This past week, Congress managed to barely avoid a government shutdown by passing a continuing resolution hours before the funding deadline. It was another stark reminder that our legislative bodies are in teetering on the edge of irrelevance through incompetence even before the Trump Administration takes power in January.
Looking at the other news coming out of Congress, however, makes it clear why we have such profound dysfunction. Just this past week we saw the release of an House Ethics Committee report of former representative Matt Gaetz, who had tried to resign right beforehand to prevent the committee releasing its report, presenting damning evidence that he has solicited sex from underage women in drug-fueled sex parties.
The depraved behavior was disgusting, but tragically not surprising, as rumors had circled for years about these crimes. What was shocking, however, was the news breaking around Representative Kay Granger, Republican of Texas, who hasn’t been seen at a Congressional vote in six months! Was Kay back in the district helping her constituents during her absence? No, in fact, Representative Granger has been found living in a nursing home memory care unit with dementia! This is the kind of farcical lunacy that wouldn't make it on TV, you cannot make this stuff up!
Our gerontocracy is deeply rooted, with the crisis of our aging leadership pervading both parties. Both Trump and Biden the oldest Presidents in US history, (and both facing mental decline themselves). And the Democratic party continues to resist younger leadership, electing a 74 year old man with throat cancer to lead the House Oversight Committee.
All these signs point to an ailing, failing governmental system with neither the leaders, nor the institutions they constitute, currently up to the tackling the challenges a facing the majority of Americans. The sad truth is, of course, that governance-wise the next 4 years are likely to get worse before they possibly get better.
And it won't get better by Magic. To make a better tomorrow will take hard work and organizing by individuals on the ground building connections, organizing around issues, and importantly combining their political and economic heft together to pressure our incompetent government leaders and the donors who fund them. So, join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity as we work to get better representatives and a better representing system. We deserve better, and together we will make our leaders be better! Don't shop on Tuesday!
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