There's a story about a member of the British House of Commons who was stopped in the halls of Parliament by a constituent, an elderly pensioner. The little old man had a specific concern about his fellow senior citizens that he hoped the politician could solve.
He made his case clearly and intelligently and when he was finished, the Member of Parliament promised to see what might be done. As the MP turned to leave, the old man hauled off and kicked him in the backside as hard as he could.
The astonished politician turned; the old man waggled a finger and cheerily said, "Now don't forget!"
Few American politicians will forget that a lot of incumbent backsides were kicked by frustrated voters in Tuesday's primaries: longtime Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, a converted Democrat more from expedience than allegiance, lost renomination to Rep. Joe Sestak; Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell saw his handpicked Senate candidate go down in Kentucky, defeated by Tea Partier Rand Paul; and Arkansas Democratic Senator Blanche Lincoln was forced into a runoff by progressive Democrat Bill Halter.
Yet for all the talk of an anti-incumbent fever sweeping the land, the image of angry voters manning the tumbrels and throwing the rascals out, consider the special congressional election for the late Democratic Congressman John Murtha's seat in southwestern Pennsylvania. Democrat Mark Critz handily defeated Republican Tea Partier Tim Burns and pundits declared it a big loss for the GOP, which had tried to play on anti-Obama and anti-Nancy Pelosi sentiment to defeat Critz.
Maybe the analysts are right, but it sure as hell wasn't a kick in the pants of incumbency. Mark Critz was an aide to Murtha for more than a decade and doubtless learned well at the trough of the master. Murtha, who famously declared, "If I'm corrupt it's because I take care of my district," used his many years as a member of the House Appropriations Committee to shower government munificence on the good people of the Pennsylvania 12th -- more than $2 billion worth, according to the group Taxpayers for Common Sense.
"While nobody can fill his shoes," Critz said of his mentor, "I have the honor of following in his footsteps." Be careful not to slip on all that pork grease, Congressman.
What does it all mean? The fact of the matter is that in Washington, as in Hollywood, nobody knows anything (to quote screenwriter William Goldman) about why things happen, although a great many people earn a decent living to huff and puff as if they do. But this seems clear: beyond the inchoate and diffuse anger of the Tea Party faction there is a real and reasoned discontent in the land and it's not so much against incumbents themselves as it is anti-establishment, protesting the games played and the resulting inertia suffocating what's left of our democracy and our economy. If elected officials would just do what they're supposed to -- or even just create the illusion of forward motion -- hearts would be a little lighter.
Instead, they produce tepid versions of reform -- weak tea when strong doses of antibiotics are called for -- and engage in games of parliamentary gotcha, creating nothing and reducing what was once the loyal opposition to a bunch of sniggering schoolkids.
Take, for example, recent attempts to pass the House version of the America COMPETES Act. It is, as the Associated Press describes, legislation "that would have committed more than $40 billion... to boost funding for the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies involved in basic and applied science, provided loan guarantees to small businesses developing new technologies, and promoted science and math education.
"Congress enacted a first version of the legislation in 2007 with a large majority in the House and a unanimous vote in the Senate. But in this election year, with Republicans out to show their antispending credentials, things are different."
Last week, the legislation was pulled when Republicans stuck onto it an amendment not only cutting certain programs in the bill but cracking down on federal workers watching porn on their office computers -- a move simply intended to embarrass Democrats. How could many of them vote against the cuts without fearing GOP campaign ads declaring, "Congressman XX supports smut?"
The bill's supporters tried again this week, restoring the cuts but reducing the measure's timeframe from five years to three -- and including the anti-pornography provision. "But Democrats made a losing gamble by bringing the bill up under a procedure that prevented Republicans from offering more amendments but requiring a two-thirds majority for passage," AP reported. "The vote was 261 to 148 for passage, short of the two-thirds needed. Every Democrat supported it, but only 15 of 163 voting Republicans backed it."
Here is what's essentially a jobs bill, shot down by gameplaying and fiddling at a time when, as former Clinton Labor Secretary Robert Reich notes, "Unemployment continues to haunt the middle class -- the anxious class of America...
"The real lesson from the economy's first quarter is the recovery is so weak that the anxious class is likely to remain anxious through November."
So perhaps the most telling punchline of this week's primaries was the one used to devastating effect by Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania: "Arlen Specter switched parties to save one job. His own."
Contrary to conventional wisdom, once financial reform is done, if members of Congress think they can save their jobs by sitting out the rest of the session, doing nothing to make waves -- or create jobs -- they will find themselves kicked in the backside, and onto the pavement.
Michael Winship is senior writer for Public Affairs Television.
Andy Borowitz: Poll: Rand Paul Surges Ahead of Palin Among Voters Who Describe Themselves as Morons
In the poll, conducted by the University of Minnesota's Opinion Research Institute, 42% preferred Paul, 36% preferred Palin, and the remaining 22% were unsure what the word "prefer" meant.
1. Health care costs have been growing at 2-3 times the inflation rate for 3 decades. Something had to be done or this country is going bankrupt. There are no ifs ands or buts about it.
2. Fannie and Freddie sat out the worst of the credit default swap scandal, more due to leadership fights than virtue. Credit Default Swaps was the main culprit that brought down the world's financial system, not Fannie and Freddie. The investment banks and AIG had far, far, far more to do with creating the mess than Fannie and Freddie.
3.I don't recall any reporters throwing shoes at the president lately. Check global opinion polls, the U.S.'s rating is getting better. Under Bush, we were down there with Iran. What foreign policy blunders? I recall someone starting two wars, one trumped up with lies. One destroying our alliances. The successor is rebuilding them.
4. ADM and Monsanto have been pushing ethanol for decades. Red herring.
Well, you may be disgusted. I'm pretty disgusted with your crowd. You pretty much had your way for 30 years and drove this country off a cliff. Nothing is better. The rising tide lifted only the yachts. We've lost the moral high ground. We're losing our economic leadership. We've become the bully the world hates. Yeah, some record of accomplishment.
Give me Obama any day.
so, year after year you vote for the glib but dishonest guy who reaches out and touches your inner sensibilities with his stories of his family values and church while really just baggin some young man in his office.
actually most people with a brain wonder how YOU can continue to be so easily led when the future of our country is on the line.
Remember in November!
Does it bother you that so much of the government spending goes to corporations and the richest classes of America?
It can't bother you much if you complain about deficits and singling out one writer on Bill Moyer's staff. We may agree or disagree in the wisdom of supporting public TV but it obvious that you are not serious about your mantra - deficit spending.
You do however sound like a regressive regurgitating the silly spin spewing forth from right wing hate radio.
Rupert Murdoch's training program has managed to confabulate the difference between free enterprise and the brand of big time capitalism practiced by monopolistic trade associations Mr. Smith warned about a long time ago.
We're loaning money to banks at 0% interest, and borrowing it back at interest, giving them money that could save our republic, but the biggest threat to our economy is picking grapes and cleaning floors in Arizona? I faint in a fit of apoplexy.
Come November, incumbents will be defeated soundly.
You got this far in life saving by saving $10 month? Truly amazing.
That single analogy is one of the best I've seen and deserves comment. Any doctor will tell you that one of the worst things you can do for an infection is to take too low of a dose of antibiotics. The risk is that your "bug" will develop resistance to the medication, and become a "super infection".
I fear that is what the administrations has already accomplished with Health Care Reform. In a few years, when prices continue to skyrocket, the new congress will repeal it. Not because it was a bad idea, it just wasn't enough medicine to cure the disease.
The same may come true of financial reform. By fearing to do too much, this administration may end up making things worse then they already are. Quite an accomplishment in itself, but not a legacy to be proud of.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are paying out $210 Million in executive bonuses - far more than AIG ever paid to it's execs.
This is the arrogance that has angered Americans. We're tired of it - we're tired of them.
I wonder how much REALLY big money 2012 incumbents would be able to raise for campaigns once their lobbyist "buddies" see no 2010 incumbent get re-elected?