The Perils of Representation
Tuesday, November 7th, 2006 12:11 pm by Neal |
| John Conyers |
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| Alcee L. Hastings |
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| Charlie Rangel |
In our winner-take-all system of representation, the majority party controls which politicians hold the chairmanship of the critical committees which wield enormous influence. HR notes that if the Democrats win today, these chairmanship positions will go to some radical, way-out-of-the-mainstream politicians.
Alcee Hastings and John Conyers are from minority controlled districts which are way the heck out of the American mainstream. John Conyers district has the largest number of Muslims in the country. Political machines in control of minority districts can re-elect and re-elect the same old corrupt and crazy folks until they build up sufficient seniority to be given a critically important chairmanship. Then these nutcases which could never win a national election end up with huge power over the whole US government.
HR concludes with this poignant observation:
Add Charles Rangel to the race-hustling congressmen who probably will end up the chairman’s seat on an important committee in the House if Democrats win a majority.
So its going to be Alcee Hastings chairman of Intelligence, John Conyers chairman of Judiciary, and Charles Rangel chairman of Ways and Means. All these gentlemen, straight from minority controlled political machines founded on racial politics in urban ghettos, will be running Congressional committees which are crucial to governing our country. Too bad Cynthia McKinney lost in the primary; she would fit right in. Of course I assume the Reverands Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson will exert great influence over these honorable Congressmen and offer their great wisdom in guidance.
Alcee Hastings is an ex-judge who was impeached and removed from a federal judgeship in 1989 on a bribery charge. Excellent character traits to work with the leaky, partisan US intelligence community.
John Conyers was a laughingstock last year for holding pretend hearings in an unused Judiciary conference room with some of his fellow Democrats to hear testimony for Bush’s impeachment. Now Pelosi John’s boss as Speaker says impeachment is off the table. Sure; we all believe that! John Conyers is a nut case right up there with all the other conspiracy buffs.
Charles Rangel has said that he couldn’t think of a single Bush tax cut he wouldn’t repeal. I bet that less than half of the households in his district pay any net federal tax at all; so sure why should he care how high taxes go.
Also don’t forget to add the great wisdom and steadying leadership of House Speaker Pelosi who said recently, “The gavel of the speaker of the House is in the hands of special interests, and now it will be in the hands of America’s children.” Seems about right to me since Democrats have sure been acting like children since losing the Presidency in 2000.
Excellent observations, HR. For more on these radicals and their ascendancy, check out Captains Quarters posts, “Meet The Proposed House Leadership, Part II” and “Meet The Proposed House Leadership, Part III.”