Our nation changed on Nov 8, 1994. Not a date most people recognize, the events of that day presaged and accelerated the political polarization that now menaces many of our country’s institutions including all branches of our federal government.
On that distant Tuesday, the Democrats lost control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 42 years. Up until 1994, two generations of Americans knew only a Democratic-majority House. In contrast, House control has changed three times in the last 16 years.
Since that pivotal day, we have always been less than two years from the balance of power possibly swinging from one side of the House aisle to the other. This disequilibrium, while holding the potential to moderate politics through the increased influence of centrists in both parties, has instead contributed to crippling division.
Instead of governing, the political class is in constant warfare for the next election. With 24-hour cable coverage, there literally is no pause. Gerrymandered districts secure House seats for the farthest left and farthest right candidates, so extreme views define the battlelines.
Playing toward the middle incites intra-party wrath for Democrats and Republicans alike. The vitriol spewed at senators Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Mitt Romney shows that the venomous conflict in the House has also poisoned the Senate.
Congress is broken.
This breakdown distorts the other branches of government. With Congress’ abdication of lawmaking, the executive branch assumes enormous power. Which is to say, the bureaucratic class writes most of what we think of as laws in a fashion favored by whoever sits in the Oval Office.
The escalating belligerence and crassness of the Senate under Democratic and Republican leadership has, among other things, led to attacks on the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. Nothing is sacrosanct anymore.
Most Americans want this to stop before we drive our society and country off the cliff. I believe most people in Marin share this desire. This essential ending requires Congress to heal itself.
Which brings me to Rep. Jared Huffman. Huffman, who was endorsed by many – including the IJ editorial board – ahead of Tuesday’s primary election, received 68% of the vote. In all likelihood, he will retain his congressional seat in November.
For 10 years, Huffman has been a “make the donuts” representative – he gets unglamorous work done. His low-profile approach is commendable compared to the do-nothing blowhards from both parties who spend their days fundraising on wedge issues and their evenings on cable TV.
Agree or disagree with his policy positions (for the record, I view his philosophy of federal intervention on almost any issue as somewhere between wrongheaded and dangerous), he is straightforward with voters and shows us respect by running – putting time and energy into the election – every two years when he knows his victory is all but certain.
When reelected, he plans to “increasingly deliver results through his senior positions on committees, his relationships and his experience.” In other words, he will do more of the same.
Getting the job done should no longer be good enough for Huffman.
Serving that long in Congress conveys a responsibility to lead. When leaders find themselves in a decaying organization, they either get to work fixing it or, if they conclude that it is a lost cause, they leave. Principled leaders choose to no longer associate with incompetence, corruption and failure despite the privileges and compensation they may leave behind.
His length of service also conveys accountability for the dysfunction of Congress. Huffman is not the cause of the dysfunction, but he may no longer allow it to fester without deliberate attempts at reform.
Huffman can both represent the liberal views of the district and tend to the long-term health of Congress in a nonpartisan way. Doing so will entail taking…
Read More: Congress is broken and Huffman should help try to fix it – Marin Independent Journal