We...They

Wow! What an election last Tuesday. Some Tea Party loyalists and a wave of "traditional" Republicans shifted the balance of power in the House well to the right. Debate has already started regarding our future. Gridlock or progress via compromise?Let’s take a look:

With the new congressional line-up, both the left and right have a scapegoat in the other side. Who’s to say which side is being obstinate? Neither can budge and still blame the opponent’s recalcitrance for lack of forward movement. Is this what we have to look forward to for the next two years? I certainly hope not, but other facets intrigue me even more.

First of all, the new majority claims that they've received a mandate from the voters refuting anything with Obama's fingerprints on it. An estimated 42% of eligible voters participated last week by casting a ballot. And most victories were within 10 point margins. That's not much of a mandate to me. We could spend the rest of our time talking about the disenchanted 58% that had something better to do than vote, but to what avail? The sadder commentary lies in the fact that the 42% represents a high for mid-term participation. Regardless, there is no mandate: the word is bandied about by spin doctors trying to steamroll the opposition.

Throughout the campaign, much has been said regarding those in Washington. “They” in other words. They don’t listen to us. They work for us. They are out of touch. And so on and so on. Literally overnight, these first term House members have gone from “us” to “they”. Before long, they will be neck deep in adoration and attention from those seeking a willing ear in which to whisper many promises of success and recognition. The bowl of cream will be placed in front of each one in the hopes that a few laps will turn their attention to a greater good: the will of the lobbyist. Choices will have to be made and alliances formed where one rubs the back today so as to have their back rubbed tomorrow. Such is the political world and I can’t wait to see how our new arrivals will handle such temptations.

It's one thing to create the image of making Washington change from the outside and then actually doing it on the inside. Many have tried, most have failed. Does that mean that I wish failure upon the new House of Representatives? Of course not. First of all, that would be un-American and secondly, it sounds too much like Limbaugh. That doesn’t mean, though, that I’m blind to the fact that such a scenario may well come to pass.

I'm also concerned about the apparent impatience of the citizenry. Two years is not long enough to dig out of the economic hole we find ourselves in. Saturday's New York Times reported an increase in October jobs of  151,000. While this number is higher than expected, the report goes on to say that, according to the Brookings' Institution's Hamilton Project,  even if 208,000 jobs were added every month  (the highest yearly rate we've seen in the past decade) it would take 12 years to close the gap. You have to remember that new worker bees come into the mix every month so the jobs required continue to increase, too. 

Last week I compared our economic distress to a case of overeating and the ensuing pain. I'm inclined to think that a long battle with cancer may be a more appropriate analogy. We are in the early stages of treatment for an affliction that will take more than a few days and minor inconvenience to conquer.

In the meantime, I suggest a more temperate approach in choosing those that govern while realizing fully the depth of the challenges we face. Swaying from one party to the other and embracing opposing philosophies every 24 months doesn't exactly serve our best interests. Humans being what they are though, I guess that we can't hope for much more indulgence. I’m reminded of Walt Kelly’s cartoon strip “Pogo” and its most famous mantra: “We have met the enemy and he is us!” Time will tell, but we can all be assured of the continuing sideshow known as Washington politics.