Love that phrase – it’s so appropriate isn’t it: “our small-minded Congresspeople“.
Comes from Roger Ehrenberg’s Information Arbitrage post tonight – “YOU, the U.S. Taxpayer, Can’t Handle the Truth“.
Ehrenberg is predicting that the upcoming Geithner plan for dealing with the banks will ultimately fail – because it’ll end up being too complicated.
He concludes by saying that we aren’t the problem – it’s those folks in Congress who don’t get it:
Reality is, we [you and I] can handle the truth: it’s he [Rep. Brad Miller, a Democrat from North Carolina] and his scared-out-of-their-minds Congresspeople that can’t handle the truth. We need some different people making the big decisions. They appear too big and too important for our small-minded Congresspeople to make.
I’ve lately been thinking what we need re: Congress is, among other things, an age limitation on service. Unfortunately, term limits have been a non-starter at the Federal level – unlike here in California (not that it’s mattered!). Getting some of the old “gentlemen/gentlewomen” to move on just might help bring a new reality to the place.
Too bad that Brad Miller’s a relative youngster – born in 1953. On the other hand, my age limitation would (even at age 65!) probably work wonders in the Senate! Goodbye McCain! And, of course, Goodbye Reid!
What’s your hurry? Here’s your hat!
[Update: Further evidence from NBC’s Chuck Todd.]
Obama never should have allowed his first major piece of legislation to be written largely by a man elected to Congress when the president was only 8 years old. I’m referring to House Appropriations Chair David Obey.
I’ve noted many times here and in “First Read” the stunning lack of change inside the leadership of the House Democratic caucus. The roster of current committee chairs is not exactly a profile of change Obama outlined during the campaign.
Some day the public might actually revolt against the undemocratic system of seniority that allows Congress to keep the old ways of Washington engrained into the culture of Congress.