Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Days after the chaotic storming of the Capitol on January 6, some Republican members of Congress had an idea.
What the country needed, Reps. John Katko (R-NY), Rodney Davis (R-IL), and others decided, was a bipartisan commission, akin to the one established after 9/11, to sort through the facts and determine just how such a terrible breach of government security happened.
Now, though, the chances for such a commission are imperiled. A bill to establish it passed the House last Wednesday with support from every Democrat and 35 Republicans. But most others in the GOP, including party leaders, have come out strongly against the bill, with the party’s senators planning a filibuster.
It is a grave and serious examination by John Harwood as he traces back the perceived incivility today in Washington to the obstinate actions of GOP leaders in Congress. Harwood references an article from 2012, written by Tom Mann and Norm Ornstein, that supposedly exposes the Republicans of being an apocalyptic cult, to put things mildly and absent of all melodrama. Their conclusions – that the GOP had become ideologically extreme, scornful of compromise, unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science, dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.
Sounds harsh, to be sure. But here is where it is rather telling. In order to find this example of extreme partisan obstinance in Congress, Harwood had to reach back nearly a decade, meaning he had to overlook the behavior and actions witnessed in 2020. It is a curious choice, because if one is to be bothered by a single party working to oppose all it can as far as legislation is concerned –
Tax credit belongs to both sides - StarTribune com startribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from startribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.