The Presidency Will Change – But What About The Congress?
With both parties waking up to the clarion call of all Americans for change, and not just change, but basic change in the way our government serves its people, there are now four individuals of uncommon promise. The presidency will change. But perhaps much more importantly, will the Congress?
Mohandas Gandhi is quoted as saying, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ”. To follow in that thought I have to say to the McCain campaign, “I like your presidential candidate, I don’t like your Republicans. Your Republicans are so unlike your presidential candidate”.
The tone of McCain’s speech was so opposite to the vitriol of previous night’s speakers. He didn’t rail against the evil and effete liberals. He accepted that we are all more alike as Americans than our differences would suggest. And most importantly, he acknowledged the failures of the recent Republican control and the need to fix Washington and to reach for the best ideas regardless of party. To stop the infantile squabbling and to actually move to solve our common problems.
With the thoughts of his acceptance speech still in mind, I wonder at what this means to the race of Virginia’s 7th District Congressman Eric Cantor who is so closely identified with party politics, association with the likes of Jack Abramoff, being the consummate glitzy campaign fund raiser, his close ties to special corporate interests, and having not one memorable initiative of record or any reputation of working across parties to move legislation.
Or Virgil Goode, the Representative from Virginia’s 5th District. Can’t a District of 700,000 citizens find a Congressman who is less an embarrassment to the ideals of inclusion and tolerance? Is he really an example of the type of Congressman McCain spoke of tonight who would be the bright minds and creative problem solvers?
Virginia is loosing its Republican Senator John Warner and I’d be happy to vote for another Republican of his statue and integrity - if there were one. Fortunately, there is a good Democratic nominee that will, along with Senator Jim Webb, bring two competent and capable partners to whomever wins the presidency.
As we approach November, voters need to keep in mind the need to also change those in Congress who hardly need to be rewarded for the last eight years.
Mohandas Gandhi is quoted as saying, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ”. To follow in that thought I have to say to the McCain campaign, “I like your presidential candidate, I don’t like your Republicans. Your Republicans are so unlike your presidential candidate”.
The tone of McCain’s speech was so opposite to the vitriol of previous night’s speakers. He didn’t rail against the evil and effete liberals. He accepted that we are all more alike as Americans than our differences would suggest. And most importantly, he acknowledged the failures of the recent Republican control and the need to fix Washington and to reach for the best ideas regardless of party. To stop the infantile squabbling and to actually move to solve our common problems.
With the thoughts of his acceptance speech still in mind, I wonder at what this means to the race of Virginia’s 7th District Congressman Eric Cantor who is so closely identified with party politics, association with the likes of Jack Abramoff, being the consummate glitzy campaign fund raiser, his close ties to special corporate interests, and having not one memorable initiative of record or any reputation of working across parties to move legislation.
Or Virgil Goode, the Representative from Virginia’s 5th District. Can’t a District of 700,000 citizens find a Congressman who is less an embarrassment to the ideals of inclusion and tolerance? Is he really an example of the type of Congressman McCain spoke of tonight who would be the bright minds and creative problem solvers?
Virginia is loosing its Republican Senator John Warner and I’d be happy to vote for another Republican of his statue and integrity - if there were one. Fortunately, there is a good Democratic nominee that will, along with Senator Jim Webb, bring two competent and capable partners to whomever wins the presidency.
As we approach November, voters need to keep in mind the need to also change those in Congress who hardly need to be rewarded for the last eight years.
Comments
People use the ecomomics of Bill Clinton as examples to look at about an Obama Presidency, but what they fail to realize is that Reid and Pelosi are not moderate Democrats like Bill Clinton. Look at trade policy for example.
Obama is more aligned with the liberal wing of the Party and his record bears this out.
Many want to tie John McCain to Bush 90% of the time, but I wonder how often Obama has voted with Reid in the Senate or has been in agreement with Pelosi in the House.
Reid and Pelosi will probably be back and I hope both the President and the people hold their feet to the fire and require of them a sensible and aggressive approach to the nation’s problems.
But please, do not so easily overlook the six years when the Republicans completely controlled Congress and Bush failed to use his veto.
I prefer that posts not be “anonymous”. And I can think of no reason why you would be unwilling to associate your identity with such an uncontroversial post.