Congress Taps Forgotten Power

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, looks like a giant these days. As the financial markets have plummeted and President George W. Bush is proposing sweeping legislation to bail out Wall Street, Frank is a key point man, attempting to strike a delicate balance between the concerns of his congressional colleagues and the administration. He is trying to play the role of the legislative broker -- a role that seemed to have vanished in the modern Congress.

His partner in this effort, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is also emerging from this crisis looking like a strong leader. Dodd, who performed horribly in the Democratic primaries, offered up a concrete outline for how the administration can revise the legislation so that it can pass Congress.

Frank and Dodd are reminding Americans that Congress can exert tremendous amount of power. It has not always been seen as the "broken branch" of government, as Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein now describe the current state of the institution.

Frank and Dodd are tapping into a legislative tradition that existed in the committee-era of Congress from the 1920s to 1970s, when senior committee leaders -- mostly Southern Democrats and Midwestern Republicans -- formed an alliance to shape public policy from the House and Senate.

This was a remarkable period in the history of Congress. Most of the legislative process took place behind closed doors. Bipartisanship was typical, and committee chairmen relied on orderly rules and norms that provided them with autonomy from the party leadership. Rank-and-file members were seen but had little influence.....

http://washingtonindependent.com/7988/frank-restores-role-of-congress-baron