Harry Truman coined the term “do-nothing Congress” to describe the Republican Congress of 1948.

If Truman were alive today, what adjective would he use to describe the latest Republican Congress, which set new low standards of accomplishment even while still drawing their generous pay and benefit package?

Probably not something that could be printed in this newspaper.

The Republican-led Congress is a mirror image of the Republican/tea party itself. Devoid of real ideas, they have nothing left but obstruction and destruction.

They’ve had plenty of theories, prophecies of doom and endless amounts of scapegoating and blame to go around but nothing else. Those endless, expensive congressional kangaroo courts fixating on Benghazi, Fast and Furious and Solyndra never got around to producing the impeachable conspiracies they sought. No matter, just more red meat for the “base.”

Long-ago conservative standard bearer white supremacist George Wallace famously obstructed a schoolhouse door in a futile attempt to stop progress. He was brushed aside into irrelevance. The tea party is the modern-day manifestation of Wallace and his old Confederacy cohorts and their historical “lost cause.”

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When gay rights, women’s rights, the rights of minorities and anyone, anywhere, who isn’t rich are not on the Republican Party radar, how do they expect to win national elections?

Answer: They don’t. They need to win just enough governorships and gerry-mandered House and Senate races to continue to wreak havoc.

Future Republican-led Congresses, and God forbid, Senates will make the current batch of “do-nothings” look benign in comparison.

Not content to simply do nothing, they’ll spend their time trying to unravel the fabric of this nation in pursuit of their lost cause. All the while, of course, cloaking themselves in patriotism and religion.

It would be laughable if it weren’t so depraved.

Jeremy Smith

Old Orchard Beach

 


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