The President and the Governor
I find myself looking back on the events on Tuesday in New Jersey. I listen to the news and read a few articles on the web about President Obama and Governor Christie being together touring the Jersey Shore and looking at the repairs being done. They have a few photo-ops of the two men at game stands chatting, giving each other high fives. Then the president gives a speech where he touts the area, talks about all the good that has been done between the federal, state, and local governments to fix the damage since Hurricane Sandy, how the federal government will remain invested in helping residents and businesses recover.
A lot of the talk post the event was not about the actual event. It wasn't about what was done in Jersey, or what is left to be done. It is mostly about whether Republican Gov. Christie will be helped or hurt by being seen "paling" around with the Democratic Pres. Obama. It is the continuation of the same talk that came around when the two elected officials were together after the initial disaster.
A lot of the talk was about how much the president was looking forward to being with the governor to help bolster his appeal with independents, to escape the talk about the scandals the last couple weeks, how the governor was trying to use the opportunity to bolster already high margins he has against his Democratic challenger for governor in the upcoming election.
If I were to be elected President, I wouldn't work with Congress. Sure, we all know - I hope - that no president can entirely write-off the Congress. The President still has to make certain efforts at settling legislation, negotiating a budget. Sure there are some governors who are as much ideologues as some members of the House and Senate. But whenever at all possible, I would work with Mayors and Governors.
I do not believe that politicians in D.C are necessarily more aloof to the broader world than any other politicians, or the average American for that matter. That certainly can be the case, but I don't think it is the driving force.
No, politicians are humans. Just like that person you know at work who cuts corners whenever the manager isn't looking, or kisses up to the manager or their boss, and looks to take credit for everything good while passing blame for the stuff that goes bad, politicians are workers in any other job like any other person. Their intentions are shaded by a desire to keep their job.
But usually the good ones outnumber the bad ones. We usually don't pay much mind to the ones who don't do their job as well as they should because others pick up the slack and we're confident they'll get fired soon enough. They may put in their hours, but when review time comes around, after enough complaints are posted, that bad egg will be made to leave the bunch.
But members of Congress aren't so easy to get rid of. Because when their review period comes around, their faults often end up ignored. Like that lady who dates the guy whose a bad boy, or the guy who dates the lady who flirts with every cute guy she sees, voters tend to always want to give them "one more chance". Until recently it always worked for a simple reason - there were enough good guys around it gets easy to overlook the problems with the rotten eggs. So rounds one or two look bad, but by round there they're so marginalized that no one pays them much attention. As a result they can't do anything to get much criticism in the first place, so they can't get the axe for doing something bad.
Governors are not immune to this, but they are closer, so they are more susceptible to mistakes. You can only be out of the state so long before the people realize you're trying to run away. When you do anything it's easier for the local news to zero in on it, as opposed to reporting from afar in D.C. Similar to Senators, governors are elected by the population of the entire state. However, unlike Senators, each state has only one Governor, and a clear mandate to govern.
Governors can't do as members of Congress and hide behind their numbers and their relative anonymity among the collective. Leaders of municipal government, mayors and city managers, cannot either, as they are even closer to the line of fire should anything fail to meet citizen expectations.
I say this as I look at the Congress and its abject failure to do absolutely anything on any matter of importance. The House of Representatives is burdened by a majority that is only interested in voting on restrictions to women's rights and overturning healthcare reform. The Senate is hampered by the insane abuse of the filibuster which has forced a 60-vote majority to move forward on virtually ANY matter, from the mundane to the vitally important.
This won't change any time soon. My idea of how I would operate in office will not offer a quick fix to these problems. But my belief is that there is more than can and will be done in working with Governors and municipal leaders. If this plan were to be successful, it would put pressure on Congress. A coalition of governors with the president behind them asking for something to be done is harder for Congress to refuse than a president and a somewhat ragged coalition of members of Congress.
President Obama and Governor Christie showed what it is like when a president and a governor need to work together to get something done. They are from different political parties, have different ideologies, but neither the governor nor president have time to waste on pointless bickering and stunts as has become common place in the Congress. So they will work past their issues, find a compromise, and work together when they need to get things done.
Congress has no mandate to lead. They have created through their own actions a situation in which they are not required to seriously tackle any substantive issues virtually ever. Even their single Constitutionally mandated function of passing a budget has become a circus of continuing resolutions passed at the last moment. They have been lax on their oversight duties until the moment something actually happens and forces them to act. Congress has no need to govern. They can keep their job without governing. Presidents, governors, can't be so lax. Their jobs entail more active functions that can't be overlooked so easily, part of which is dealing with a Congress that doesn't want to govern.
So if I were president, and if I could advise the president, give up on trying to charm Congress or cater to Congress' childish babble and temper tantrums about not getting a phone call or being invited to dinner or being invited out on your vacation time. Work with the governors and mayors of the nation. Build through them a coalition around ideas and principles. Congress is ruled by bullies and children. Like children and bullies, they only learn to do what is right when you stop paying attention to them.
A lot of the talk post the event was not about the actual event. It wasn't about what was done in Jersey, or what is left to be done. It is mostly about whether Republican Gov. Christie will be helped or hurt by being seen "paling" around with the Democratic Pres. Obama. It is the continuation of the same talk that came around when the two elected officials were together after the initial disaster.
A lot of the talk was about how much the president was looking forward to being with the governor to help bolster his appeal with independents, to escape the talk about the scandals the last couple weeks, how the governor was trying to use the opportunity to bolster already high margins he has against his Democratic challenger for governor in the upcoming election.
If I were to be elected President, I wouldn't work with Congress. Sure, we all know - I hope - that no president can entirely write-off the Congress. The President still has to make certain efforts at settling legislation, negotiating a budget. Sure there are some governors who are as much ideologues as some members of the House and Senate. But whenever at all possible, I would work with Mayors and Governors.
I do not believe that politicians in D.C are necessarily more aloof to the broader world than any other politicians, or the average American for that matter. That certainly can be the case, but I don't think it is the driving force.
No, politicians are humans. Just like that person you know at work who cuts corners whenever the manager isn't looking, or kisses up to the manager or their boss, and looks to take credit for everything good while passing blame for the stuff that goes bad, politicians are workers in any other job like any other person. Their intentions are shaded by a desire to keep their job.
But usually the good ones outnumber the bad ones. We usually don't pay much mind to the ones who don't do their job as well as they should because others pick up the slack and we're confident they'll get fired soon enough. They may put in their hours, but when review time comes around, after enough complaints are posted, that bad egg will be made to leave the bunch.
But members of Congress aren't so easy to get rid of. Because when their review period comes around, their faults often end up ignored. Like that lady who dates the guy whose a bad boy, or the guy who dates the lady who flirts with every cute guy she sees, voters tend to always want to give them "one more chance". Until recently it always worked for a simple reason - there were enough good guys around it gets easy to overlook the problems with the rotten eggs. So rounds one or two look bad, but by round there they're so marginalized that no one pays them much attention. As a result they can't do anything to get much criticism in the first place, so they can't get the axe for doing something bad.
Governors are not immune to this, but they are closer, so they are more susceptible to mistakes. You can only be out of the state so long before the people realize you're trying to run away. When you do anything it's easier for the local news to zero in on it, as opposed to reporting from afar in D.C. Similar to Senators, governors are elected by the population of the entire state. However, unlike Senators, each state has only one Governor, and a clear mandate to govern.
Governors can't do as members of Congress and hide behind their numbers and their relative anonymity among the collective. Leaders of municipal government, mayors and city managers, cannot either, as they are even closer to the line of fire should anything fail to meet citizen expectations.
I say this as I look at the Congress and its abject failure to do absolutely anything on any matter of importance. The House of Representatives is burdened by a majority that is only interested in voting on restrictions to women's rights and overturning healthcare reform. The Senate is hampered by the insane abuse of the filibuster which has forced a 60-vote majority to move forward on virtually ANY matter, from the mundane to the vitally important.
This won't change any time soon. My idea of how I would operate in office will not offer a quick fix to these problems. But my belief is that there is more than can and will be done in working with Governors and municipal leaders. If this plan were to be successful, it would put pressure on Congress. A coalition of governors with the president behind them asking for something to be done is harder for Congress to refuse than a president and a somewhat ragged coalition of members of Congress.
President Obama and Governor Christie showed what it is like when a president and a governor need to work together to get something done. They are from different political parties, have different ideologies, but neither the governor nor president have time to waste on pointless bickering and stunts as has become common place in the Congress. So they will work past their issues, find a compromise, and work together when they need to get things done.
Congress has no mandate to lead. They have created through their own actions a situation in which they are not required to seriously tackle any substantive issues virtually ever. Even their single Constitutionally mandated function of passing a budget has become a circus of continuing resolutions passed at the last moment. They have been lax on their oversight duties until the moment something actually happens and forces them to act. Congress has no need to govern. They can keep their job without governing. Presidents, governors, can't be so lax. Their jobs entail more active functions that can't be overlooked so easily, part of which is dealing with a Congress that doesn't want to govern.
So if I were president, and if I could advise the president, give up on trying to charm Congress or cater to Congress' childish babble and temper tantrums about not getting a phone call or being invited to dinner or being invited out on your vacation time. Work with the governors and mayors of the nation. Build through them a coalition around ideas and principles. Congress is ruled by bullies and children. Like children and bullies, they only learn to do what is right when you stop paying attention to them.
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