Not Broken at All
No sane person could dispute that Washington is dysfunctional. The out-of-control spending, the arrogation of ever-more government power, the predictable and resulting explosion of lobbyists and insiders -- none of that is healthy.
But one senses that isn't what the veep is talking about. Rather, it seems that in his eyes (and in those of most liberals) Washington is "broken" because their agenda isn't getting through as they hoped it would.
Now, that may be an occasion for disappointment on their parts, but it isn't a sign of government brokenness -- quite the opposite, in fact. Most Americans disagree with the priorities of the Obama administration as well as its policies, from health care to cap 'n tax, to crazy spending, to Mirandizing terrorists. (That's why they wouldn't give the President a second term, at least not right now.)
So the fact that none of the unpopular Obama/Democrat agenda is getting "done" on Capitol Hill -- despite sweeping Democrat majorities -- is actually a sign of political health, at least for a representative democracy. It means that the people's representatives are listening to, well, the people. Otherwise known as the taxpayers. Otherwise known as their employers.
If we ever get to the day when policies and legislation actually gets enacted contrary to the expressed wishes of the American people, that will be the day that our system of representative democracy can fairly be regarded as broken.
How strange, though . . . we didn't hear a word from the vice president back when Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid were trying to coerce and kickback the unpopular ObamaCare legislation through Congress.