ANALYSIS, OPINION and FUN
NOTES
As this is being written, Republican Congressman Kevin McCarthy, after 14 unsuccessful attempts, finally hit the jackpot on his 15th try and was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. Up to that point, about 15 to 20 recalcitrant and very conservative (if that’s the right word for them) Republicans refused to vote for him despite the endorsement of McCarthy by former President Trump. This was easily the most hotly contested Congressional election for Speaker since the 1860s and the Civil War.
The website for the House of Representatives itself states:
There have been 14 instances of Speaker elections requiring multiple ballots (the records for the 2nd Congress, 1791–1793, are inconclusive, and the House has filled vacancies in the Speakership three times using a resolution). Thirteen of 14 multiple-ballot elections occurred before the Civil War, when party divisions were more nebulous. The last time a Speaker election required two or more votes on the floor happened in 1923
See Speaker Elections Decided by Multiple Ballots | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives
Without expressing any opinion here as to the desirability of having Mr. McCarthy elected Speaker, it seems to us obvious that Ideologues, militants and extremists, whether on the political left or right, have a strong tendency to let “perfection get in the way of the good”. (We use the word “good” here very loosely as being a group’s objective, regardless of whether it is in fact good or desirable for everyone else).
Democracy if it is to function and survive, requires compromises—lots of them–simply because voters have powers and the divergent needs and attitudes of the voters is reflected in the diversity of people they elect to hold office. What goes around, comes around and today’s legislative enemies can be tomorrow’s allies, and if you want to get things done you’d better be willing to give a little here to get something there. Horse-trading, to a certain degree, (as long as it’s not a bribe or something illegal) is to be expected. And in fact, it’s healthy because it means that legislators can reach agreements that allows the government and society to function. When compromises are reached, most, if not all of the parties involved (which is everyone), don’t get everything they want, but government and society continues to function and everyone gets the chance to come back tomorrow to try to move the country a little further forward and not just grapple with the madness that is the disfunction which results from deadlock.
What must be remembered is that any legislation that is the result of compromise, by definition, is not going to be totally satisfactory to a lot of people, including, importantly, many who supported the deal. In fact, to some, it may look like an ugly two headed monster. But if it works and helps the country function and move, albeit slowly, in the right direction legislation passed by compromise is usually a good thing. And besides, any system devised by man is going to be imperfect in any event. Many zealots, moralists, ideologues and other armchair Monday morning quarterbacks fail to fully appreciate these important characteristics of compromise and life in general. Having one or two too many hard-headed zealots presents a major risk for all of us. This is because, in the end, democracy cannot survive officials who play obstructionist roles on vital issues. Not if there are enough of them in the right places to cause deadlock. Chaos would ensue because government and hence society will cease to function properly. If that happens there’s always a demagogue out there ready, willing and able to seductively convince too many people that they, and not our other elected officials, can “solve” all of society’s problems with his or her own brand of dictatorship. Or worse, there are, apparently, even rogue generals out there willing to support causes that would overthrow our democracy. However, in the end, all autocrats and would-be dictators are only interested in themselves and in power, and not the general welfare of the public at large, and sooner or later, they always show a willingness to throw even their most loyal supporters under the bus, if it’s in their (the autocrat’s) best interest. But in any event, democracy, individual liberty and democracy are things we all will inevitably lose under any dictator or autocrat.
We express no view here on McCarthy. Let’s just hope and pray that during the backroom deal making that went on with the more militant members of the Republican Party, that McCarthy hasn’t given and/or won’t give too much influence to obstructionist elements in his own party.
TUNES
Sometimes, it seems like we are….
January 8, 2023
(c) Copyright 2023; David Dixon Lentz; All Rights Reserved.