Watching the debacle in the House this week was highlighted for me by the death of Senator Diane Feinstein.
Republican or Democrat, anyone on Capitol Hill or who observes politics closely will tell you that Senator Feinstein was an example of gracious and courageous leadership and exemplary bipartisanship. She will be missed.
In contrast, my attention is drawn to the CR fight in the House. Instead of leadership, we see self-serving obstructionism.
This is a disturbing trend.
Legitimate disagreements about government spending are perfectly valid and there are many forums for discussing those issues. However, a small group of Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz, decided to oppose a CR or continuing resolution, which would extend government funding in order to give lawmakers time to negotiate the larger bills. They threatened to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker if a CR was passed, either with Democratic votes or without them. This is absolute lunacy. If Mr. Gaetz was so concerned with the actual problems with fiscal responsibility he has, then perhaps he could use his position as a member of Congress to negotiate substantive policy change instead of senseless hostage situations. This no-win-for-anyone scenario of a government shutdown would put thousands of federal employees out of a paycheck, shut down essential services and hamper a growing economy. Perhaps since Mr. Gaetz is able to pass off the pay cut on to air traffic controllers instead of himself and his staff, this prospect seems beneficial to him. Maybe this has something to do with the nasty rumors that he’s planning a run for governor of Florida.
In the end, McCarthy did the courageous and right thing by joining 206 Democrats and 126 Republicans in passing a CR. For now the government remains open, no thanks to Mr. Gaetz et al.
This is a shining example of the shameful lack of leadership in Congress. Those who are elected to Congress to grandstand instead of work for their constituents rarely make any progress - in fact, they hamper it. Being a representative in the People’s House means that you must do the people’s work, not your own. Senator Feinstein did just that during her tenure and maybe Mr. Gaetz and Company would do well to emulate her example.
What a week.
William Reynolds
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In support of Mr. Reynolds, this act of removing the house speaker shows how the lack of leadership and no common sense prevails in our current government. No one has integrity or moral compass. It's time for a change. Those (Democrats and Republicans) that voted for that resolution need to go.
The citizens need to remember this and decide who can represent them in congress. Someone honest and fair, which none of them have.
Tim Bittenbender