Chapter 11. Congress Vid: US Congress Paralyzed by Partisan Posturing -
The U S Capitol appears tranquil on the outside, but inside there has been more partisan wrangling than cooperation recently between Republicans and Democrats.
Why do people insist that we have to have a political fight on something where there is no fight. There is absolutely no fight. People want to politicize this because it’s an election year, but my God, do we have to fight about everything?
House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, was referring to a measure to prevent millions of college students from having the interest rates double on their federally subsidized student loans. This as President Barack Obama, a Democrat, was touring universities, calling on Congress to act on student loans and other bills that used to pass easily with broad bipartisan support. But in election year two thousand twelve, the bills passed only at the very last minute before they were due to expire. Democrats blamed Republicans for seeking to finance popular measures by cutting social welfare programs for the poor.
But instead the majority is engaging in another partisan attack on public health funding. Funding that improves the lives of Americans and the productivity of our workforce.
Banned [gavel raps]
I strongly oppose this position.
Political analyst Norman Ornstein says House Republicans have passed a number of ideologically driven bills to please their fiscally conservative Tea Party base.
Look, there’s no question that the Republicans in the House, using their majority, have been able to pass a number of things that have no chance at making it through the Senate.
The problem, he says, is that now the House is not doing much else.
You know, there’s nothing illegitimate about taking positions and saying here’s where we stand. Where it moves into a territory that uh damages the Congressional reputation is if you don’t supplement that with at least some attempt at problem solving in other areas.
Retiring Congressman Barney Frank, a liberal Democrat, says the breakdown of functioning in Congress has been recent and he blames Tea Party members.
Even more though with the victory in two thousand ten, within the Republican Party of a very angry group of people who don’t believe in governance, and who believe that you shouldn’t cooperate.
Most conservatives argue that the U S government is too big already and that it should not be interfering in health care and other personal matters. It will be up to voters in November to determine how big a role the federal government should play in American’s lives.
Cindy Saine, VOA News