Of all the endlessly repeated conventional wisdom in todays Washington the most lazy stupid and ubiquitous is that our politics is broken. On the contrary. Our political system is working well (I make no such claims for our economy) indeed precisely as designed profound changes in popular will translated into law that alters the nations political direction.
The process has been messy loud disputatious and often rancorous. So what? In the end the system works. Exhibit A is Wisconsin. Exhibit B is Washington itself.
The story begins in 2008. The country having lost confidence in Republican governance gives the Democrats full control of Washington. The new president deciding not to waste a crisis attempts a major change in the nations ideological trajectory. Hence his two signature pieces of legislation: a near-$1 trillion stimulus the largest spending bill in galactic history; and a health-care reform that places one-sixth of the economy under federal control.
In a country where conservatives outnumber liberals 2-1 this causes a reaction. In the 2010 midterms Democrats suffer a massive repudiation at every level. In Washington Democrats suffer the greatest loss of House seats since 1948. In the states they lose over 700 state legislative seats the largest reversal ever resulting in the loss of 20 state chambers.
The Tea-Party-propelled debt-conscious Republicans then move to confront their states unsustainable pension and health-care obligations most boldly in Wisconsin where the new governor proposes a radical reorientation of the power balance between public-sector unions and elected government.
In Madison the result is general mayhem drum-banging protesters frenzied unions statehouse occupations opposition legislators fleeing the state to prevent a quorum. A veritable feast of creative democratic resistance.
In the end however they fail. The legislation passes.
Then further resistance. First Democrats turn an otherwise sleepy state Supreme Court election into a referendum on the union legislation the Democrats candidate being widely expected to overturn the law. The unions/Democrats lose again.
And then last Tuesday recall elections for six Republican state senators three being needed to return the Senate to Democratic control and restore balance to the universe. Yet despite millions of union dollars the Republicans hold the Senate. The unions/Democrats lose again.
The people spoke; the process worked. Yes it was raucous and divisive but change this fundamental should not be enacted quietly. This is not midnight basketball or school uniforms. This is the future of government-worker power and the solvency of the states. It deserves big serious animated public debate.
Precisely of the kind Washington (exhibit B) just witnessed over its debt problem. You know: The debt-ceiling debate universally denounced as dysfunctional if not disgraceful hostage-taking terrorism gun-to-the-head blackmail.
Spare me the hysteria. What happened was that the 2010 electorate as represented in Congress forced Washington to finally confront the national debt. It was a triumph of democratic politics a powerful shift in popular will finding concrete political expression.
But only partial expression. Debt hawks are upset that the final compromise doesnt do much. But it shouldnt do much. They won only one election. They were entrusted as of yet with only one-half of one branch of government.
But they did begin to turn the aircraft carrier around. The process did bequeath a congressional super-committee with extraordinary powers to reduce debt. And if that fails the question how much government how much debt will go to the nation in November 2012. Which is also how it should be.
The conventional complaint is that the process was ugly. Big deal. You want beauty? Go to a museum. Democratic politics was never meant to be an exercise in aesthetics.
Not just ugly moan the critics but oh so slow. True again. It took months. And will take more. The super-committee doesnt report until Thanksgiving. The next election is more than a year away. But the American system was designed to make a full turn of the carrier difficult and deliberate.
Moreover without this long ugly process the debt issue wouldnt even be on the table. Wed still be whistling our way to Greece. Instead a nation staring at insolvency is finally stirring itself to action and not without spirited opposition. Great issues are being decided as constitutionally designed. The process is working.
Notice how the loudest complaints about broken politics" come from those who lost the debate. Its understandable for sore losers to rage against the machine. But theres no need for the rest of us to parrot their petulance.
Of all the endlessly repeated conventional wisdom in todays Washington the most lazy stupid and ubiquitous is that our politics is broken. On the contrary. Our political system is working well (I make no such claims for our economy) indeed precisely as designed profound changes in popular will translated into law that alters the nations political direction.
The process has been messy loud disputatious and often rancorous. So what? In the end the system works. Exhibit A is Wisconsin. Exhibit B is Washington itself.
The story begins in 2008. The country having lost confidence in Republican governance gives the Democrats full control of Washington. The new president deciding not to waste a crisis attempts a major change in the nations ideological trajectory. Hence his two signature pieces of legislation: a near-$1 trillion stimulus the largest spending bill in galactic history; and a health-care reform that places one-sixth of the economy under federal control.
In a country where conservatives outnumber liberals 2-1 this causes a reaction. In the 2010 midterms Democrats suffer a massive repudiation at every level. In Washington Democrats suffer the greatest loss of House seats since 1948. In the states they lose over 700 state legislative seats the largest reversal ever resulting in the loss of 20 state chambers.
The Tea-Party-propelled debt-conscious Republicans then move to confront their states unsustainable pension and health-care obligations most boldly in Wisconsin where the new governor proposes a radical reorientation of the power balance between public-sector unions and elected government.
In Madison the result is general mayhem drum-banging protesters frenzied unions statehouse occupations opposition legislators fleeing the state to prevent a quorum. A veritable feast of creative democratic resistance.
In the end however they fail. The legislation passes.
Then further resistance. First Democrats turn an otherwise sleepy state Supreme Court election into a referendum on the union legislation the Democrats candidate being widely expected to overturn the law. The unions/Democrats lose again.
And then last Tuesday recall elections for six Republican state senators three being needed to return the Senate to Democratic control and restore balance to the universe. Yet despite millions of union dollars the Republicans hold the Senate. The unions/Democrats lose again.
The people spoke; the process worked. Yes it was raucous and divisive but change this fundamental should not be enacted quietly. This is not midnight basketball or school uniforms. This is the future of government-worker power and the solvency of the states. It deserves big serious animated public debate.
Precisely of the kind Washington (exhibit B) just witnessed over its debt problem. You know: The debt-ceiling debate universally denounced as dysfunctional if not disgraceful hostage-taking terrorism gun-to-the-head blackmail.
Spare me the hysteria. What happened was that the 2010 electorate as represented in Congress forced Washington to finally confront the national debt. It was a triumph of democratic politics a powerful shift in popular will finding concrete political expression.
But only partial expression. Debt hawks are upset that the final compromise doesnt do much. But it shouldnt do much. They won only one election. They were entrusted as of yet with only one-half of one branch of government.
But they did begin to turn the aircraft carrier around. The process did bequeath a congressional super-committee with extraordinary powers to reduce debt. And if that fails the question how much government how much debt will go to the nation in November 2012. Which is also how it should be.
The conventional complaint is that the process was ugly. Big deal. You want beauty? Go to a museum. Democratic politics was never meant to be an exercise in aesthetics.
Not just ugly moan the critics but oh so slow. True again. It took months. And will take more. The super-committee doesnt report until Thanksgiving. The next election is more than a year away. But the American system was designed to make a full turn of the carrier difficult and deliberate.
Moreover without this long ugly process the debt issue wouldnt even be on the table. Wed still be whistling our way to Greece. Instead a nation staring at insolvency is finally stirring itself to action and not without spirited opposition. Great issues are being decided as constitutionally designed. The process is working.
Notice how the loudest complaints about broken politics" come from those who lost the debate. Its understandable for sore losers to rage against the machine. But theres no need for the rest of us to parrot their petulance.
