“Throw the bums out!” That’s the message of a fiery call to action circulating on the Internet. In essence, it urges “we the people” to “take this country back” by voting every incumbent in the U.S. Congress out of office in November 2010. That’s up to 435 members of the House and one-third of the 100 senators up for re-election.
For openers, “we the people” aren’t all in agreement. This is nothing new. Even at the time of the American Revolution, before there was a United States, not all of the colonists wanted to break from England and even fewer wanted to do it violently. It’s belaboring the obvious to note that the Civil War was also a time of disharmony. Vietnam split the nation, as well. Even though Ronald Reagan won two decisive electoral victories, not all Americans shared my affection for him. Obama may be dropping in the polls, but he’s still supported by about half the country.
Much of the public is frustrated and angry — and not just tea partiers. That’s understandable. These are frustrating and maddening times. But frustration and anger can be poor states of mind from which to craft public policy. As we’ve learned from President Obama’s short term in office, all change is not for the better, and hoping for something doesn’t necessarily make it come true.
This throw-the-bums-out call for action concedes that a few members of Congress are trustworthy but screams that “as a group they are absolutely the most corrupt bunch ever to disgrace our nation,” so they all must go. The objective is to start over with people with no experience, owing no political favors, who will “understand that they work for us.” This is childishly naïve. It imagines that all Americans are angry and frustrated about the same things. There is no collective “us.” The right is angry about Obamacare’s march toward socialized medicine, and the left is angry that it’s not socialistic enough. The right wants a bigger troop surge in Afghanistan; the left wants us to pull out entirely. And so-called moderates, as usual, aren’t sure what they want but would like everyone to get along.
Democrats don’t think their congressional majority is corrupt; they’re just doing God’s work and making the deals necessary to bring it about. (Sharks don’t think they’re engaged in a feeding frenzy; they’re just having lunch.) Republicans are playing the role of the loyal opposition, desperately holding back the socialist tide. Why would a rational Republican or a conservative independent in Colorado want to vote against Rep. Mike Coffman, former state treasurer, legislator, Marine veteran of the Iraq war and, now, first-term congressman? What’s he done wrong? Rep. Raul Ryan is a bright, articulate, reasonable, up-and-coming conservative Republican congressman from Wisconsin. He’s an emerging leader of the party. Why dump him?
If all incumbents seeking re-election were to be automatically and indiscriminately opposed, regardless of person or party, who do you suppose would be on the ballot to challenge them? From where would these perfect candidates come? And how could you be sure they’d be an improvement over those they’re replacing, or not turn “corrupt” themselves, once in office? The two dominant political parties aren’t going away, and third-party candidates won’t be any more successful than they’ve ever been.
If Republicans in Colorado Springs took this self-destructive cause to heart, they’d be obliged to vote against Doug Lamborn, their conservative incumbent, helping liberal Democrats elect one of their own in a reliably conservative congressional district. Suppose Boulder lefties didn’t follow suit and re-elected Jared Polis? Angry and frustrated Republicans or conservative independents would then be governed by one more liberal and one less conservative. What will they have gained?
Rational adults should be leery of seductive-sounding, simplistic, populist crusades like this.
Mike Rosen’s radio show airs weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon on 850-KOA.
