Congress is Broken - How Do We Repair It?

The Capitol when first occupied by Congress
(painting circa 1800 by William Russell Birch)

Most people think that our Congress is not working well.  They are shrilly partisan. Everything they do is intended to make the other party look bad and ensure that they get reelected - regardless of the damage they do to the country.

Part of the fault accrues to us - the electorate.  Instead of choosing pragmatic ethical centrists who work towards the betterment of our country we elect the demagogues who spend all their time criticizing the other party.

Congressman used to make coalitions across party lines. Democrats would work with Republicans on important issues. We still have some of that but for the most part to work with the other side makes you vulnerable to a challenge within your party. Gridlock ensues. 

What can we do about it?  

1.  Elect pragmatic, competent effective people - not shrill partisans.

2.  Vote in the primary. At present primaries are primarily decided by the most partisan active voters.  The moderates often duck the primary, letting the far right decide the Republican primaries and the far left decide the Democratic primaries.

3.  Support a reform in Congress that requires 60 percent of the vote in the House and the Senate to elect the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate.  In most cases this will eliminate the shrill partisans - a centrist will be elected who works with both sides of the aisle.

All three recommendations are difficult.  It is hard not to vote for the guy who promises to give the other party hell. And the political party in power would not want the 60 percent requirement.

But we as voters should try work on all three recommendations.


Read some more:

  realclearpolitics.com/articles/2013/10/03/time_to_change_the_way_we_elect_congressional_leaders_120193.html#ixzz2qxKWf3TN 

1. Three reasons Congress is broken - The Washington Post

   www.washingtonpost.com/...congress-is-broken/.../8b282d2c-b667-11e2...‎

   May 23, 2013 - Robert G. Kaiser is an associate editor of The Washington Post and the author of “Act of Congress: How America's Essential Institution Works, ...

2. Top 9 reasons Congress is broken - Christian Science Monitor

   

   www.csmonitor.com/...Congress-is-broken/Insufficient-presiden...‎

   by David Grant - in 165 Google+ circles

   May 14, 2012 - Congress's approval rating is barely at 10 percent, and the venerable institution is filled with such rancor that moderates such as Sen. Olympia ...

3. Why Congress is broken - NY Daily News

   www.nydailynews.com/opinion/congress-broken-article-1.1474332‎

   Oct 2, 2013 - Edwards: While the current government shutdown is both disruptive, with many commonplace federal services temporarily halted, and ...

4. News for congress is broken

   
   1. GOP takes spending bill negotiating cues from Alex Jones and WorldNetDaily

      Salon ‎- 4 days ago

      Congress is broken in part because many of its members listen to, and believe, crazy people.

5. Images for congress is broken

    - Report images
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6. Is Congress a broken branch? | Debate.org

   www.debate.org › Opinions › Politics‎

   Tea Party Minority. When a minority within congress can take action, or rather not take action, that results in the government shutting down, clearly they have too ...

7. Senator Reid: “Congress Is Broken” - Wall St. Cheat Sheet

   wallstcheatsheet.com/stocks/senator-reid-congress-is-broken.html/?a...‎

   by Anthea Mitchell

   Nov 21, 2013 - The Senate filibuster rules are up for debate in Washington -- changes that could effect President Barack Obama's latest nominees.

8. Could a broken Congress be on the mend? - CBS News

   www.cbsnews.com/news/could-a-broken-congress-be-on-the-mend/‎

   John Dickerson: Despite the gridlock of the last few years, the next several months may see big congressional action on immigration, guns, and the budget.

9. The Congressional process is broken: We can fix it | TheHill

   thehill.com/.../congress.../318827-the-congressional-process-is-broken-w...‎

   Aug 27, 2013 - Skewed congressional redistricting is fundamentally responsible for the dysfunction of the U. S..

10. The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to ...

    www.amazon.com › ... › United States › Legislative Branch‎

    The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track (Institutions of American Democracy) [Thomas E. Mann, Norman J.

11. Broken Congress - Truthdig

    www.truthdig.com/cartoon/item/broken_congress_20140102‎

    Jan 2, 2014 - TAGS: 2013 2013 insanity broken congress cartoon congress gop house of representatives left new year new year 2014 republicans right ...

12. Three reasons why Congress is broken - Blog For Arizona

    www.blogforarizona.com/.../three-reasons-why-congress-is-broken.html‎

    Apr 18, 2013 - The first, and most important reason why Congress is broken, is the influence of money in campaigns. Ever since Arizona's contribution to truly ...