There are certain politicians who just rub you the wrong way, who make you feel like they are completely out of touch with ‘we the people’. I don’t normally like to speak ill of the dead, but the late Arizona Republican Senator John McCain was one of those politicians who just rubbed me the wrong way.
I recall seeing videos of McCain during some town hall meetings back in Arizona when he would be dismissive, even insulting to his constituents who would ask a legitimate question about a particular issue, or who would disagree with or question his position on something. I got the distinct impression from McCain that he felt that the average American voter was simply too stupid to really understand the intricacies of governing. That we needed the career politicians like him and his ilk to take care of us.
Not only is that dead wrong, but it was and is insulting to every single American. We’re quite capable of understanding complex issues and coming to a reasonable solution on how best to deal with them. We do it in our life day in and day out without any need for input from any Washington politicians. And our solutions never require thousands of pages and truckloads of money to address a problem. We usually discover that the simplest and cheapest solution is always the best solution, and then we can get back on with our lives.
I now get the same feeling that I once had about John McCain with regards to a lot of other Washington career politicians. The majority of them seem to be completely out of touch with the common man. Have you ever watched them on television news programs, they always seem very condescending, as though they’re talking to elementary school children. And there’s a smugness about them. Yes, Washington, D.C. indeed really is a swamp. A swamp that is in desperate need of draining.
I especially have the same sense when I see the Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell doesn’t really seem to have any connection with the average American anymore. If he ever did. Being “out of touch” just doesn’t seem to really cover it. Have you ever noticed that McConnell lacks any passion when it comes to supposedly fighting for us? He drones on and on from the Senate floor, inspiring no one with his oratory. Heck, he puts us to sleep. Where’s the passion Mitch? Pound your fists now and then, raise your voice! Let us know that you’re awake and not just going through the motions.
But it really does seem as though he’s simply going through the motions for public consumption, because he knows the real deal making takes place in smoke-filled rooms and behind closed doors where the great unwashed are never allowed to venture, much less ever witness or see what takes place. I’ve often heard it described as being “like making sausage”, though I don’t think that is really a fair comparison. A good many people like the finished product from sausage making. Not that many care much for what Washington produces. More often than not what Washington produces when they ‘make sausage’ leaves a real bad taste in ones’ mouth.
While Mitch McConnell was effective during the Trump Administration in getting judicial nominees through the nomination process, including the three Supreme Court Justices, we have also seen that his deeds often times contradict his words. McConnell will decry the spending bills presented by the Democrats and then end up voting in favor of them, as he did just recently. Does Mitch really have any principles? Does he really stand for anything? Or is he simply interested in the trappings and ceremony of his office?
Washington, D.C. can certainly be a heady environment. It’s easy to get caught up in the pomp and ceremony, and in the power one can wield that affects so many people. When the career politicians like Mitch McConnell show the disdain they really feel towards regular Americans, the message is received loud and clear.
The Washington politicians like McConnell and the rest would do well to remember that the real power in Washington is still wielded at the ballot box by average Americans who have simply become fed up with Washington.
We are capable of understanding the intricacies of governing, and we’re not too stupid to figure things out for ourselves. And our solutions don’t cost trillions of dollars, require thousands of pages, or end up making our problems worse.