Always doing Nothing

Every two years there is a midterm election. And every two years, a new congress is supposedly elected. However, this so called new Congress never really seems to do anything new. In 2010, tides shifted from having a democratic congress, which was one of the most productive congresses in history, to then a do-nothing Congress with no compromise coming from either side. Since having a do-nothing Congress for the past 4 years, this year’s elections look as if this same do-nothing attitude will persist through the next two years and even possibly beyond.

             The 112^th Congress, which ended in January of 2013, was said to be the least productive and most dysfunctional congress in recent history (Washington Post). However, this was just until the 113^th congress came along. Yes, the same Congress that was elected in 2012 ended up setting a record for the least productive Congress in 60 years (Roll Call). Even though the Republicans had the majority, it was not enough of a majority to have no deadlock. And, with no compromise coming from either side of the isle, this Congress even went so far as to going into a government shut down.

            So, in this 2014 election, it really doesn’t look as if much will change. Sure, the Republicans gained 12 seats, but those additions really aren’t enough to change the persistent gridlock we’ve seen in these past years. The old saying is that you need to give a little in order to get a little. And in recent years, no one in Congress has been willing to give. We need people in Congress who are willing to compromise, but it is hard to win the support of your party running on the platform that you’re going to work with the other side. Unless we can truly change how elections work themselves, the implication of every election will always be the same: nothing.

Klein, Ezra. "Goodbye and Good Riddance, 112th Congress." Washington Post. January 3, 2013. Accessed November 21, 2014. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/01/04/goodbye-and-good-riddance-112th-congress/.

Eldridge, David. "113th Congress on Track to Break Records for Lack of Productivity." Roll Call. September 22, 2014. Accessed November 21, 2014. http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/113th-congress-legacy-shutdowns-shoutdowns-gridlock/.