#1074 – Dick Bernard: The newest crisis at Congress in Washington D.C.

Lots of people despise “politics”, even though the very essence of politics is people like you and me. It is easy to blame “them” (choose your favorite “them”). In reality, it is all of us who vote, who never vote, who make demands that are impossible to satisfy.
Politics is all of us. Period.
I write at another crisis time in Congress (that is all there ever seems to be).
It is said, now, that 40 Congresspersons, called the “Freedom Caucus”, are essentially trying to run things as a new speaker is to be elected to replace John Boehner who is quitting.
Whatever “dog” you happen to favor in this conflict, note that number, 40. 40 people who think they have the political process by the throat and can move their agenda by being united.
These folks, out of perhaps 320,000,000 Americans, believe that they can control the political process in this country, simply by sticking together.
They know politics, the rules, the Constitution. They are, yes, playing by the rules.
They know how to get the Press: the latest stupidity of “Benghazi” morphing into “e-mails” will play out on stage today, perhaps, or tomorrow, and make news, when there is no news to make.
Whether you think they’re wonderful, or awful, it is best that you watch what happens in the next weeks on all manner of issues.
If gridlock and control by tiny minorities is what you want, fine.
These are scary times, indeed, when people who call themselves “Freedom Caucus” are essentially the same people who want to control others freedom, and exert their unmerited, but accessible power.
Those of you who think that’s wonderful, fine.
But these 40 aren’t your friends, ultimately. They are only friends of their own national and worldview, and everyone else is disposable.
Friday morning, after Benghazi….
When I wrote, yesterday, I wasn’t sure if the hearing was Thursday. I guess I thought it was Wednesday yesterday – I am getting older, you know.
But when I came home from a meeting last night, after 8 p.m., and the hearing was still on, live, I knew this had been a long day in the hearing room, of which I saw almost none.
Just Above Sunset does a good job, as usual, of covering 11 hours of essentially nothing. You can read it here.
But after everything is said in done, it is up to the individual voters, who vote, or don’t vote at all, who will make the difference.
Especially pay attention to who your representive in the House of Representatives is, or will be….