Independents Rising - But We Still Have A Predatory Congress
  by Thomas D. Segel (1/21/10)

Harlingen, Texas, January 2010: Scott Brown has come to Washington and is being wooed by Republicans and Democrats alike.  That his election was a historic moment is not in question.  That he is potentially a political game changer is a surety.  But, those of us who cast ballots to place our elected representatives in the seats of power must not forget we still have the same political elites in power who were there before the first vote was cast on that fateful Tuesday morning in Massachusetts.

Is there anyone in America who still giving Congress the benefit of the doubt?  Is anyone still of the mind that these are kindly, benevolent, dictators who are looking out for you and me?  If such a person or group exists their common sense is surely in question.  At this hour we find ourselves at the mercy of the most predatory Congress in the history of this country.  The huge election in Massachusetts may change the tone, as they all scramble to find the best face to put in front of the public, but it does not change the villains who reside behind those Capitol Hill doors.

For those you, who think the Brown election trumpets in a new era of Republican rule, be reminded that the same GOP officials who squandered their majority through waste, neglect, arrogance and mismanagement are still in office, even if their numbers have diminished.

It was not Republicans who elected Scott Brown.  It was not Democrats who have given him a chance at national office.  It was an overwhelming number of Independent voters who have finally said ‘enough ‘ to the Washington fat cats.  When Brown said in debate that the office he was seeking was ‘the people’s seat’ he spoke a hard truth.  Across the country, people have become disillusioned with political parties.  From the Tea Party Movement to local political forums the American people are demanding a return to constitutional governance.

This is nothing new for Americans.  The Father of our Country was the first who voiced distain for political parties.  When George Washington took his oath of office, there was no such thing as a political party in this new United States of America.  By the time he left public life, he was warning his countrymen about the dangers that could arise from the forming of any political organization.

In his farewell address Washington said, “All obstructions to the execution of the Laws, all combinations and associations, under whatever plausible character, with real design to direct, control, counteract, or awe the regular deliberation and action of constituted authorities, are destructive of this fundamental principle, and a fatal tendency.  They (political parties) serve to organize faction, to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put, in the place of the delegated will of the nation, the will of the party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill-concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common counsels, and modified by mutual interests.” Washington’s words went unheeded and by the time our second president had completed his term of office, political parties had become a reality.

If anything meaningful can be learned from the Massachusetts election, it should be that the Independent voter is far more important than any political faction.  Those voters in the Bay State saw very clearly that we have a predatory Congress in power that has completely ignored and has shown total distain for the will of the people.  Those same voters took action to correct that serious flaw in our current congressional makeup.

As we move though the months marching toward November, all Democrats should worry about their future electability.  At the same time there should be no glee in the ranks of the GOP.  They too, have been part of the problem, not part of the solution.  They too are at risk of ending their political careers.  Those office seekers who can embrace the Constitution and common sense will prevail and the predators will find a scant menu to satisfy their hunger for power as ‘The People’ start filling the seats of power.

Semper Fidelis
Thomas D. Segel

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