Congressional Republicans To Tea Party….Get In Line
It has been interesting to see in various ways, and on various issues how the mature Republicans in Congress are continually ‘educating’ the new Tea Party members that were elected in November.
I made note several weeks ago how this was happening concerning the federal debt limit that will face a vote in a matter of weeks.
As Garrett noted Sunday at every meeting to help new members of Congress learn the ropes in Washington, regardless of the topic for the meeting, mature and seasoned Washington insiders were making it clear that the debt ceiling matter had to be taken seriously.
Now comes news off the front page of The New York Times about senior Republicans advising the brash newcomers about the lay of the land in Washington concerning military spending. Some of the new Tea Party members want to put the military on a fiscal diet.
I am not trying to be too snarky but I have a strong feeling that has been voiced on this blog regarding how educated and seasoned people should be the ones entering the political arena. Not those who wake up one morning and decide Glenn Beck makes sense.
When it comes to military spending I think that cuts….major cuts…..are long overdue. So I am in agreement with those who think the same. There is however a difference between those like myself and the teabaggers who found a job in Congress.
My thinking about weapons systems, base closings, the need for a smaller but more mobile (faster) navy, and even ending military bands have been topics I have read and thought about for 30 years. The teabaggers that landed in Congress are not ready to debate these issues as most of them have never even thought about them. That does not make then stupid, it just means that their interests have not always been about public policy. It is for that reason I think they were not prepared to entertain the idea of running for office.
Call me old-fashioned, elitist, or purist from recalling the civic books of my youth but that is what I truly believe. Shaping policy is not a game, or for those who have no real interest in pursuing the task with integrity and a certain amount of intellectual heft.
That is why the seasoned faces of Washington are pulling the young turks aside and telling them to get in line. Since the teabaggers are not meshed in policy they have no way to counter the senior Republicans who have the power and influence.
Mr. McKeon, for one, is concerned, and has quietly been meeting with the new members — a number have no experience in government — to educate them on national security. One Congressional staff member who closely monitors the military said, “While McKeon would say that all members are entitled to advocate for positions they want to advocate, what he has been doing is working to educate new members on what the threats are, and why we need the defense budget close to where it is.” The staff member asked for anonymity to discuss Mr. McKeon’s private meetings.
My comment about the navy was sarcastic: making ships faster is obvious–at least since the Battle of Salamis.
If you are suggesting that the lack of intellectual on the part or current and recent republicans and democrats is responsible for the pathetic government we have now, then we are in agreement. The new members of congress have yet to leave a track record by which we can judge them. We certainly cannot look into their mnds and decide if they have spent enough time thinking in the past about policy issues; we would also note that the policy issues change so quickly that thinking about policy issues which were important thirty years ago many bear little relation to today’s challenges. Military policy illustrates this well.
Either way, if you have spent so much time considering policy it would be obvious to the reader–as it sometimes is.
Patrick,
I trust you were joking about the navy. Try getting a carrier group from Virginia to the Middle East in any real time. The world has changed and the need for light and fast troop movement seems of critical importance.
And the point of the post of course was to underscore the lack of real heft of those so many elected to Congress this past year. My point about myself was not to say how smart or otherwise I am, but to show that there has to be some serious thought about the issues long BEFORE you start an election campaign.
That was not done by far too many and now the country will play the price.
If that is stroking my ego than I guess I will have to accept that from you.
I really think it is a realistic way to view the mess we are now in when it comes to DC politics and policy making.
I think you are upset with me because you too know it to be true.
You are elitist. I do have to say that your idea for “faster ships” is quite brilliant–I’m sure most in the navy were looking at building slower models; you should give them a call.
But on a more serious note, I don’t see a whole lot of evidnce that you are ready for real debate either. While I’m no policy genius, I am smart enough to recognize when someone is presenting a logical and well reasoned argument, and this is not something I find often enough here.
Why not make a new committment to presenting the facts and the principles behind your decisions in order to have the grounds for a real debate? Giving yourself compliments about how smart you are is vapid. And how many times a week do you need to do it to stroke your ego?
Meanwhile, here I am along with all of the other conservatives who read this generally good blog, trying to understand the liberal mind. Why not try to convince us? What is the point of preeching to the choir?
From where I stand, those veteran members of congress–on both sides–have massively screwed up the nation’s finances, they’ve done nothing on gay marriage, they have no energy policy to speak of, they can’t work together, they can’t pass or reject important trade agreements, they let long lists of federal judgeships go unfilled, they can’t speak honestly with the American people, they are afraid of the real problems confronting them, they are hostage–on both sides–to various special interest groups…and on and on… BUT I’m sure they likewise congratulate themselves on “intellectual heft.”
The old boy network of the old republican party are just not getting it. The American people are tired of the dnc/gop way if ruining this country they all need to wake up to what is really going on this is a new revolution and we are not just going to stop because they don’t approve.