Uncivil Behavior in Congress Does Not Mean Civility Is Dead
The great portion of American society pays no heed to the attention seekers in Congress and on cable news.
A common theme in some science fiction tales, such as Carl Sagan’s Contact, was based on the fearful premise that aliens would gain their first inklings of human society from our radio and television signals leaking out into the cosmos. Whether they caught a glimpse of early news reels of Hitler’s rallies or Ricky and Lucy arguing over burnt toast, the impression uniformly failed to put our best foot forward. Taking a more local view, were one to know nothing of American government beyond CSPAN’s coverage of the House floor, the gab festivals on MSNBC and Fox, or coverage of this summer’s town hall meetings, you’d be tempted to think we were the least civil society imaginable.
The latest incarnation of shouting in the public square came in the form of Representative Alan Grayson (D-Florida). The congressman took time out of his busy day to assemble helpful charts and posters on the House floor informing us that the entire Republican caucus wants all of the sick people in the United States to expire in an expedient fashion to save money. While it falls well short of the fisticuffs which regularly take place in the legislatures of certain Asian and South American nations, the presentation smacked of a lack of class and subtlety.
Still, the entire affair might have passed without notice were it not for the curious response of the chamber’s majority leadership. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi moved quickly to squelch any calls for an official apology from Grayson, claiming that such scuffling in the mud would represent a “distraction” from the more pressing matters at hand. And an admirable response it would have been, had she not first made the same claim about Joe Wilson’s “you lie” outburst, but then allowed a resolution of censure to move forward.
It hasn’t always been this way in the halls of Congress, though. During the infamous Army-McCarthy hearings, there were actually calls for the indictment of Army legal representative Joseph Nye Welch for saying, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?” Today, such a question would fail to elicit much more than yawns.
And what of the rowdy, disruptive behavior on display at town halls across the nation this summer? They featured crowds packed to the rafters, peppered with accusations of communist tendencies and snarling supporters noshing on the fingers of protestors. But this is also a fairly recent development, and likely not indicative of the nation at large.
I’ve been attending these public forums for many years, and legislators have traditionally had trouble filling a space the size of a high school gymnasium. To be sure, there were heated moments at times, but they frequently dealt with local, personal problems which voters wished to bring to the attention of their representatives.
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Jazz Shaw is a heretical, Northeastern former RINO and regular columnist at The Moderate Voice. He can be reached at jazzshaw@gmail.com.
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18 Comments
1. Libertyship46:While it may be true that the people who show up at town hall meetings represents a small proportion of the actual voters, they still vote REGULARLY and they influence the few other people who vote regularly. Size doesn’t really matter if the overall effect is a big one. Right now people are angry and that anger is boiling over into the news and on talk radio. Like advertising, a small message may have a big impact on people who actually do go out there and vote. Also, who’s to say that the people who show up at town hall meetings and who attend tea parties do not represent what the majority of this country is feeling right now? After all, the entire television industry is based on the Nielson ratings system and at last count that organization only monitors a few thousand televisions around the country. According to the above article, then that small percentage of televisions monitored by Nielson is irrelevant and doesn’t accurately represent what people are actually watching. Maybe that’s a correct assumption, but we are basing the entire television industry on that. I think the level of discontent with what is going on in Washington is enormous, especially after all of these bailout fiascos. If health care goes through and a substantial majority of this country does NOT support it, God help the politicians in Washington. I hope they’ll be able to find a new day job.
Oct 4, 2009 - 4:05 am 2. Pragmatist:If aliens did indeed get their information about earth from American TV and Hollywood Movies they would presume that Blacks are the most intelligent, dominant, law abiding, brilliant people in the USA. Think about it in EVERY TV show and Movie a Black guy is ALWAYS the Boss, the Chief of Police, the Chief Detective, the City Mayor, the President, the Scientific genius, the nerdy yet brilliant friend, the Criminal with a heart of gold and the Hero’s longest bestest truest friend ever. What a Black guy never is is the Guilty Criminal, the Terrorist or a moron those parts are reserved for Whitey only and preferably ‘Foreign’ whiteys.
Oct 4, 2009 - 5:24 am 3. Poor Citizen:As the title of your article implies and recent news articles have touched on. This president has faced almost a verbally violent tirade from the opposition since the day he was sworn in. I too have noted a sense of almost “violent childlike rage” I, like many are concerned about some aspects of this rage and where it comes from and its motivation. It looks like the congress has a handle on so far though. And, I am sure that over time, the “far end” elements will remove themselves with the more sensible arguments winning over. I really believe that some of the opposition concerns over certain policies are legitimate. I just dont think they appreciate losing. Lets just hope the very recent calm, remains.
Oct 4, 2009 - 5:50 am 4. WellEducatedCad:It is very apparent on other blogs that the Left is losing it- the cursing and name calling from the Left has reached new Highs (lows). I honestly wish this country would divide- let the Liberals have their half and let the rest of us secede. Then we can see who is correct and they can destroy their own economies and not drag the rest of us down with them. But lets change the ” Blue States” to the color Red- the color of Communism which IS what they are.
Oct 4, 2009 - 5:54 am 5. Enter 2009:Leave it to the other guy is not an attribute.
If two-thirds of our population hadn’t sat on their lazy, rear ends taking and taking from our society while at the same time expecting; even demanding that everything runs smoothly in their own lives – life in general in the USA might just be in a lot better condition than it is now.
The history of civics demonstrates that civility also includes the responsibilities of dominion over our governing system by “everyone” involved, not just a few. Sometimes that means loud and slap back.
When we don’t have a nation willing to participate at that level we give up the right to enjoy our heritage; ending up with a preposterous mess on our hands that no one in the room knows how to fix.
Oct 4, 2009 - 6:16 am 6. adnerb:3. Poor Citizen: Do you imply that the Bushitler crowd was civil towards George Bush?
Oct 4, 2009 - 8:02 am 7. David S:I get the whole civility argument – but the GOP is losing this one. Wilson’s outburst is not in any way comparable to Grayson’s presentation. Trying to draw an equivalence is not going to work, because the people who are paying attention can tell the difference between a formal Presidential address and open Congress.
Moreover, Wilson’s outburst was not only against the rules, it was factually incorrect. On the other hand, Grayson’s comments were made in the proper context, and borne out by the facts on the ground. His apology to the dead Americans the GOP let “die quickly” is not only powerful rhetoric, it is a pointed reply to the “death panels” nonsense from the summer.
When it comes to civility, I’m all for it – but sometimes the truth is not pretty, and in those cases, I say speak the truth, regardless of who is offended. Grayson spoke the truth, and did so in a civil and respectful way, in the proper context. His apology rang much truer than the one offered by Wilson.
Peace.
DS
Oct 4, 2009 - 8:03 am 8. Now and Then:“snarling supporters noshing on the fingers of protestors”
But wait, Pinky Boy sucker punched Reform Guy in the face, knocking him to the ground and into the busy street. This from a guy who said he was not part of the rally, and did not go to advocate for his political views. I guess he was there to fill a boring day by assaulting somebody.
As Reform Guy pulled himself up off the ground, Pinky Boy got in his face again. So Reform Guy chomped down on his finger, spit it out and said, “FU, asshole.” Pinky got what he deserved and retreated wailing in disbelief, leaving like-minded anti-reformers nonplussed that anyone is capable of violence. I can see why you would leave that context out of your blatant revisionism.
Oct 4, 2009 - 8:17 am 9. Poor Citizen:6. adnerb: I am implying exactly what I am implying. I do not think the country, in generaly gets annoyed by a few demo/s or a few names being called but most “sensible” folks would agree that this President has had to endure a peculiar kind of hatred … even before he had his first 90 days in office. Even then, it might be ok if he had been implicated in criminal behavior (i.e. bush, florida election fraud 2000), but he was elected on a “clear mandate” election scale. However, like I said, things appear to be calming a bit now that some on the fringe have finally settled into the reality that he will be around awhile. Change takes time and I think time is on common sense’ side. And lets face it, his leadership is beginning to bear fruit already, across the world.
Oct 4, 2009 - 8:21 am 10. Tom Perkins:“Wilson’s outburst is not in any way comparable to Grayson’s presentation.”
It was comparable to George Bush being booed during his SotU addresses, and the Democrats rising to applaud when he said they killed his attempt to preserve Social Security.
Also, the only way Obama wasn’t lying when Wilson said he was, is that Obama is too incompetent to knowg what was in the bill.
You get to pick which.
Oct 4, 2009 - 9:14 am 11. Nate:Is civility to be desired? Without anger — and, yes, sometimes violence — we would still be a colony under British rule, and the queen of England would still be able to dissolve parliment at will as her predecessors could prior to the English civil war. Monarchies would still dominate Europe, The Netherlands would still be under Spanish dominion, and the Vatican would still be at its pre-reformation heights of power and corruption. Grant the American revolution and even the American civil war and we’d still have segregation, poll taxes, and literacy tests because the angry wing of the civil rights movement was the threat that the powerful to the table with the peaceful wing.
Civility is the ally of the status quo. The status quo is massive vote fraud, incumbancy protection laws masquerading as campaign finance reform, and governmental overreach.
Oct 4, 2009 - 9:22 am 12. jw:On eligible voters: I believe that the number, 300 million, of those who did not vote and were eligible to vote, is incorrect.
Oct 4, 2009 - 9:48 am 13. BackwardsBoy:(1) The total population of the United States includes children, who are not eligible to vote, as well as those in prison, and those who cannot, like those in nursing homes and diseases of the brain, like Parkinson’s.
(2) The method of tracking voters is faulty. Those who have died or moved are still counted as eligible voters.
I cannot adequately express my embarassment and disgust with Alan Grayson, my Representative. His uninformed and immature rant against opponents of a federal takeover of the finest health-care system in the world confirms my belief that he is unqualified for office and should resign immediately. He quite simply doesn’t have the intellectual capacity necessary for high political office. Instead of a rational exploration of all possible solutions to the issue, we get a tantrum.
Oct 4, 2009 - 9:50 am 14. Now and Then:He does not speak for me.
Let’s see what Steven Hayward, F.K. Weyerhaeuser fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of “The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution, 1980-1989, has to say:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100103889.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
mmm mmm mmm
Oct 4, 2009 - 3:04 pm 15. girlsgonegop:Mr. Shaw– Have you ever listened to a Hugh Hewitt show? He is one of the most refined, polite and intelligent voices on conservative talk radio today. To imply that he is ‘uncivil,’ ‘rude,’ or ‘violent’ is extremely ill-informed. I for one am hoping the aliens are listening to him rather than watching “Dancing With the Stars.” They may thereby draw the (incorrect alas) conclusion that the majority of our populace are informed and intelligent.
Oct 4, 2009 - 9:28 pm 16. ian cormac:One assumes that Hayward would be denouncing Reagan and supporting this brand new thing called detente back in 1977. Tax cuts dangerously inflammatory and probably inflationary
Oct 5, 2009 - 9:20 am 17. David S:@13. BackwardsBoy:
Love the name. Keep it. It fits so well.
Alan Grayson is a hero for refocusing attention on the true consequences of GOP intransigence. His well-sourced and accurate statements against opponents of any and all health reform confirms that he not only is qualified for his office, he was made for this moment. He has more intellectual capacity himself than the Florida GOP caucus has as a whole. He is a successful businessman and lawyer who knows his stuff.
He may not speak for you, but he speaks with conviction for millions of Americans who are tired of the GOP working so hard to hurt the Republic. His apology was one of the finest moments in Congress so far this year.
Peace.
DS
Oct 5, 2009 - 12:40 pm 18. ian cormac:He was good on the Fed, and then he had to ruin that with this idiocy. They are cutting 600 billion out of Medicare, the FCCER in the stimulus bill, will determine whether treatment
Oct 5, 2009 - 6:50 pmis warranted, so will the IMAC. All of these are facts, this is what he is defending