Keeping Idiots Out of Congress by J. E. Dean

Representative Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has filed a motion to oust Speaker Mike Johnson and throw the House of Representatives into another month of chaos. Representative Ken Buck (R-OH), who had already announced his retirement at the end of the current Congress, suddenly resigned, further narrowing the Republican majority in the House (a good thing) but also further empowering nutcases like Matt Gaetz, Jim Jordan, and a host of other Freedom Caucus members.  

Do you need more evidence that idiots, or, in the case of some elected representatives, simply dysfunctional people, should not be in Congress?  I do not think so.

Today’s Congress includes people disinterested in legislating.  Some of them facilitated the January 6th attack on the Capitol, needed the help of Capitol Police to avoid being killed by rioters, and have since joined Donald Trump in dubbing the insurrectionists “patriots” and “political prisoners.” Who can forget Senator Josh Hawley  (R-MO) fist-pumping rioters as they marched towards the Capitol with the intention of ransacking it and later witnessing Hawley running towards safety to escape the same people a few hours later?

I count Hawley, educated at Stanford and Yale, among the idiots. He should not be in Congress. And what about Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, a vocal Trump champion, being called an enabler of Russian disinformation?  If the allegation is true, Johnson should face trial for treason.

Although I follow politics closely, I am more familiar with the likes of Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and the right-wing dentist Paul Gosar (R-AZ), whose “service” in Congress has been condemned by his own family, than I am with members of Congress who view service in Washington as a sacred trust. This situation is sad. It should not be this way. The problem is that while constructive members of Congress do their best to make Congress work, the idiots are often in charge and use their power to block aid to Ukraine, hold ridiculous hearings, and attempt to shut down government by blocking essential appropriations.

I fear we are reaching the critical mass of idiots that renders Congress the joke that authoritarians think it is.  As Congress becomes irretrievably deadlocked, arguments for more executive power are strengthened. The idea of a president becoming a “dictator for a day” becomes more appealing to many voters, especially if that president shares their values and is effective in painting their political opponents as communists, lunatics, RINOs and worse.

Many of us wish there were provisions in the Constitution that would preclude the likes of Matt Gaetz (R-FL) from being elected to Congress. Should candidates for Federal office be required to swear an oath to uphold the Constitution and support the functioning of Congress?  Maybe. But it is easy to imagine dysfunctional candidates ignoring whatever pledge they make. 

Should candidates running for election to Congress be required to pass a test demonstrating knowledge of how Congress works?  I wonder whether Marjorie Taylor Green can differentiate between authorizing, appropriations, and budget committees. Could Paul Gosar explain how a bill becomes a law?  Does Matt Gaetz understand Separation of Powers and why the framers included it in the Constitution?  I doubt it.

And let us add one more requirement—any legislator winning election must pledge to serve the entire term except in truly exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness or incapacity or the need to care for an ailing child or spouse. Other than that, election to Congress should be seen as a contract. Legislators leaving office early should forfeit their retirement benefits, and any unused campaign funds should be seized to pay for any special elections held to fill their vacated seats. Sorry Ken Buck.

Should a member of Congress, such as New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), facing criminal indictment for bribery, be allowed to run for re-election?  No. No more than a man facing multiple indictments and dozens of felony counts should be allowed to run for president.

Although new Constitutional provisions designed to keep idiots and compromised candidates out of Congress and the presidency may not work, they may be worth a shot, even if political parties and individuals seek to circumvent them. It is worth a try.  

Americans are losing faith in the structure of government specified in the Constitution.  In the last week, I have heard various people suggest the Supreme Court’s transition into a political entity has destroyed the balance of power in what are supposed to be three separate and equal branches of government.  I have heard people suggest that “every” member of Congress is “crooked.

Can  American Democracy, as reflected in the Constitution, be saved?  I hope so. But it may depend on driving the “idiots” out of government. 

J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and, all too infrequently, other subjects.