America Is Not Yet Lost

[Cees Binkhorst]

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Groet / Cees

February 8, 2010
Op-Ed Columnist
America Is Not Yet Lost
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/08/opinion/08krugman.html
By PAUL KRUGMAN

We’ve always known that America’s reign as the world’s greatest nation
would eventually end. But most of us imagined that our downfall, when it
came, would be something grand and tragic.

What we’re getting instead is less a tragedy than a deadly farce.
Instead of fraying under the strain of imperial overstretch, we’re
paralyzed by procedure. Instead of re-enacting the decline and fall of
Rome, we’re re-enacting the dissolution of 18th-century Poland.

A brief history lesson: In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Polish
legislature, the Sejm, operated on the unanimity principle: any member
could nullify legislation by shouting “I do not allow!” This made the
nation largely ungovernable, and neighboring regimes began hacking off
pieces of its territory. By 1795 Poland had disappeared, not to
re-emerge for more than a century.

Today, the U.S. Senate seems determined to make the Sejm look good by
comparison.

Last week, after nine months, the Senate finally approved Martha Johnson
to head the General Services Administration, which runs government
buildings and purchases supplies. It’s an essentially nonpolitical
position, and nobody questioned Ms. Johnson’s qualifications: she was
approved by a vote of 94 to 2. But Senator Christopher Bond, Republican
of Missouri, had put a “hold” on her appointment to pressure the
government into approving a building project in Kansas City.

This dubious achievement may have inspired Senator Richard Shelby,
Republican of Alabama. In any case, Mr. Shelby has now placed a hold on
all outstanding Obama administration nominations — about 70 high-level
government positions — until his state gets a tanker contract and a
counterterrorism center.

What gives individual senators this kind of power? Much of the Senate’s
business relies on unanimous consent: it’s difficult to get anything
done unless everyone agrees on procedure. And a tradition has grown up
under which senators, in return for not gumming up everything, get the
right to block nominees they don’t like.

In the past, holds were used sparingly. That’s because, as a
Congressional Research Service report on the practice says, the Senate
used to be ruled by “traditions of comity, courtesy, reciprocity, and
accommodation.” But that was then. Rules that used to be workable have
become crippling now that one of the nation’s major political parties
has descended into nihilism, seeing no harm — in fact, political
dividends — in making the nation ungovernable.

How bad is it? It’s so bad that I miss Newt Gingrich.

Readers may recall that in 1995 Mr. Gingrich, then speaker of the House,
cut off the federal government’s funding and forced a temporary
government shutdown. It was ugly and extreme, but at least Mr. Gingrich
had specific demands: he wanted Bill Clinton to agree to sharp cuts in
Medicare.

Today, by contrast, the Republican leaders refuse to offer any specific
proposals. They inveigh against the deficit — and last month their
senators voted in lockstep against any increase in the federal debt
limit, a move that would have precipitated another government shutdown
if Democrats hadn’t had 60 votes. But they also denounce anything that
might actually reduce the deficit, including, ironically, any effort to
spend Medicare funds more wisely.

And with the national G.O.P. having abdicated any responsibility for
making things work, it’s only natural that individual senators should
feel free to take the nation hostage until they get their pet projects
funded.

The truth is that given the state of American politics, the way the
Senate works is no longer consistent with a functioning government.
Senators themselves should recognize this fact and push through changes
in those rules, including eliminating or at least limiting the
filibuster. This is something they could and should do, by majority
vote, on the first day of the next Senate session.

Don’t hold your breath. As it is, Democrats don’t even seem able to
score political points by highlighting their opponents’ obstructionism.

It should be a simple message (and it should have been the central
message in Massachusetts): a vote for a Republican, no matter what you
think of him as a person, is a vote for paralysis. But by now, we know
how the Obama administration deals with those who would destroy it: it
goes straight for the capillaries. Sure enough, Robert Gibbs, the White
House press secretary, accused Mr. Shelby of “silliness.” Yep, that will
really resonate with voters.

After the dissolution of Poland, a Polish officer serving under Napoleon
penned a song that eventually — after the country’s post-World War I
resurrection — became the country’s national anthem. It begins, “Poland
is not yet lost.”

Well, America is not yet lost. But the Senate is working on it.

27. Darrell Hampton Dayton Ohio February 8th, 2010 10:22 am
Last week Republicans spent everyday calling Mr. Obama weak on terrorism
in reference to the underwear bomber, then when the powers that be
explained to them how the strategy used had produced mounds of
actionable intelligence the Republicans screamed %u201CYou%u2019re
telling the enemy our secrets%u201D. What they really meant was
%u201Cshut-up and let us disrespect you and how dare you expose how your
%u201Cuppity%u201D strategy was superior than ours.

For the life of me, I have looked and researched and studied, and I
cannot find a time when one political party was so uniformly opposed to
a President from another party. Why do they %u201Cinsist%u201D he not
succeed? Isn%u2019t because he is not qualified? NO! Is it because he is
too liberal? NO! Is it because he is stubborn and unapproachable, not
willing to listen to the opinions of others? NO! Then what is it? In my
opinion, after 56 years living in my beloved America while covered in
black skin I am convinced it is nothing more than racism. These men and
women in the Republican party cannot even bring forth an intelligent
argument as to why they oppose this President with such extreme levels
of animosity. They wouldn%u2019t dare admit to an emotion that has
become so politically incorrect in this generation. I mean, who thinks
this guy is not a nice guy? Like him, agree with him or not you got to
admit he%u2019s a pretty smart and likeable fellow. So why all this
venomous hatred? It%u2019s racism! I seen it at Metropolitan Insurance
when I started in the industry. I%u2019ve seen it at John Hancock when I
left Met for greener pastures and it was the major reason I left working
for any company to start my own Agency; simply to escape the blank
stares and empty explanations as to why I ran into such opposition, even
though I was a top producer.

It is past time for the media to call these racist, bigoted Republicans
on the carpet before they destroy our wonderful country just because
they hate the fact that they have to show respect to a black man.
  Recommend  Recommended by 1662 Readers

5. Cdr. John Newlin Vista, Calif. February 8th, 2010 7:48 am
Procedural paralysis - a telling alliteration that is so accurate that
it hurts. Good one, Dr. Krugman.

If I did something akin to what Kit Bond did it would likely be deemed
extortion and I most probably be convicted of a felony or at least taken
to civil court.

Oh man, Dr. Krugman, you really know how to express your distaste for
what's not happening in our Senate. It's so bad that you miss Newt? And
I could not detect the slightest evidence that your tongue was anywhere
near your cheek.

And thank you, Dr. Krugman for reminding us that the Democrats have not
a clue as to the meaning of "carpe diem."

But you left out one important, nay telling, reason for the Republican's
dastardly behavior - their visceral hatred of the black man who occupies
the oval office. Don't believe me? Just ask Senator Jefferson Beauregard
Sessions III. These guys don't don white hoods and burn crosses these
days. The lie and lie and obstruct and obstruct. And they won't stop
until the President has his Waterloo.
  Recommend  Recommended by 1402 Readers

6. cr San Diego, CA February 8th, 2010 7:48 am
Democracies, Republics, any form of government that allows a minority of
its people (or their elected officials) to completely paralyze the will
of the majority quickly becomes ungovernable.

Either foreign countries invade and impose order, or our own military
imposes its own military solution. So we will become 18th century Poland
or 1970s Argentina.

Having watched my fellow Americans grab their guns, make their signs
painting swastikas over the face of Obama, worship at the feet of the
demagogues Palin, Limbaugh, Hannity, and Beck,scream and demand that the
US be declared a Christian (and ONLY) a Christian nation while ignoring
all the responsibilities and sacrifices that religion demands, choose
willful ignorance with pride, and finally eagerly embrace hatred toward
our own minorities (gender, race, national origin, religion), I have
reached the point where I no longer care whether our future is Poland or
Argentina.

Stupid is as stupid does.
  Recommend  Recommended by 1351 Readers

54. Andrew Vincent Alder Palm Springs, California Febr 8th, 2010 10:27am
Once again Krugman nails it on the head. Suffocated by process and
populated by those who think process is governance, the Senate has
become the very picture of a sclerotic, gout-ridden, pompous political
caricature of it's former self. Monstrous egos, incapable of perceiving
any interest other than their own, members of this Senate are doing more
to undermine democracy than anything that might result from the adoption
of even the most extreme policies of either political party. The
institution is a disgrace to all Americans.
  Recommend  Recommended by 1249 Readers

57. Cynthia J. Minnesota February 8th, 2010 10:31 am
And what did President Clinton do to Newt and his party? He forced a
showdown and it broke the back of that insane Contract For America.
Could anyone with any sense forget that gem?

I think a showdown at high noon is the only hope for this country. I
know President Obama is trying to force the Republicans to come up with
actual, sensible, usable solutions for our problems but you can't sqeeze
blood out of a stone. The Republicans haven't had a sensible, workable
plan for anything since Eisenhower. The conservative ideology, including
economic ideology, is and always has been totally worthless and our
current problems only prove my point.

If there are some sensible, responsible Republicans out there I really
wish they would step forward. Remember, if they are sensible and
responible you will know it because the would never utter the words
"across the board tax cuts" or "Reaganomics" as the solution to any
economic problem ever again.

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