Politics July 2011

Of course the big political news this month is whether Congress can reach some sort of agreement on the debt ceiling and the budget. What we have here is...failure...to communicate. Republicans and Democrats alike are entrenched in their positions. Republicans don't want to raise taxes, Democrats don't want to cut entitlements. If we look back at the earlier entry from T. Harry Williams, we are reminded that politicians need to compromise and cut the best deal possible for the most people. Failure on the part of Congress means they are not doing what we elected them to do. Unfortunately, what is happening in Washington at this time falls into the category of J. H. Plumb's definition of politics: it is all about power. A more earthy way to put it: the Debt Crisis has devolved into a dick-measuring contest.

Political Truism- Possibly Archaic

If the politician is not a philosopher putting into effect eternal principles, what then is he? He is, and here we may speak of what may be termed the ordinary or average politician, an adjuster and a broker of the many conflicting and competitive interests in a democratic society. His role is not to ram one set of interests through but to compromise with all of them so that everybody can live with the settlement. When the politician is considered in this framework, he immediately appears in a much more favorable stance-he is the man who makes democracy work.
-T. Harry Williams. "Trends in Southern Politics. " in The Idea of the South, Frank Vandiver editor. (60)