TheSequitur.com Editorial Board
Nov. 6, 2006
Editor’s Note: Dissenting opinion below.
In a recent CNN special, “Broken Government,” anchor Jack Cafferty encouraged Americans to go to the polls and vote every single congressional incumbent out of office. The spirit of this proposition is to send a message to Congress: We, the American voting public, are your employers, and if you can do nothing but fight amongst yourselves and shun productive political discourse at the expense of our country, we will fire you. While we certainly admire the spirit of this message, it is not one we agree with completely.
Cafferty’s bold proposition, which some would describe as the embodiment of democracy itself, is simply not plausible or advisable in practice. True, the 109th Congress failed miserably to make any progress whatsoever, resorting to partisan bickering and mudslinging campaigns instead of concentrating on the real job of working to make this nation a better place. It is also true that there is a severe problem with the status quo in Washington, where fortunes are made through gifts from corporations and deals with lobbyists. It is obvious that there needs to be a change, and the pivot for that change is the American voting public. The question is whether that change should be implemented categorically, as Cafferty and a minority of this Board suggest, and we do not think categorical action of this nature is appropriate.
Something must be done to show our representatives that the American voters are their employers, and that during their tenure, we expect them to work for us. But summarily voting all incumbents out of national office is the wrong way to go about sending that message. Every position in the House is up for election, as well as 33 seats in the Senate. It is hard to imagine that in that group of 468 people, there is not at least one person who is works hard for country and should remain at his or her post. While we understand the spirit the Cafferty proposition, we cannot support the categorical nature of its assertion that every member of Congress up for reelection needs to go home.
- DISSENTING: Executive Editor Justin Hemlepp and Senior Editor Jared Leone
Cafferty is right, even if he was speaking in hyperbole. It’s time to quit pulling punches. Congress has failed in all respects to fulfill its sacred constitutional duties.
Where is the oversight? All we see is rubber-stamping. Where is the accountability? All we see are denials, finger-pointing and rehab visits. Where are the values? All we see is torture, illegal detention and the destruction of habeas corpus. Where is the interest in the future of America? All we see are backs turned to the entitlements, immigration, globalization, security and other issues while greedy hands grab up money and influence. Even the Board’s majority opinion recognizes Congress has taken its eye off the ball.
This isn’t a Republican or a Democratic issue. This is a governance issue. It is high time the voters demand good governance. It is high time we stood up and demanded what is right for our country. And Tuesday is the day that you can lean out your window and scream, “I’m mad as hell. And I’m not going to take it any more.”
Vote the crooks and liars out of office this Election Day – every single one of them.
Senior Editor Dwayne Robinson abstains from all staff editorials.
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