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May 16, 2016
Confessions of a House Dem: Doesn't Read Bills, Told How to Vote, Reelection Top Priority
Confessions of a House Dem: Doesn't Read Bills, Told How to Vote, Reelection Top Priority
"Voters are incredibly ignorant and know little about our form of government and how it works."
A new tell-all book about the inner workings of Congress is set for release later this month that has Washington D.C. buzzing. It's called The Confessions of Congressman X and it promises "a devastating inside look at the dark side of Congress as revealed by one of its own."
All that is known about the anonymous congressman is that he is a Democrat and sat down with Robert Atkinson, a former staffer for two congressional Dems, who took notes during several meetings and received the blessing to publish the conversations.
The deep-seated corruption that this insider's look reveals isn't all that surprising to most readers weary of a bloated federal government, but it's unsettling nonetheless.
On voting:
Fundraising is so time-consuming I seldom read any bills I vote on. I don't even know how they'll be implemented or what they'll cost.
My staff gives me a last-minute briefing before I go to the floor and tells me whether to vote yea or nay. How bad is that?
I sometimes vote "yes" on a motion and "no" on an amendment so I can claim I'm on either side of an issue.
It's the old shell game: if you can't convince 'em, confuse 'em.
On voters:
Voters claim they want substance and detailed position papers, but what they really crave are cutesy cat videos, celebrity gossip, top 10 lists, reality TV shows, tabloid tripe, and the next f***ing Twitter message.
I worry about our country's future when critical issues take a backseat to the inane utterings of illiterate athletes and celebrity twits.
Like most of my colleagues, I promise my constituents a lot of stuff I can never deliver. But what the hell? If it makes them happy hearing it, and they're stupid enough to believe it, shame on them.
On donations, bribes and spending:
Some contributions are subtle. Donations to a member's nonprofit foundation. Funding a member's charitable pet project. Offsetting the costs of a member's portrait to adorn the committee room he or she has so faithfully served.
It's all a bunch of bulls*** to get around gift bans and limits on campaign contributions. Where there's a will, there's a way.
Business organizations and unions fork over more than $3 billion a year to those who lobby the federal government. Does that tell you something? We're operating a f***ing casino.
I contradict myself all the time, but few people notice. One minute I rail against excessive spending and ballooning debt. The next minute I'm demanding more spending on education, health care, unemployment benefits, conservation projects, yadda yadda yadda. I'm for having everything, just like my constituents.
On his own party:
Our party used to be a strong advocate for the working class. We still pretend to be, but we aren't. Large corporations and public unions grease the palms of those who have the power to determine legislative winners and losers.
Most of my colleagues want to help the poor and disadvantaged. To a point. We certainly don't want to live among them. Or mingle with them, unless it's for a soup kitchen photo op. ... Poverty's a great concern as long as it's kept at a safe distance.
I'm concerned my party has an activist far-left wing intolerant of center-leftists. Like the Republican Tea Party, these ideologues are much too rigid and extreme in their beliefs. And they're equally unappealing to mainstream Americans.
On media bias:
Political columnists, TV commentators, and talk show hosts are inherently biased and aspire to effect election outcomes. Pretending otherwise is a thing of the past. You're either red or blue, and there's no in-between. Little wonder voters flock to TV stations, newspapers, and websites offering them the partisan news slant they believe in. ... Journalists are a lot like the politicians they interview. The more elite ones are puffed up with self-importance and entitlement.
In the book, the congressman sets aside an entire chapter for Sen. Harry Reid, calling him "a pompous ass." He lumps in Sen. Mitch McConnell and just about everybody in the House.
"Seniority sucks," he adds. "Most of the leaders in both parties – House and Senate – are living fossils who don't exactly convey an attractive and vigorous image of Congress. We need to weed our geriatric landscape. Replace longtime careerists with new blood. People who understand the power of collaboration."
Sadly, his contempt for voters has a ring of truth to it, as many Americans have stepped aside and let the federal government trample through:
Voters are incredibly ignorant and know little about our form of government and how it works. It's far easier than you think to manipulate a nation of naive, self-absorbed sheep who crave instant gratification.
But with Americans turning their backs on corruption in politics and looking for the next great hope, lawmakers like Congressman X are willingly taking full advantage of their ignorance in achieving their ultimate goal:
My main job is to keep my job, to get reelected. It takes precedence over everything.
Screw the next generation. Nobody here gives a rat's ass about the future and who's going to pay for all this stuff we vote for. That's the next generation's problem. It's all about immediate publicity, getting credit now, lookin' good for the upcoming election.
Wild Thing's comment.................
The author is strongly rumored to be Steve Israel soon to be departing NY's Third Congressional District. He's been a lapdog for Chuck Schumer and Obama and has eagerly enabled all of the taxing and spending of the stimulus and Obamacare.
Posted by Wild Thing at May 16, 2016 12:50 AM
Comments
This "confession" is no surprise. It is, however, a great argument for term limits.
Posted by: TomR,armed in Texas at May 19, 2016 03:34 PM
