Debt Goes on Hold So Congress Can Do Nothing

American democracy is a wonderful thing when it works, but during times like these the biggest flaw in our political system is glaring and ugly. When our government falls on its face, there is not much that voters can do except wait for the next election. With Democrats and Republicans working together to block every effort at moving the country forward, we can only hope that we make it to next November.

The Constitution includes provisions for expelling members of Congress, but expulsion does not apply to the problem we face now. Nothing short of running both houses out of town en masse seems to fit the ticket. Those who have been prominent in the congressional festivities, including Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, John Boehner, Charles Schumer, Paul Ryan, and Nancy Pelosi would all be doing other things if term limits were in place. One of the big arguments against term limits is that we would lose the wisdom of political sages with years of experience, presumably the same type of experience that got us where we are now. Another argument is that those who benefit the most from not having term limits are the same ones who will vote against them.

Party affiliation runs deep among voters, but despite polarizing words from Washington it has never mattered less which party you belong to. Democrats and Republicans are  working in perfect sync to maintain their stalemate. No matter who you voted for in 2010, you ended up with nothing in 2011. The midterms did stop the free for all Democrats enjoyed for two years, but the new balance in Congress also brought everything to a screeching halt, even as the economy suffers and our debt continues to rise.

The White House is fond of portraying America as a place where everyone has a chance:

In this week’s address, President Obama told the American people that the United States succeeds when everyone gets a fair shot, does their fair share, and engages in fair play. [1]

The fair shot the president talked about is not what it sounds like. In his Saturday address it meant approving a contentious political appointment, Richard Cordray, as overseer for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Americans were fortunate to contribute to the appointment process by serving as vulnerable poster children to highlight the sins of the Republican Party:

Do Republicans in Congress think our financial crisis was caused by too much oversight of mortgage lenders or debt collectors? Of course not. And every day America has to wait for a new consumer protection watchdog is another day that dishonest businesses can target and take advantage of students, seniors, and service members. [2]

The country deserves a genuine fair shake, not an Obamaesque sham or stonewalling from the House and Senate. Before congressional antics led to Washington’s biggest achievement of 2011, the downgrade of America’s credit, all that mattered was passing a bill to limit spending and reduce the debt. We heard it from Harry Reid after the Budget Control Act was passed:

Neither side got everything it wanted, but our nation got a bipartisan compromise that averts an economic catastrophe, and puts us on a path toward fiscal stability. This agreement cuts the deficit by nearly a trillion dollars now and lays the groundwork for Congress to deliver a balanced deficit reduction package this fall. [3]

And we heard it from his counterpart, Mitch McConnell:

Chronic joblessness, out-of-control deficits and debt, and an unprecedented credit downgrade represent an historic challenge but also an historic opportunity for lawmakers in Washington to show they can work together on a plan that puts America back on the path to prosperity. [4]

In the wake of the much-anticipated failure of the super committee and that “balanced deficit reduction package” Reid talked about, and with sequestration a year and an election away, we have not heard a lot about the debt since Thanksgiving. Talk of up to $4 trillion in cuts just a few months ago has faded (see: How a Super Committee Flop Will Benefit Congress). Instead, we have resumed bickering over the same two issues that chewed up the Christmas season last year, extending a payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits (see: Who Is Winning Congress’s War Over American Wealth?). Both are up for renewal because the economy is still in the toilet.

Depending on who you talk to, the payroll tax cut is either being held up by an oil pipeline favored by Republicans, or by a tax on the wealthy favored by Democrats. Take your pick. The result is the same. The president’s claim that “We Can’t Wait” is spot on, but the “we” should mean the American people, not the president and Democrats in Congress, who have little on their minds except working with Republicans to block any and all bills that might come back to haunt their reelection bids next November.

1..The White House. Office of the Press Secretary. Weekly Address: Ensuring a Fair Shot for the Middle Class. December 10, 2011. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/10/weekly-address-ensuring-fair-shot-middle-class, retrieved December 10, 2011.

2..Ibid.

3..United States Senate Democrats. Reid: Senate Bipartisan Compromise Puts the Nation On Track to Fiscal Stability.August 2, 2011. http://democrats.senate.gov/2011/08/02/reid-senate-bipartisan-compromise-puts-the-nation-on-track-to-fiscal-stability/, retrieved December 11, 2011.

4..Mitch McConnell. Republican Leader, U.S. Senator for Kentucky. McConnell Appoints Kyl, Toomey, Portman, to Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. August 10, 2011.  http://mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=20b302e8-6cdf-4dca-bb8a-dcb64c85cb6f, retrieved December 11, 2011.