Watching Congress

Today is the day Electoral College voter results are reported to Congress. Today Congress is routinely accepting the vote tally. It always has. That is the way the system works. However, in today’s political environment, an attempt will be made to overturn the election results. A small number of Congressmen and Senators – all Republicans – vow to not accept the Electoral College results. This is supposed to throw the issue into debate followed by a majority vote up or down. The results of those votes in both houses of Congress are expected to ratify Joe Biden’s election as President of the United States. This would be the final word indicating the current President lost the election and will move out of the White House on January 20.

Instead of a few minutes of routine, the nation will be treated to a few hours of chaos and skullduggery. Totally unnecessary. But then, that is the sign of our times. Division and incivility.

To be clear, this divisive action is a middle finger salute to the voters. It is a Republican Party action that firmly cements the nature of the party – rebellious and disrespectful to established order. It is the opposite of democracy where We The People elect our representatives, not a few handpicked oligarchs.

We have come a far distance from civil discussion of yesteryear. Not that skullduggery and its companion chaos was absent, it just had the good sense to remain out of sight. Those were the days when the Senate was an ‘advise and consent’ body furthering the checks and balance of the federal system of government.

I guess we should have expected this outcome following the removal of civics classes from public education. The current batch of senators and representatives simply don’t understand their own government and how it works. Either that or they don’t care. It could be both.

Sad. True. Dysfunctional government.

That is what we are left with when we don’t carefully know the people for whom we vote. This is not a personality contest or a beauty pageant. It is a solemn search for well-intentioned and knowledgeable people to serve the best interests of the public. It has been a long time since that was the case.

Every two years we get the chance to unseat or retain our representatives in the House of Representatives. We need to diligently pursue selection of those who represent us. The senators serve 6-year terms, one third of whom running for election every two years. Again, we are to be diligent in voting for or against the incumbents. Every four years we vote for President. That is not the end of our electoral responsibilities. The last four years, however, have demonstrated just how important it is to have a well-prepared and qualified person in the role.

Commit now to do your duty as a voter. Read and understand the issues. Know and judge the qualifications and personality of candidates. Vote for deserving candidates. Then follow their progress once in office. Discern whether they are doing your bidding or not. Vote appropriately on their retention at the next election.

That’s how the system is supposed to work in a democracy. It has responsibilities associated with being a voter. But it also is a checks and balance mechanism to remove unworthy public servants from office if they do not perform adequately.

Vote in every election as though your life depends on it. Because your life does depend on it.

January 6, 2021