On the one hand, we have a political systems which affords us the principal
protection that it is very difficult to get anything new and significant
done under it. Washington 'gridlock' is what most Americans basically feel
safe with.
So, on the other hand, when politicians want to get something done quickly,
the only recourse available is to 'suspend the rules' and really to suspend
all semblance of open democratic procedures -- because it is basically
those same procedures that make it normally impossible to do much of anything.
To get the rules suspended you need a significant consensus, among the
politicians, and here the consensus seems to be: (1) something has to be
done, (2) whatever we do some group is going to hate us for it, (3) so
let's just make sure nobody can pin any specific responsibility on us in
this matter.
The result? bad policy most of the time, good policy once in a while.
JAY.
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JAY L. LEMKE
CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
JLLBC who-is-at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
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