The WTF moment of the day is back with a doozy today. Every once in a while a crooked, career politician accidentally makes a statement that peels away the mask and gives the voter a true window into their character. Today was one of those days, as Nevada Senator (and pork purveyor extrodinairre) Harry Reid made the following comment on earmarks:
"That's our job. That's what we're supposed to do."
Linky: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/16/reid-earmarks-are-what-were-supposed-do/
With that comment, Reid proved himself to be a relic of a (soon to be) bygone era in Congressional politics. A relic from a time in which the American People didn't pay day-to-day attention to the actions of Congress (understandible, considering that watching Congress--with all of it's procedural pomp and slow-motion legislating is about as exciting as watching the proverbial grass grow). A relic from a time when you didn't really think about your Congressman until election time, and even then you could be easily fooled by the "Well, he got that nice new Senior Center bulit" argument.
What Reid (and other like him--mainly Democrats but even some old-line Republicans) have missed is that the electorate has changed. We're actually paying attention now. Some of us (many more than in previous generations) actually pay attention to the day-to-day activities of Congress...boring though that might be. We are much more aware of the dire financial situation our nation faces than our elected "leaders" give us credit for. As a result, fewer Americans are swayed by the simple dangling of pork in front of our faces. When it comes to Congress, previous generations of Americans seemed to have the attitude of "They should cut everyone's spending except for my district!". But more and more Americans of this generation are realizing that--in order to regain our financial footing--we must reject senseless spending wherever it exists...even if it is in our own backyard.
P.J. O'Rourke made the comment that November 2 wasn't an election, but instead a restraining order. A very loud, abrupt, and unquestionable message was sent to Washington six weeks ago--the old style of politics doesn't cut it anymore. We see through the bread and circuses routine that Congress has relied upon for generations. We realize there are major problems facing this country, and we will no longer be distracted by a few crumbs thrown to us by our Representatives and Senators.
But Reid and his ilk didn't seem to hear that message. Instead, they are stuck in the past--believing that obtaining "federal funds" will buy our loyalty. The problem is that We The People now see through the charade--we realize that "federal funds" does not equal "free government money"--that's OUR money, dammit! Remember that scene from "Rounders" where Mike McDermott beats Teddy KGB in the big poker game to win back the $15,000 he'd lost to him years before? After fuming for a bit, KGB settles down and says "It doesn't matter...after all...I'm paying you with your own money!" That's exactly what Congress had done for years, and Reid and his kind would like to keep doing--buy our loyalty and blindness by paying us with our own money.
What? You haven't seen "Rounders"? Where in the blue Hell have you been? Only the greatest poker movie of all time...
Anyhow, the people have spoken, and they are flat out against earmarks. We see behind the curtain and we understand the dog and pony show that Reid and many other "Career Congressmen" have perpetuated for no other reason to stay in power for decades on end. Now, will the end of earmarks resolve the massive financial issues our nation faces? Certainly not--you'd have to tackle "mandatory spending" to really make a dent in what we owe (such as Social Security)--but those earmarks are nothing to sneeze at either. And more and more Americans are realizing (many from personal experience) that when you're in debt, every dime is important. For Harry Reid, like so many Congressmen (many of which are thankfully leaving Washington for good at the end of this session), that lesson has gone right over their heads.
The American people want a different kind of Congress and a different kind of government. "Politics as Usual" has failed miserably over the second half of the 20th century, and the polticians who continue to do business in the manner of that bygone era will find their days numbered.
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