The Senate – designed to cool the saucer of political tea – now freezes the tea. It is where bills go to die.
“I'm extremely skeptical – indeed, justifiably fearful – of so-called populist movements,” Rockman says. “Usually they are just organized demagoguery.”
We have a system that the framers intended. We also have impulses that they feared.
Or, as Rockman points out: “James Madison, meet Thomas Jefferson.”
People are frustrated because they fundamentally dislike politics. In response, they turn to candidates like Ross Perot or Jesse Ventura to work miracles, even though such figures usually have utterly nothing to offer (including any knowledge about how to bargain in the political system).
The bottom line is, if we don’t like what we have, we ought to blame the founders.
Remember that Madison, the major architect of our system, not only was no raving populist but was (quite justifiably) immensely skeptical of human nature; he sought to create institutions that would keep us from having the capacity to make our worst motives authoritative.
That’s why what happens Tuesday in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania probably will give politicians a hint of the electorate’s temperament today – along with plenty of time to tweak their strategies heading into 2010.
Has the anti-establishment “tea party” movement had an impact on these races? Absolutely: Both Deeds and Corzine should be winning handily, no Democrat has held New York’s 23rd District since the Civil War, and President Barack Obama won Pennsylvania by 11 points. Do the math.
One thing is certain: Wednesday morning will pose a hangover for both parties as they assess going forward.