It's a slow news Sunday; perhaps that's why political comment today seems to reflect certain immutable truths of doing business in Washington.
Dana Milbank's enlightening tale about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the "public option" in health care reminds us that our entire political system emphasizes the parochial, with each individual Representative and Senator focusing on local issues or (worse) his own political future. Seldom does leadership in Congress rise above that level to emphasize the broader national interest. Nothing new here, but no change, either.
A Washington Post editorial points out the foolish, counterproductive efforts led by certain Democratic legislators to force GM and Chrysler to reconsider - and presumably to reinstate - many of the dealerships they wanted to cut. George Will looks at similar inanity with regard to college football, of all things. Both show that the hankering in Congress to meddle in minutia for a cause that makes no sense but will garner votes is longstanding and clearly, unchecked. And, there's more parochiality involved here too.
It's not just government, though, as Patrick Leahy and Sheldon Whitehouse hint when they tout their Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act, which could start us down the road of reducing health care costs by introducing real competition in the industry. In this sector as elsewhere, however, "business as usual" means that although big business loves the feel of phrases like "spirit of free enterprise" and "competition" in its mouth, it much prefers the feel of "monopoly" in its bottom line.
Last in my catalog today, Dan Balz offers the view that the spark for bringing the Republican Party back to political life will come from a stable of state Governors. True, but not new. In the modern era, they've almost always been the elixir of the out-of-power party, the factor that restores balance. The saving grace of restating the obvious here, though, is that it's worth a read because the people under discussion are new, even if the principle isn't.
By and large, I have to conclude that Obama's desire to change the way things are done in Washington haven't got very far yet. On the other hand, that was always a pretty naive expectation, and one that voters surely didn't take seriously. As in health care, the fact that tilting at windmills is rarely successful doesn't mean the struggle isn't necessary.
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