United States -- from republic to oligarchy?

Americans all across the political spectrum are frustrated and angry with the 112th Congress, one of the most unpopular of all the nation's history. They are angry because the dysfunction has become entrenched as both sides game the system and bock the other's initiatives, no matter how well intentioned they may be. The result isn't a republic--it seems more like an oligarchy.

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - Most legislation used to be passed openly as a result of debate between all the members of Congress. Increasingly however, it is the result of back-room negotiations between party leaders who seem to then tell their colleagues how they should vote.

Bob Corker (R-TN) complained about this publicly, saying "This cannot continue, the American people are frustrated because of the way this place is not working, and it's not working because nothing passes through committee anymore. It's airdropped from the top."

Of course, party leaders also complain about this practice, but continue to engage in it regularly. They say it is a result of the widely divergent views between the parties on what the cause of the nation's problems is and how they ought to be addressed.

As if to defend their position, party leaders also point to the handful of laws that are occasionally enacted via the traditional committee process such as last week's approval of the $662 billion national defense bill.

However, on issues that matter to most Americans such as the budget deficit, the economy, and unemployment, the committee process has failed utterly. Last month's failure of the super committee demonstrated that point vividly.

The partisan politics and bickering are so intense that even negotiations between party leaders are in jeopardy of breaking down the -- even before they start.

Last week, Reid and McConnell apparently hammered out a deal that would extend unemployment insurance and payroll tax breaks for two months. However, Speaker of the House John Boehner announced that he would oppose the plan after rank-and-file members of the GOP expressed their frustration with the process. They wanted a one year deal, now.
The end result: Party leaders scrapped the apparent deal.

In response, Reid implied that Boehner had reneged on the deal, a claim the speaker vehemently denied. To patch things up, Boehner proposed a traditional conference committee to resolve differences between the two sides, but hopes are such plans are virtually nil.In fact, most lawmakers have left the Capitol for Christmas/Holiday break.

Some surmise that the heart of the problem is that individual members of Congress no longer feel their constituencies are being represented by party leadership. They're not content to wait in their chambers for party leaders to tell them how things are going to be.

Members of Congress complained that what they referred to as "regular order" has broken down completely. This breakdown of order has caused tremendous frustration across both the House and Senate.

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And there are some distinct dangers with the status quo.

First, is the concern that a virtual oligarchy could be perpetuated. Second, there is the worry that the nation is becoming so paralyzed that the legislature will find itself unable to act, even in the face of a national emergency. And third, the people are becoming increasingly disillusioned by a political system that no longer operates as it should-- for example, backroom deals hashed out by party leadership are worked out privately rather than in the full view of the American people.

Party leaders have always played a major role in the crafting of legislation, and getting it to the president's desk. However, the crafting of legislation has never been so powerfully concentrated in the hands of party leaders at any point in our nation's history. Congress was never intended to be a rubber stamp for legislation that caters to political extremes. The intent of the system has always been to pass compromise legislation that takes into account the interests of every citizen. Unfortunately, this is not what we have.

The ultimate responsibility for this does not lie in the halls of Congress or in the homes of the wealthy, politically attuned elite. Rather, the blame for this dysfunction belongs on the doorstep of every house on Main Street. For the American people get to decide who the leaders of our nation will be and how they will govern. And the best part about the system is that when leadership fails, the American people can participate in a peaceful revolution every two years as they head to the polls.

Perhaps it's time for the American people to realize that we are supposed to live in a republic, not an oligarchy and to vote accordingly.

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