
In 1948, President Harry S. Truman won the White House in large part due to his persistent attacks against a "Do-Nothing Congress." Today, while an increasing number of Americans are voicing their disapproval of Congress, they also seem to be directing their unhappiness at President Bush.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, voter approval of Congress has fallen to 16%, the lowest point in its 17-year history. Moreover, George W. Bush is now viewed negatively by 50% of Americans polled--tying the worst rating of his presidency.
Clearly aware that his party is in trouble, Bush and members of his administration have been crisscrossing the country to help Republicans retain control of Congress. In the past 15 months, the president has collected over $166 million for the campaign accounts of 27 Republican candidates. Incredibly, these fundraising trips, which are mostly tied to so-called "official events," are bankrolled almost entirely by American taxpayers.
Bush is accompanied on these trips by White House staffers, Secret Service agents and others--again at taxpayer expense. This includes the cost of fueling and providing a crew for Air Force One, which costs tens of thousands of dollars each hour. All this to help re-elect what many Americans believe is a "do-nothing Congress."
As a recent Pew Research Center study points out, "the polls suggest that the 109th Congress has made its mark on the public mostly for what it hasn't done." Summarizing the so-called work of Congress, one reporter explained: "It failed to enact a host of once top-priority legislation on issues such as overhauling Social Security, immigration and lobbying laws. None of those is expected to be resolved in Congress' brief lame-duck session after the elections."
And according to a New York University national survey released in September, most Americans think Congress will fail to address America's real problems: global warming, Social Security, Medicare and a floundering minimum wage. In fact, instead of working toward raising the minimum wage rate for American workers, which 86% of Americans favor, Congress is focusing on issues the average American cares less about.
Of course, there are many explanations for Congress' failure to fight for what is important to the average American, including the huge special interest presence in Washington. One of the main problems, however, is Congress' failure to work the necessary hours. As an ABC News article notes, "Congress is on schedule to meet fewer days this year than any Congress since 1948." In fact, this year the House of Representatives was expected to meet 71 days, down from Congress' average of 162 days a year during the 1960s and '70s and 139 days a year during the 1980s and '90s.
In fact, as Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) characterized Congress: "They call it the Tuesday to Thursday Club. That means you get here Tuesday night, you have a few easy votes, you vote on Wednesday and then you go back home Thursday afternoon."
Even when Congress is in the business of passing legislation, not much worthwhile seems to get accomplished. As one report explains, "Important bills are now rushed through Congress, resulting in sloppy legislation." This includes the Medicare prescription drug bill that perplexed many senior citizens and the bankruptcy reform bill that dashed the hopes of Hurricane Katrina victims faced with disaster.
Even members of Congress have recognized this problem. Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott recently opined, "We haven't done anything worth a toot in three months."
Despite these issues, though, perhaps the most glaring difference between ordinary Americans and those wandering through the insulated halls of Washington is found in the war in Iraq. A CNN poll conducted in September found that "Opposition among Americans to the war in Iraq has reached a new high, with only about a third of respondents saying they favor it." And an overwhelming majority of Americans (61%) said they opposed the war. Yet President Bush has continued to insist that he will not withdraw from Iraq while he is president. In fact, the government recently announced its plans to maintain its current troop levels--about 120,000 soldiers--in Iraq through 2010.
This explains the president's campaign to keep his party in power. It also highlights the fact that Congress has failed to listen to the American people on this issue as well.
We must never forget that the politician's goal is to remain in power. But, as the saying goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is why James Madison, the father of our Constitution, warned that all men in power should be mistrusted.
Vox populi, vox Dei is the Latin phrase meaning "the voice of the people is the voice of God." It is time for the voice of the people to be heard--loud and clear. So far it has been a faint moan.
According to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, voter approval of Congress has fallen to 16%, the lowest point in its 17-year history. Moreover, George W. Bush is now viewed negatively by 50% of Americans polled--tying the worst rating of his presidency.
Clearly aware that his party is in trouble, Bush and members of his administration have been crisscrossing the country to help Republicans retain control of Congress. In the past 15 months, the president has collected over $166 million for the campaign accounts of 27 Republican candidates. Incredibly, these fundraising trips, which are mostly tied to so-called "official events," are bankrolled almost entirely by American taxpayers.
Bush is accompanied on these trips by White House staffers, Secret Service agents and others--again at taxpayer expense. This includes the cost of fueling and providing a crew for Air Force One, which costs tens of thousands of dollars each hour. All this to help re-elect what many Americans believe is a "do-nothing Congress."
As a recent Pew Research Center study points out, "the polls suggest that the 109th Congress has made its mark on the public mostly for what it hasn't done." Summarizing the so-called work of Congress, one reporter explained: "It failed to enact a host of once top-priority legislation on issues such as overhauling Social Security, immigration and lobbying laws. None of those is expected to be resolved in Congress' brief lame-duck session after the elections."
And according to a New York University national survey released in September, most Americans think Congress will fail to address America's real problems: global warming, Social Security, Medicare and a floundering minimum wage. In fact, instead of working toward raising the minimum wage rate for American workers, which 86% of Americans favor, Congress is focusing on issues the average American cares less about.
Of course, there are many explanations for Congress' failure to fight for what is important to the average American, including the huge special interest presence in Washington. One of the main problems, however, is Congress' failure to work the necessary hours. As an ABC News article notes, "Congress is on schedule to meet fewer days this year than any Congress since 1948." In fact, this year the House of Representatives was expected to meet 71 days, down from Congress' average of 162 days a year during the 1960s and '70s and 139 days a year during the 1980s and '90s.
In fact, as Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) characterized Congress: "They call it the Tuesday to Thursday Club. That means you get here Tuesday night, you have a few easy votes, you vote on Wednesday and then you go back home Thursday afternoon."
Even when Congress is in the business of passing legislation, not much worthwhile seems to get accomplished. As one report explains, "Important bills are now rushed through Congress, resulting in sloppy legislation." This includes the Medicare prescription drug bill that perplexed many senior citizens and the bankruptcy reform bill that dashed the hopes of Hurricane Katrina victims faced with disaster.
Even members of Congress have recognized this problem. Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott recently opined, "We haven't done anything worth a toot in three months."
Despite these issues, though, perhaps the most glaring difference between ordinary Americans and those wandering through the insulated halls of Washington is found in the war in Iraq. A CNN poll conducted in September found that "Opposition among Americans to the war in Iraq has reached a new high, with only about a third of respondents saying they favor it." And an overwhelming majority of Americans (61%) said they opposed the war. Yet President Bush has continued to insist that he will not withdraw from Iraq while he is president. In fact, the government recently announced its plans to maintain its current troop levels--about 120,000 soldiers--in Iraq through 2010.
This explains the president's campaign to keep his party in power. It also highlights the fact that Congress has failed to listen to the American people on this issue as well.
We must never forget that the politician's goal is to remain in power. But, as the saying goes, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That is why James Madison, the father of our Constitution, warned that all men in power should be mistrusted.
Vox populi, vox Dei is the Latin phrase meaning "the voice of the people is the voice of God." It is time for the voice of the people to be heard--loud and clear. So far it has been a faint moan.
ABOUT JOHN W. WHITEHEAD
Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are the best-selling Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the award-winning A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a debut dystopian fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. Whitehead can be contacted at staff@rutherford.org. Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.
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