Saying 'no' is simply part of Congress' job

Liberal arguments that Republicans in Congress won’t do more of what their president wants is a legitimate partisan sentiment. The left, however, has overplayed this excuse for their inaction. Their belief that the Congress is derelict in not rolling over for the president is just poor civics.

The country is not designed to steamroll forward with legislation. The federal government was designed so that big changes would be hard to make. (In theory anyway, as Obamacare was passed without a single Republican vote literally in the dead of night.) It was designed that way on purpose so that a minority could withstand the passions, and in our case today, the progressive fantasies of a majority. We don’t measure the success of our legislatures by the volume of legislation it passes. The last six years we could however measure their success by the Congress’ record of having the strength to say “no way.” The House Republicans, in particular, has paid heavily for their courage.

That’s not an intransigent faction of the country blocking the doorways to stultify the divine mandates of the Chosen One. It’s the proper function of legislators who believe the president is wrong, just as honestly as he believes he’s right.

Saying “no” is part of Congress’ job. Saying “I’ll act without you” is not part of his.

R. BRUCE JOHNSON

Sagle