A Gridlock that Costs the Nations Progress - Essay Example

The US Congress is known to be one of the most influential s in the world. To be able to deliberate on the legislations to be implemented in a world power is a huge responsibility that one should take seriously. People usually imagine congress in session to be fully populated with men and women busy discussing, arguing and presenting speeches about their opinions and recommendations about current issues that concern the country. The “Empty Chamber” video shows how congress has changed over the years in the eyes of The New Yorker’s George Packer and Sen. Tom Udall of New Mexico in terms of the gridlock in the US Senate. It exposes how things do not get done because of each party’s blocking the other from getting their points across and delaying decisions altogether. The congress has become so impersonal due to conflicts between the Democrats and the Republicans, to let it affect their efficiency in deliberating over the necessary legislations. It was a revelation to George Packer to see an empty chamber while a senator delivers a speech in congress with only the presiding officer present, and probably the next senator scheduled to give a speech, and cameras all around to capture the speech. Packer expected a chamber-full of senators and congressmen as he imagined it while watching speeches on C-span, but he was disappointed to know that in reality, it was only for the sake of the cameras. Packer remembered how the congress was in its so-called “golden age” from the 1950’s to the 1970’s. He idolized Eugene McCarthy and how charismatic he was in his talks in front of the people in various locations. As a young boy, he already observed how politicians worked together. Men like Humphrey, Baker, Church, Javitz and McGovern were perceived to be serious thinkers, fully dedicated to serve the country with their positions in Congress. Aside from regularly huddling together to discuss solutions to the country’s problems, they collaborated on doing real action instead of ruling from their “ivory towers”. An example was the committee on hunger and nutrition who held hearings outside the sacred halls of congress and into the migrant labor lands to see for themselves what the real situation was. They interacted with the masses to get their insights and considered these when they deliberated on new legislation. As always, coalitions of senators from both parties are present in hearings when passing bills. Although they were from opposite camps, there was still a sense of unity as they suspended their own self-interests and prejudices in favour of the country’s welfare. Today, Packer laments the loss of the personal touch he was used to see as a young boy who was enamoured by politics. Members of congress usually fly home to their own states to be with their constituents and raise more money for the bills they want to push. No longer do they have lunches with each other in the senate dining room where both parties mingled freely to discuss not only business but their own personal issues outside their jobs. Packer claims that instead, parties spent time planning what they will do to outsmart the opposite party, causing a gridlock in congressional sessions. Consistent with what we learned in class, he concluded that such gridlock has reached a “rock bottom of unreasonableness”, and that the senate has witnessed an “arms-raise escalation of obstruction by both parties since the 1980’s. The culture of politics has become venomous and bitter and unless this changes, then Packer predicts the continuous decline of the senate. One reason for the gridlock is the decrease of “moderates”, or Democrat, Republican or Independent members with middle-of-the-road views and are more open to compromise. Those left were more of extremists, passionate for their own causes to be pushed and are not amenable to any compromise. Some even go to the extent of “gerrymandering” or re-districting or redrawing of election district lines just to expand their territories and getting more constituents to side with them. Sen. Tom Udall, a democrat from New Mexico agrees that currently, there is a strong level of obstruction and an abuse of rules that prevails in congress that has never been there before. He confesses that there are several pieces of legislation that they have tried to deal with, however, due to stalling tactics from opposite sides of the camp, not much has been done, hampering political progress. He proposed that in the beginning of congress, there should already be a vote of whether to proceed to rules reform or not since failure to vote for such rule change for 2 years, then the rule gets abused. He voiced the same sentiments with Packer that in the old days, legislators knew each other and their families since they all moved to Washington and got really connected. A personal level of contact has since then dissipated, leaving them all strangers to each other and making it easier for them to counter each other with enough passion to even obstruct the other party’s good intentions and plans. In class, it was discussed that the political climate greatly affects the progress of the country. However, it seems that instead of progressing towards higher heights, it is declining from the “golden age” when the founders of congress had high hopes for congress to make a huge difference. On their own, they did their part to reach the level of progress they envisioned by working together towards the same vision. Common goals were shared by political parties and personal agendas were kept at bay. Politicians never learned from previous scandals that rocked the government and staining the pristine reputation the founders worked so hard for. For sure, the founders must be turning in their graves over the current state of the US Congress where legislators cannot seem to see eye-to-eye and such differences leading to gridlock greatly impacts the whole nation. It is hoped that Packer’s and Udall’s exposition of the ugly downturn of the congress from the ideal politics that people have known before will create a ripple effect on legislators. Perhaps, bringing back the personal touch, the humanity and the sincere intention to serve the country well will calm down the intensifying tension among the legislators in congress. It is what Packer and Udall have seen to have worked in the past. It may be a tall order, but if peace and progress is truly desired by everyone in congress, it is indeed worth a try right now. Read More