The Naked Truth/Jamala Rogers
The Leadership Vacuum in the U.S. Congress
The dysfunction that’s been going on in the halls of Congress for far too long has escalated to unbelievable depths. We need to get past the late-night show jokes and social media memes. The world is on fire around us while those elected to the federal legislative branch are mired in testosterone-driven conflicts. They appear to be incapable of leading the country.
Congress spent months haggling over the nation’s debt ceiling debacle before finally agreeing on a temporary fix. Called the “financial Armageddon” by economic forecasters, the breach would have resulted in an international financial crisis starting with the devaluing of the US dollar. Interest rates would have soared while the stock market would have taken a dive. Social Security and other federal benefits would have come to a halt, throwing many American families into financial chaos.
The debt ceiling stalemate illuminated that Democrats and Republicans could agree on one thing. They agreed to raise the debt and take up the issue after the 2024 elections. With President Biden’s signature on the bill, the country was able to avert its first-ever default. For now.
I have plenty of criticisms of the Democrats, but it is mainly around a lack of strategy to assertively move a progressive agenda forward. However, I don’t see the behaviors that stymie critical debate and compromise as equal for both political parties. Hands down, that jacket can mainly be worn by Republicans. The far-right wing element keeps driving the country dangerously close to the proverbial brink.
Republicans kicked out Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy with absolutely no plan for a successor. The business of the country is being held hostage due to their short-sightedness and egos. McCarthy got to that hard-fought position on a wing and a prayer just months ago. The wings disappeared as the fallen leader said a prayer during a private meeting with his reckless colleagues, struggling to find McCarthy’s replacement.
The partisan political shenanigans continue to disgust the American people. A recent Pew Research poll concluded that our opinion of electoral politics and elected officials are “unrelentingly negative, with little hope of improvement on the horizon.” The fact that the Republican presidential front-runner is a former president facing multiple civil and criminal charges is downright scary.
This public disdain and alienation is bound to have consequences for the upcoming election cycle. The country is facing big problems with little leaders: high inflation, shameful homelessness, workers strikes, ecological destruction, senseless violence.
The rest of the world is also looking to the US for leadership. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict hit a volatile flash point that will lead to unprecedented atrocities in the coming weeks. The leadership desperately needed on the domestic and international fronts is not forthcoming. Those of us who understand the gravity of the situation are at a loss as to how to get our elected leaders focused and serious about the challenges facing the planet.
I’m reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King’s warning to the nation in 1968: “We’ve got some difficult days ahead.” Yes, we do — 55 years later.
