Retiring Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Keith McCall told a group of Palmerton Area Democratic Club members on Tuesday night that he was aware that the Pennsylvania legislature was becoming more and more polarized. Legislators who wanted to solve problems and move the state forward were being replaced by ideologues who had no interest in compromise. Legislators scored points not by being reasonable, but by holding fast to their positions. Compromise was seen as a dirty word, synonymous with selling out.
Speaker McCall also noted that news coverage contributed to the dearth of bipartisan cooperation. He said that when the cameras were rolling, legislators played to the audience rather than trying to find common areas of agreement.
It occurred to me that had cable news been covering the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, the Constitution as we know it would never have seen the light of day. The large states advocating the Virginia Plan would not have considered the New Jersey plan, and the Connecticut Compromise would have been regarded as caving in by supporters on either side. Meeting behind closed doors probably would have doomed the work of the convention before it even started.
Polls indicate that respondents say they want bipartisan cooperation, but the results of the November election would indicate otherwise. The loudest, mort ideological, most strident candidates coasted to victory. Look at my own congressional district, where the racist Lou Barletta easily beat the mainstream and reasonable Paul Kanjorski. Voters say they want compromise. Then they elect extremist candidates. There is a disconnect here, and I don’t get it.
The notion that the media or ideologues contributes to the dearth of bipartisan cooperation is pure bunk. I think it would be more accurate to assign blame to the system. The legislative agenda is dictated by the legislative leaders. If you want to get along you have to go along . If you dare to buck the system you are punished. Your pork allotment disappears, you could be threatened with a primary or your staff reduced. Well intentioned legislators can introduce bills but if you are out of favor they are referred to committees never to see the light of day. The media did not create the furor of the pay raise debacle. The media did not create bonus-gate. If it were not for the media reporting the pay raise or the bonuses it is likely those practices would continue. To blame the media or the ideologues is as acceptable and childish as the dog ate my home work or the devil made me do it. While were at it why not just blame Obama...
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