Like a lot of Americans, I've been lamenting the dysfunction in Washington DC. Approval ratings of Congress are justifiably low, and it seems like the ideologues are digging in and dominating the narrative. Meanwhile, very little is getting accomplished, and many Americans are suffering as a result of the gridlock.
Which has me asking, "Where are the moderates and those members of Congress who are willing to work together to accomplish objectives that put the country in the best long-term position?" It's popular these days for folks to ask why Congress and the country can't just function like a business or like a family and 'tighten the belt' and 'work across the aisle.' Yet, politicians are not being held accountable for pragmatism and results. In fact, it can be a liability to be seen as someone who 'capitulates' or 'doesn't stick to his guns.' If we send representatives to Congress with the express or implicit expectations that they fight the good fight rather than actually make effective policy, we're going to get what we have now which is a lot of grandstanding and kicking the can down the road.
So, I'm suggesting a new type of pledge -- modeled fondly after they type of pledges folks like Americans for Tax Reform are brow beating politicians into signing. It's a pledge to actually work with others and create balanced policy that's in the best interest of most Americans, not special interest groups.
Here's a great example of what I'm talking about -- the Gang of Six or the bipartisan panel on deficit reduction both came up with policies that reduces expenditures and increased revenue. Every objective analysis that's been done on the deficit indicates that we need to address the primary issue of entitlements and skyrocketing health care costs, yet this proves a third rail when representatives are actually at the point where they have to cast a vote. Why are we rewarding people for staking out positions rather than actually getting their jobs done? Americans are going to have to make some tough choices, and there's a bitter pill to swallow for both the left and right sides of the aisle and their constituents, but it's only by working together that this mess can be solved.
Tow good resources on the topic of the deficit and debt ceiling:
1. http://www.kpcb.com/usainc/
2. http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxvYmFtYWdyYW1zYnlsZXdpc3xneDozNWE3MTM3YTYwMjYzNDI
