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| Name: |
Yankee06
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| Subject: |
Trust Dems-Repubs?
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Date:
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11/1/2009 1:29:30 PM
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-In a below thread one of our forum members asked this question: "...Please provide me the name of a single Congressman or Senator you would trust to do the best for the Country as opposed to the good of their party or personal gain."
-I feel his/her frustration . I like the growing movement that says throw all the encumbants out. Then we have a new House of Reps next year and a new Senate in 6 years . Then term limits. ..but, that's not going to happen.
-Anyway, I thought about teh above question. I didn't find many, did any of you find some you could really trust to do the work of the nation (--not those that just agree with our individual political beliefs)
-I worked in DC on and off for 20 years. As a young man I worked for my State Senator Claiborne Pell of Rhode Island. He was a man to trust. He was independently wealthy and sometimes that makes a difference in how free a man can be, ...but not always..
-BUt in teh present bunch I find it hard to find that man/woman with the lamp. At present, I could only come up with Joe Lieberman, with Ike Skelton and Jay Rockerfeller coming in close seconds.
-Whether you like Lieberman or not, he had a view of what he thought was right for the nation, and pursued at great threat to hhis political career. ...and it cost him his party's nomination. They turned on him en masse. However, in the final results, the people decided with Joe and not with the party. Maybe there is hope out there after all.
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| Name: |
MrHodja
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| Subject: |
Trust Dems-Repubs?
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Date:
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11/1/2009 8:08:09 PM
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On a local, southeast Alabama level I believe Bobby Bright may approach the named standard. I am willing to listen to counter opinions, but he has voted his conscience and not his party on several key issues. I believe he is now cosidered a "Blue Dog" Democrat.
My observation may be colored by the fact that I have observed him in other-than-political situations (our daughters played basketball together)and those of a political nature - but what I have observed seems to be a class act.
Plus, if you read his story he was nonpartisan until he ran for Mayor of Montgomery and subsequently Congress. His explanation of his choice to be a Democrat was that he felt like he could get more done that way.
And as an aside, when he was our Mayor, he got several very positive things started -- not the least of which has resulted in the resurgence of downtown Montgomery as a location of choice for nightlife and soon residence. The Renaissance Hotel, Wentzels, Dreamland, SaZa Italian eatery and the Alley Bar actually make it fun to go downtown at night now. My better half and I went down there the Friday night before the Auburn-Kentucky game (and Alabama State had a key home game as well the next day) and the place was absolutely teeming with good people having a good time. I credit Bobby Bright for having the vision to put the things in place that made it possible.
OK. Y'all tell me where I am all wet....:>)
Nasreddin Hodja
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
Trust Dems-Repubs?
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Date:
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11/1/2009 8:11:25 PM
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Jim Webb and Claire McCaskill. I've seen them both on news programs and both have seemed very rational to me.
Other than some crackpots, I think a lot of politicians start out well, but after a period of time, they confuse talking and actually getting something done. They are surrounded by syncophants, lobbyists and get suckered in. That's why I think term limits are so important. If people are disappointed by their representation, then they need to keep them honest by elections.
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| Name: |
MrHodja
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| Subject: |
Trust Dems-Repubs?
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Date:
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11/1/2009 8:22:03 PM
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I agree on term limits....how can someone who hasn't worked at a real job for 30 or 40 years while "serving" in the legislature possibly be in touch with what it is like to be a day-to-day American?
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| Name: |
MrHodja
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| Subject: |
But then again
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Date:
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11/1/2009 8:26:03 PM
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Sort of like Rev Tevye (sp?) in Fiddler on the Roof...on the other hand....
If, because of term limits the 8astards know their tenure is limited, would they be more likely to egregiously feather their own nest at taxpayer expense than if they thought they could get another term?
Just wondering.....
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
But then again
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Date:
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11/2/2009 7:21:59 AM
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They might, but they wouldn't have enough time to build a real power base in the Committees and get close to the lobbyists.
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| Name: |
MAJ USA RET
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| Subject: |
Perks
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Date:
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11/2/2009 9:25:17 AM
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The original Constitutional committee did not get paid at all. They did not get per diem or MI&E or mileage. They were altruistic gentlemen with a grand experiment in mind. Some were so poor that they had to room with, and survive by the largess, of others. They were not career politicians. Some left farms and businesses at jeopardy from their absence. (Though I am not qualified to surmise) to them, “term limitations’ was not a concept which necessitated debate or consideration. They were men of honor and men of service. They were intelligent, thinking leaders who sought to divert the course of history to show that ALL men (and women) can be free to prosper (and fail) of their own accord.
Where do we find such men and minds in these times?
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
Question about term limits
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Date:
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11/2/2009 2:11:52 PM
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Hound, I too am an unabashed supporter for term limits but have heard some concerns and I am curious about your reaction. One source of concern is that with term limits you constantly have a lot of new people learning the ropes in DC. While on its face I see this as a potential positive, but some who live inside the beltway have told me that even more power and influence would go to the entrenched staffers. By that I mean the congressman changes but the staffers stay in place and by the time they figure it out they are term limited and next newbie is in line. They already wield a lot of power and influence but that would be exacerbated with constant turnover. This is obviously not as big an issue on the state and local level but given the complexities of national governance it strikes me as a reasonable concern.
On its face that seems not to be as significant an issue when you compare it to getting back to the concept of citizen-servant. Being term limited also means a different dynamic driving decisions over a shorter period of time as a member of Congress.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
Question about term limits
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Date:
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11/2/2009 8:18:07 PM
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I guess that could happen. Some of the permanent committee staffer are terribly powerful. Maybe they should have to rotate jobs every 4 years.
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| Name: |
Yankee06
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| Subject: |
Question about term limits
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Date:
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11/2/2009 9:07:47 PM
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MM,
-Yes, the complexity of "process" is a good argument. However, the reason that the process is so complex is that the people who have been there forever have made it complex. In D.C>, knowledge is power, and their understanding on teh compexity of teh process gives them power. But many term-limiters readily point out that the process is "unnecessarily" complex. That it could be streamlined fairly easy and then developed, with simplicity as th focus, as new issues arise.
-Of course, to do this, we'll all have to become Shakespearian in our outlook and "...kill all the lawyers first!"
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