I am clearly a person with liberal, democratic biases. I, along with many others, have had a tough time over the years. So many times, issues that were so clear to me (and others) were thwarted by the power of money that infiltrated throughout congress.
At the same time, I have tried to be aware that we are a democracy that requires attention to those who think differently. Those close to me may consider such attempts to be weak since I seldom altered my views. But, I tried and, occasionally, changed.
I was ecstatic when Obama won the Presidential election. I did think that this election would be transformative. Obviously, I was most disappointed by the last three years. I was aware of the Republican opposition and the problems associated with passing any meaningful legislation. While I could understand why Obama decided to do what was possible, given the opposition, I wanted him to go down a road that may well have been a total disaster.
I have shared by frustrations with the inability of Congress to alter its polarization. I am convinced that funding by special interests is the root cause of the extreme positions taken by both parties. At the same time, my bias was that the problem rested more with the Republicans than the Democrats.
Now, two of the more esteemed and reasonable authorities on Washington politics have written a very strong article that essentially ties all of Congress's problems to the Republican Party.
I can now feel better about myself. My biases are now validated by reasonable authority figures! I can sleep better.
