happy first post to me!

Before I start off on my rant-like opinions, I should probably give an idea of I how feel about Congress as whole regarding how it is supposed to work.

A two-party system was created with the thought that both sides could come to a compromise. Republicans and Democrats each bring both sides of an argument to the table and Congress’ job is to create legislation that recognizes both points of view to provide a universal solution. Going back to the Articles of Confederation, the idea has always been that legislature provides at least some form of a middle ground to provide at least quasi-satisfaction on both sides.

Today, as we are represented by a Congress that no one likes, (polls are showing an all time low 10 percent approval rating) most of us are asking what the problem is. My answer is a general lack of compromise. Though this unwillingness to lean over can be seen on both sides of the line, republicans are more to blame in regards to the government shutdown. As the majority vote in the House of Representatives, it was their job to vote on a resolution that would satisfy the needs of our oversized federal budget (another post for another day). Instead of doing this, however, a few key players in the Republican Party-namely, Ted Cruz and his band of loyal followers-put pressure on republicans in the House to use our federal budget as a means to defund the Affordable Care Act. Under pressure, republicans followed suit and are not only responsible for a shutdown of the federal government, but also what could be The Great Depression Part 2 if the debt ceiling isn’t raised by October 17.

So, who’s to blame for all this? I think that question has an obvious but also complicated answer. Obviously, republicans in the House failed to put up the votes for a CR, resulting in roughly 800,000 federal workers getting sent home, and thousands still forced to work but essentially getting an IOU from the fed govt for their pay checks. But what about the Tea Party? This almost unbelievably radical conservative group has had an immense influence on republican policy; they are definitely the reason why John Boehner is so hesitant to give in to Obama’s pleas. And history proves that radical tactics never work out in the long run (MODERATION IS KEY). Because they let the Tea Party whisper dirty little things in their ear, republicans are in a bind that looks pretty hard for them to get out of. One the one hand, if they give in they might lose Tea Party votes. On the other, if they don’t give in their chances of keeping their seats next year are slim to none. The entire House goes up for election next year and as polls begin to show a wavering support for republican representatives among conservative voters, their band to stick together seems like a moot point.

Along with that, pride seems to be a big deal among some key players in the House (*cough*Boehner*cough*). With Boehner saying stuff like “extortion” and “unconditional surrender” and calling Obama but not giving any real idea of what his plans are, I can only conclude that Boehner is being a giant baby. I mean, come on man. I know the Tea Party is on your pant leg but you need to be a man and actually do what the Constitution is paying for you to do. Instead of name calling, bring a bill up for vote in the House. Because more than enough House republicans have gone on record saying they will vote to pass a clean bill, there should be no problem getting it through. Then it’ll sail through the Senate and Obama can sign it and America can continue to reap the benefits of our federal taxes. Not that hard. And as far as the Tea Party, they are losing their steam fast. It’s better to hop off that train before it comes to a brutal stop and your career follows. We are now at the point where republicans finally are starting to lose faith in false prophets (oops I meant the Tea Party) and are starting to realize these tactics don’t work and the only way to legislate is through compromise.

In the words of a republican representative whose name escapes me at 2:00 a.m., Congress needs to start doing the job it is paid to do. Republican congressmen need to work on bringing back the once dignified party out of the laughing stock at which it presently resides.