ShareThis Legislating Without Public Approval

Kerby Anderson, Point of View: Can you ever remember a time when Congress and the president pushed through legislation even though it was so unpopular with the public? This is a question that I am asked by callers and even co-hosts on a fairly regular basis. The way in which the question is asked varies from person to person. But the thrust is always the same. What is happening in Washington seems unprecedented. It is.

Recently Fred Barnes took the time to address the issue in the Wall Street Journal. He began by reminding us that President Reagan had a sign on his desk that said, "It’s amazing how much you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit." He remarked that if President Obama has a sign on his desk, it would say, "It's amazing how much you can accomplish if you don't care what the public thinks."

Those in control in Washington "are bent on enacting a series of sweeping domestic policy changes" which are very unpopular with the public. This is unprecedented. Sure, we have some examples of presidents moving forward in some foreign policy areas despite popular objections. Fred Barnes cites President George W. Bush in 2007 ordering a "surge" of troops in Iraq and President Jimmy Carter turning over the Panama Canal. But you won't find anything similar to what is taking place right now in Washington.

He says, "I can't think of a single major domestic initiative that became law in recent decades without public approval. Even the much-maligned Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988, which was repealed in 1989, was reasonably popular when it passed Congress the year before."

Why is the president and Congress determined to legislate without public approval? There are lots of reasons ranging from a belief that they know better than the public to a realization that the clock is ticking and the window for passing such legislation may soon be closing.

The point is this. The leadership in Washington is legislating without the consent of the governed. The citizens have an opportunity to stop it in November. I'm Kerby Anderson, and that's my point of view.

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Tags: Kerby Anderson, Point of View, legislating, Obama Administration, public approval, November, 2010 elections To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the ARRA News Service. Thanks!