I’m not a big fan of U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich. It’s not that he’s done anything grossly objectionable, it’s merely that he’s flown mostly under my radar during all the years I’ve been interested in civic affairs.
But he said something the other day that resonates. The longest-serving – ever – member of Congress said Capitol Hill has gotten too nasty, too mean, too bitter, too partisan, too angry, too … well, take your pick.
He longs for a return to the days when Democrats and Republicans used to work together for the common good, such as when Democratic President Lyndon Johnson worked hand in hand with Republican U.S. Sen. Everett Dirksen of Illinois to get the Voting Rights Bill passed in the mid-1960s. Dingell was there for it.
It’s a new day now. We have the likes of, oh, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas questioning decorated Vietnam War vets’ appreciation for the military. Remember when then-Democratic U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner of New York launched into a frothing, screaming soliloquy on the House floor, calling his GOP colleagues every name in the book?
Dingell remembers a day when both politicians of both parties were Americans first and Democrats or Republicans second. These days it’s the other way around.
Effective governance doesn’t function well under the current toxic environment.