Friday, December 10, 2010

The Latest Examples of the Central Problem We Citizens (of All Political Stripes) Have With Washington

I think that for those Americans who are serious about their complaints regarding the cozy nature of official Washington, K Street and Wall Street, regardless of party or political philosophy, they should pay attention to the these two news items (here, and here).  People who pay attention to official Washington know that there is a total revolving door once you get "in."  If you were an appointee to Treasury from Wall Street, you can look forward to a promotion upon your return.  If you were a former staff member with experience on a specific issue, then you prepare yourself for life on K Street.  And people who fit those two examples know that they have opportunities to return to official Washington when they are ready. 

I would love to see this revolving door destroyed.  While I think that it is important for experienced people to have opportunities to show their expertise, I think that we need new blood constantly coming into the system.  For example, though I believe little of the rhetoric of official Tea Party Republicans, I do think that folks who are at the grass roots of that movement would agree with me, that their side needs new blood, new people in Washington to try to carry their water.  I also think that folks in those three realms that I mentioned are extremely afraid of outsiders of any stripe coming in actually to get something done, whether it's deficit reductions or aid to the poor.  Those people see outsiders as folks to be co-opted, folks to be wooed into the world of Washington. 

Though I wouldn't go so far as to say that all of Washington needs to be fired, because I don't think it's true, I do know that we need to kill that revolving door.  We will see if the Tea Party Republicans are made of, since they (allegedly) represent a real challenge to the GOP status quo, but if as that aforementioned article about their hiring is really representative, then I think there might be some in that Republican movement who will be just as pissed as liberals should be with Obama's entire economic team (not including Elizabeth Warren). 

We'll see.

3 comments:

Better Guy X said...

It's going to be a rude awakening when a bunch of the same old faces start showing up in new places. The Tea Party/GOP shotgun marriage will be tested.

I, too, was disappointed President Obama didn't go in another direction for his Treasury Team, and we all may suffer for it. Or maybe, leopards do change their spots.

Anonymous said...

Please!

We are no longer citizens of the USA, we are CUSTOMERS of the USA.

Our votes have been diluted, and out bid by corporations. A special thanks to "OUR" Supreme Court for allowing that.

The wealtiest indviduals and the banking interests are more protected and accomodated than any of us customers (especially those 99 week types - never mind how many years they collectively paid in to the system).

As customers we can get an unending barrage of rhetoric and what ever it is Fox spews 24/7, but in the end new laws will be reducing our benefits, eroding options future legislatures can choose to take, and essentially funneling us into the cattle chute which delivers us into a lifetime of financially unprotected servitude (Elizabeth Warren not withstanding - and if Obama is evicted in 2012, do you really think Elizabeth Warren will remain in Washington?).

Along the way we'll be carrying the burden of the untaxed super wealthy, paying for wars and conflicts which subsidized select corporations, and with at least 40% of the legislature maintaining the status quo (and isn't it amazing how there are always just enough votes to block progress), "entitlements" can be whittled down over a protracted period of time (never too much at any one time, just enough to leave some people grumbling until they tire and the issue fades).

We need candidate Obama as President (didn't he have balls?), or better yet, Hillary Clinton as President (oddly, she has proven to be the only candidate with balls which don't appear to have been attached by Velcro).

I'm just sayin'...

Unknown said...

The emergence of Newt Gingrich's Tea Party might have won a few extra seats for the Republicans in the House; however, those seats were not needed because they would've gained majority anyway and this will inevitably create a problem for those at the top of the GOP and their primary agenda. Greed is the root of all evil and so is a loose tongue. Hilarious to see true Republicans criticize how Tea Partiers Sharon Angel and Christine O'Donnell ran their elections after the fact when they initially backed them. In reality, they'd rather have few as possible Tea Party members in office because thats less bickering and opposition they'll have to put up with in their own party. But everything will be just fine within the GOP let the right media and Fox tell it.
As a liberal and more importantly an American who understands how Washington works and the rhetoric our politicians use daily, this will all work in favor for Obama in 2012 like it did for Clinton in 1996. People forget that Obama is not much different than any other politician in history. Meaning once you're in Washington as you mentioned Washington's "revolving door," politicians will do any and everything to stay. With that being said, while Obama just like ever other President has made common mistakes in their first two years in office he unlike his predecessors has accomplished more in that time period. So I'm confident Obama will play his hand wisely over the next two years and continue to compromise on certain issues despite backlash from some of his most important supporters. This is how Washington works, unfortunately most of us Americans will never understand its complex yet simple nature.

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