Inaction Rules In D.C.

It's Halloween, sure, but now isn't the only time to contemplate something scary. In this session of Congress, politics has become so partisan that "gridlock" doesn't begin to describe it.

We're stuck with a two-party system that has no room to flex. The minority party always spouts the same line--"First elect us, then things will start to happen!" To ensure that election, the minority party tries to block every bit of majority legislation that could be viewed as a partisan victory.

The minority doesn't necessarily think the bill is bad. No, it's just politics as usual. Take the example of gun control. An insane gunman shoots President Reagan, but somehow Reagan feels enough like a duck to let that water slide off his back. In short, he doesn't support gun control--until he's out of office, when he becomes a staunch advocate of the Brady Bill. Did you ever ask Bob Dole if he's for gun control? He might be once he gets out of politics.

The Republican minority in Congress is overstepping the bounds of its role. A minority is not meant to obstruct; it is meant to advise and dissent. The Republicans claim a victory when they bring enough Democrats over to defeat a majority bill. But can you really respect the buyers or the sellers of the pork that made the vote happen?

Moreover, the Republicans appear to believe in differential treatment for the parties. When President Bush wants to send 500,000 troops to Iraq overnight, he just waves his magic wand. But if President Clinton wants to send one twentieth of that number to Haiti, the Republicans want to vote first! You'd think they forgot about passing the War Powers Act for their old buddy Richard Nixon and his little policing actions.

Besides partisan problems, one ugly malaise has enveloped the entire Capitol. This Congress is in love with the status quo. Health care, the crime bill and probably welfare reform will be the victims of inaction this year. For too many representatives, nothing is better than something that they don't completely support.

Why can't the politicians take an extra week or two to reach a compromise? Health care died not from a vote on a bill but from a vote to end the debate. Our representatives don't even feel the need to find a solution when they tackle a tough issue--the tackling seems to be enough. Defeatists on both sides are happy to throw up their hands after a supposedly noble effort.

The nation needs solutions, even imperfect ones, to its immense problems; fine-tuning can come later. It's true that a huge majority for either party would probably grease the wheels of government, but straying towards a one-party system is an ominous sign. Having dozens of splinter parties might foster some of the dynamism of a true democracy, but neither of the current parties will want to be the first to disintegrate. Some people suggest term limits for elected officials as a solution, but there's little reason to suspect that experience is the root of the problem.

With control of both houses of Congress and the White House, the Democrats should be able to pass bills much more easily than gall stones. The trouble comes when a few moderates decide to balance the scales.

Still, Democratic leaders should not try to romance them back to the party. Partisan pride shouldn't become the main engine for legislative progress. Instead, a renewed sense of duty should be instilled in our representatives. Why should a campaign slogan read, "We kept their hands tied"? That candidate didn't do anything either.

Daniel Altman's column appears on alternate Mondays.