It’s no secret that people are furious at Congress. A Gallup poll last December revealed that only 11 percent of those surveyed approved of the way Congress is operating — a new all-time low.
At least part of the reason for that decline, Gallup claims, is that voters have become increasingly frustrated with the contentious state of politics in Washington. It seems, however, that presidential candidate Mitt Romney missed the memo.
During Sunday’s Republican debate, sponsored by NBC and Facebook, Romney criticized fellow candidate Jon Huntsman for his service as an ambassador to China under President Barack Obama and for referring to the president as a “remarkable leader.”
Huntsman responded that it was attitudes like Romney’s that have distorted the political landscape. “The American people are tired of the partisan division. They have had enough,” said Huntsman. “There is no trust left among the American people and the institutions of power and among the American people and our elected officials.”
There’s plenty of blame to spread around for souring people on government. But one of the best examples was the ridiculous behavior by some, mainly Republicans, during the debt ceiling debate.
Although their principle had merit — the United States can’t borrow indefinitely — their methods were reckless. Not raising the debt ceiling would have meant cutting spending drastically, upending the economy and actually worsening deficits.
They eventually agreed to raise the ceiling, but not before their childish bickering cost the country its prized AAA credit rating and earned it the derision of the international community.
Partisanship has always played a role in politics, but in the past, Congress was able to set aside differences to reach a compromise. Now Congress seems more concerned about scoring points by delivering nasty zingers on the endless parade of radio and TV talk shows than about serving constituents’ interests.
Consider what would happen on your local city council or school board if they spent the bulk of their time criticizing each other instead of working on solutions? Voters would throw the bums out.
Romney’s comments about Huntsman’s service in the Obama administration show the same mindset that too many in Congress already have. If it doesn’t come from your party, don’t support it. Where in the world did they get the idea that one party has all the answers and is always right? We doubt many marriages would survive if one spouse called all the shots and the other was never included.
Voters deserve and should expect better from their representatives. This country faces serious problems, from reviving a stagnant economy to dealing with an increasingly hostile Iran. We expect representatives to have different approaches to meeting those challenges and a vigorous debate over merits of their proposals is welcomed. But acrimonious assaults on people’s character, innuendos and childish taunts do little to enlighten the path to a solution. Such tactics are, at best, a glorified sideshow that has sickened Americans and diminished Congress in the eyes of the world.
