Gridlock? Yes, Please!

We’re hearing a lot these days about how our politics are broken and Congress is paralyzed. This Associated Press article titled “Congress’ dysfunction long in the making” is typical:

How did it get this bad on Capitol Hill?

Why does Congress barely function today? …

[V]eteran lawmakers and scholars use words such as “unprecedented” to describe the current level of dysfunction and paralysis.

Of course, during the first two years of the Obama administration, when the Democrats controlled Congress as well as the White House, we didn’t hear anything about gridlock, dysfunction and paralysis. During those years the Democrats passed Obamacare, the “stimulus” bill, cash for clunkers, increased regulation of the financial industry, and much more. They ran up trillions of dollars in new debt while driving unemployment higher. No paralysis there; not in Congress, anyway–it was the economy that the Democrats paralyzed.

Then came the Republican sweep in the 2010 elections. Voters elected Republicans precisely in order to stop the hemorrhaging of legislation, spending and debt in Washington. The voters wanted rollback but were willing to settle for gridlock, at least until 2012. What it is that Congress is failing to do, so as to merit constant cries of “dysfunction” and “paralysis?” It is declining to pass the President’s latest stimulus package, which would add another half-trillion dollars to our debt while, like Stimulus I, accomplishing little or nothing. That is precisely what the voters wanted when they sent Republicans to Washington.

Someone should tell the Democrats (and the press) about the old adage that elections have consequences.

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