We heard it a hundred times on the campaign trail.
“I am a winner”
“I am the only person who can fix things”
“I can make the deal”
“Nobody knows more about taxes than me”
We were promised a tsunami of legislation, a rollback of
every legislative achievement made by the Democrats in the previous
administration. As we reach the end of Trump’s first year in office, we are
slowly coming to the realization that he lied about his abilities – ALL of
them. His wave of Republican bills was a fantasy, and he seems to have as much
interest in the details of legislation as he does reading the Constitution,
essentially none.
Meanwhile, his GOP sycophants have been busily at work,
dismantling the government piece by piece. Shredding the regulations that
protect us. Selling off public lands to the highest bidder. Firing career civil
servants on a mass scale. Censoring government research.
But their big LEGISLATIVE “win” has yet to appear. Despite having
total control of all three branches of government, they have been unable to
achieve ANY legislative accomplishments. They seem to be on the verge of a vote
that they will certainly claim as a “victory” but most Americans know better.
For one thing, they had to destroy Democracy to do it.
They didn’t ask permission. They just did it. Right in front
of us.
Congress, despite being a public body, still operates with a
certain level of secrecy. Other than C-SPAN junkies like me, few Americans know,
or even care, about how bills make their way through Congress. Essentially, the
process is described by the Constitution, but the actual nitty gritty about how
to actually achieve effective legislation involves what has become called “regular
order.”
We have sadly learned over the years that involving BOTH
parties in major legislation is a necessity. This is, of course, how Democracy
works. Competing ideas and policies are advocated for, and then voted on. The
appropriate committees in each branch are selected to gather input on proposed
legislation. They then schedule hearings, markups and public testimony to craft
a bill that is acceptable. Both parties
can make amendments to the process and, if there is enough support, have them
voted on. Once each house passes a bill, a conference committee is held where,
once again, there are opportunities for both sides to craft something that can
get enough votes.
Note that my description of regular order assumes BOTH
parties are actively involved with working out the final bill. That was NOT the
case with the GOP attempt to gut the Affordable Care Act, and it is certainly
not the case with their proposed tax break for billionaires.
Republicans complained very loudly after passing of the ACA
that it had been rammed down the throats of legislators. They loved to joke
using the line “We have to vote on it, to see what is in it.”
It was all a LIE.
The process leading up to the ACA’s passage involved dozens
of hearings. Republicans were allowed to add HUNDREDS of amendments to the
final product. They knew EXACTLY what was in it.
They now seem totally blind to the hypocrisy we are all now
seeing. First of all, the Republicans are doing all of this monetary juggling
of the tax code under special rules. Because the tax bill is technically not a
budget bill, they are allowed to pass it with only a simple majority of votes,
instead of the usual 60.
The entire bill was being re-written right up until the time
it was voted on in each house, so NOBODY had a chance to fully read the
provisions.
NO Democratic participation was allowed.
NO hearings were held.
NO public testimony was sought.
The final conference bill was written behind closed doors by
a couple of rich white Republicans and released just before the vote to make
sure nobody has time to read it. If ever there was a bill that was “crammed”
down anybody’s throat – this is it.
Whatever respect I had for John McCain disappeared when he
announced he would certainly support this tax bill because it had been done in “regular
order.”
So, I will laugh out loud at the Republicans when they strut
about, crowing about their huge “victory.” What a joke!
Even with the deck stacked
entirely in their favor and given every possible advantage, they are struggling to come up with something
they can all agree on. The legislation they are about to vote on already is
opposed by a majority of Americans, for obvious reasons.
I did take some political science in college and I learned that there is a name for a country with one-party rule – a DICTATORSHIP. I fear we are rapidly becoming one and this silent coup d’etat has eliminated the one safeguard we have against tyranny, an open and honest debate about our country’s future. It’s hard to have a debate when only one side is represented.
