While We Wait

While we wait for news that the DNC Rules Committee has resolved the dispute over whether or how to seat the Florida and Michigan delegations at the Denver Convention, I have been thinking about the whole frequently untidy business of governing…and how easy it is to get off track.

I recall when Newt Gingrich stood on the steps of the US Capitol in 1995 and, while announcing the Contract for America, said, “…and on this contract, we will not compromise.” As I watched him walk away from the podium, I thought, “Well, your side of the aisle will not be in the majority very long.”

As we pick a new President for ALL of us this fall, I hope the new members of the Congress will take another look at the booklet, “How Our Laws Are Made.” Legislating is not about objecting and obstructing, it is about compromising and governing. We will always have stalemate in Washington so long as the players look only for opportunities to checkmate each other.

The mess we have today was started long ago – both sides contributed to it – but it was certainly exacerbated by the Republican leadership in 1995. For someone who made his living at one time teaching history, Newt has forgotten some of the most important parts, in particular, that whole chapter on the importance of balance of powers among the three branches of government.

I know all the candidates will all be busy until late fall but, before the new Congress takes its oath in January, I urge them to take another look at the US Constitution, study it, and commit to making it work – as it was intended by our founders, not the way today’s partisans would like to see it work. There is a reason that Robert Byrd (D-WV), the oldest and longest serving member of the US Senate, carries a copy of the Constitution in his vest pocket every day. I wish they all did.