Op-Ed

Meredith McGehee:  Usually the news that a Member of Congress is seeking $30 contributions would be received as good news — evidence that there is a role for average Americans in the multi-million dollar campaign game.  But the recent debacle involving Members skipping their own swearing-in and fundraising in the United States Capitol reflects horribly on the institution. The situation highlights the poisoned atmosphere in Washington where for all too many Members the never-ending campaign threatens to trump their constitutional role of legislating.  

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday moved closer to his goal of becoming majority leader in 2013 after Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad’s (D-N.D.) surprising announcement that he would not seek reelection.

Last week, members of Congress took time out of the congressional schedule to read the words of the U.S. Constitution. It amazes me, in light of the critical condition Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) now confronts, that somehow by some twist of fate she fell in line at the place where she read the words of the First Amendment. The Constitution is the touchstone of every legislator; it is almost a sacred text in our democracy. In view of our reverence for the document, I think some Americans were surprised by its simple, unvarnished prose. Legislators know that legal codes are not great literature. From our experience, we recognize it is not the letter of the law, but the power of its words that makes a difference in people’s lives. And it is that power that we have called the spirit of the law, the essence of what the First Amendment stands for.

With 11 straight months of private sector job growth, America is moving in the right direction. Yet with still too many people searching for work, the Obama administration is continuing its efforts to spur hiring. Last week, as part of that pursuit, the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders hosted its Summit on Entrepreneurship and Small Business Growth in Silicon Valley.

On July 24, 1998, just as the House of Representatives concluded debate on contentious healthcare legislation, Russell Weston stepped into the Capitol building and fired a gun, killing officer Jacob Chestnut. He then proceeded into the office of then-Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas), where he encountered Detective John Gibson. Gibson was able to stop Weston from killing others in the whip’s office (including me), but not without sacrificing his own life in the process.

The high-stakes game of political chicken surrounding a necessary increase in the federal debt ceiling this spring will be an interesting test of which side — President Obama or the Tea Party freshman class — really has cojones.

As Sudan’s referendum approaches, the administration and many in Congress have understandably been focused on ensuring that voting is allowed to occur and that results are respected. However, the referendum is just one key step in forging a sustainable peace between north and south Sudan.

Having been tested in his early years by Vietnam — as was I — and having forged a peace in the Balkans, Richard knew firsthand the many ways in which the resolution of war can be derailed by political strife, economic instability, injustice and social or cultural barriers.

In January 2011, the new Republican majority will have to decide whether the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), the independent ethics watchdog that was established in 2008 at the urging of the Democratic leadership, will continue to exist. Many from both sides of the aisle have called for its elimination. Rather than doing that, however, perhaps all the OCE needs is some remodeling.

Traditional Republicans, especially the wealthiest, should be pleased with life under President Obama, while its understandable that Democrats, especially the liberal base who worked for his election, might feel disappointed and deceived.