Will we govern without Congress in 2012?
Governing without Congress. This seems to be our fate for 2012 at least, and possibly for much longer if the nation continues voting in its usual schizophrenic manner.
You are aware by now of the absolute, utter failure of the congressional super committee, but truth be told, this was just the latest episode capping years of congressional cage fighting.
Prior to that, the U.S. nearly defaulted on its debt as acrimony was rescued by an 11th-hour fix that failed to please Standard and Poor.
The last few years have seen the liberal use of the filibuster by Republicans, and the threat of it, to stymie everything that could be stymied, including treaty ratifications, filling of bureaucratic positions in government – including judges, to appropriations and much more.
The President has been called a liar in a joint session and insults have flown back and forth in what will be remembered as one of the most toxic Congresses in the United States’ history.
So we are now left in a situation where Congress is basically dysfunctional, with a record approval rating worse than Fidel Castro – at 9% and unable to conduct even their most basic functions.
We must therefore begin to think about how things are going to look with two functioning arms of government, not three. In other words, how will governing without Congress look going forward?
To start with, its not as if Congress will pack their bags and go home tomorrow (although many might wish they did). The House already has a historically low number of work days in this session anyhow.
First, it will mean continued liberal use of executive orders by President Obama to accomplish as much he can without congressional help.
It will also mean increased reliance on the Supreme Court to adjudicate on matters that the parties fail to see eye to eye on e.g., The Healthcare Act.
The third aspect of governing without Congress will be a continued reliance on the Fed to provide impetus to the economy. This lever of the economy is outside the control of Congress and following the recent Fed meeting, it appears that QE3, or the third round of quantitative easing will soon be in the works to give a jolt to the faltering economy.
In any case, once we enter 2012, the focus will be on campaigning and trying to label the other side as unworthy to govern. Ratings agencies be damned and the unemployed will have to wait.
There are elections to be fought over and until America resolves which direction we want to go, we will be governing without Congress. Welcome to this brave new world.
More From blreditor
- “Tax Us More”, Millionaires Demand of Congress
- The Debt Supercommittee: Failure is an Option
- Here’s a Dirty Little Secret: Your Taxes Will Be Raised
blreditor Recommends
- How to Finally Pay Off Your Debt in (PeerFormPeerLending)
- Veneration Without Understanding (SEO Philippines)
Recent Comments