by Mary Wakefield Buxton –
URBANNA — The Republican debate — or should I say fist-a-cuffs — this week over who will be the next Speaker of the House has been fascinating to watch. A group of about 20 hard-nosed conservatives from the Freedom Caucus held out for a week against the 200 or so other Republicans.
They demanded certain changes from the Nancy Pelosi era which included an end to passing humongous spending bills without enough time allowed to the members to read the proposed legislation, an end to proxy voting allowing a member to stay home and still have his (I use the universal pronouns so, feminists, please hold your fire) vote counted and finally after years of ignoring the growing national clamor for term limits for congressmen, a promise to bring such legislation to the floor.
It seemed to me politics as usual, but by the end of the debate I began to see how unusual it was to see a tiny minority within a political party insist on reforms in the people’s house. The speakership had over the years evolved into a position that was as powerful as a prince. It was time to break up some of that power and restore some of it to the individual congressperson.
By the end of the debate I think most Republicans, Independents and even some Democrats thought this was a necessary and much needed debate and whether anyone was especially wild about Kevin McCarthy (or Nancy Pelosi or Kareem Jeffries) the time had come for reform.
Initially I found the stubborn, hard-nosed conservatives irritating but as I listened to the debate I began to appreciate what they were doing. The sheep needed some cats in the barnyard. What the cats demanded would bring big improvements in Congress.
What I did not like was at the end a few cats refused to budge and join the majority no matter what was offered to them. I was reminded how democracy calls for compromise from our representatives and only in totalitarian governments do we see officials that don’t budge. None of us should get everything we want in life as that is not how democracy should work.
Debate is good and necessary but the time comes when we must make a deal, join forces and get down to the business of running the country.
What I admire most about Republicans is they allow their individual members to have different views. I dislike the recent trend of representatives lining up behind their party boss and goose stepping through legislation and sometimes without even taking the time to read what they are voting for, an abomination.
I ache for the days when true statesmen served our Republic like Senators Patrick Moynihan of New York, Everett Dirksen from Illinois, John Warner of Virginia and today my favorite senators are the rebels like Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Joe Manchin from West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. These senators put the nation above partisan politics and think for themselves. Cats, I call them. And thank goodness we have them in the barnyard.
I say “vive la difference!” when it comes to party politics I cringe at marching to partisan dogma. And, yes, I sigh with relief when we have opposing parties in the White House and Congress and separation of powers as one party rule always leads to corruption and, after all, who wants a Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum government?
Someone said this week Democrats were like herding sheep and Republicans were like herding cats. Laugh out funny — but — let us ever be wise and always keep our people’s house filled with both the sheep and the cats.
© 2023.
