In terms of inter-chambers
disunity, regardless of parties they are from congressman finds themselves
sometimes against their leaders or the President who comes from the same party.
This is greatly due to individual and direct election where citizens are enabling
to pick up and vote for a person they prefer and that person must hold
accountable to that district or constituency. Holding accountable more to
voters pushes the representatives and senators to serve group of voters and ignore
whatever the party or the people may want. They only listen to the
constituencies’ wish. Well, it is principally good to directly serve groups of
voters’ interests but it is pretty shocking when sometimes the Federal
government really needs a policy to survive, yet the congress just do not care.
One
can see that controversies definitely exist in the U.S. political system,
mainly in the Congress, which largely leads the Congress itself to become an
impotent organ for sometimes, cannot fully exercise their given powers. It is
verified that there are varied factors determine governance crisis in the U.S.
Congress but two are often encountered: the widening of ideological
polarization and the disunity among the congress itself. As the findings
advised, growing mistrust among liberals and conservatives presents a very big
obstacle for policy adoptions and implementations. In contentious attempts, the
two camps try to do the best to stop the bills from getting adopted. Because
deeply fall into ideological line, the representatives as well as senators disregard
long-term and voters’ interests and leaving the bills pending. It is completely
nonsense for some Americans and the outsiders. Too much polarization and
getting less and less compromise could be a major disaster for the whole American
society and probably many parts of the world.
Now say, there is no governance
crisis exists in the U.S. Congress. Why it is not? Simply not since, unlike any
other liberal democracies the U.S. presidential democracy stands out the rest
for various reasons: Powers are institutionalized, election is precisely regular,
and powers transferring very traditionally peaceful. Even important than that,
voters are active participants–they observe, question, demand for changes, and
if nothing is hopeful the opinion polls for next presidential and legislative
election will be not renewed. Unlike in developing world that are often
discussing about how to get away from poverty, corruption, and instability, the
U.S. governance crisis is about how to keep the country rich, powerful and stay
at the top of other major states.
I foresee that in the next
twenty years America is not a country of governance crisis and will not. Normal
case, U.S. governance crisis, if there would be, is a high class of crisis. Why
I dare to say this. I based on few reasons that continue to exist on America
land of freedoms. The first is its very clear cut constitutional system,
second, America is full of best skilled, trained, and best educated labor, and
third, high culture of compromised in melting pot society. And I think the key
to return to be the productive, strong, united and healthy America again is by
increasing culture of compromise. And to enhancing this culture of
togetherness, few things are to be done:
v
Revitalize high culture spirits that has been promoted since early
American society by the founding fathers. This is a foundation for American
society to keep united. Possibly, some important policies must take place such
as Americanization.
v
Return to the Cold War: I remember I once time watched
Youtube video where Professor Immanuel Wallerstein, an American sociologist,
strongly contended that ‘America did not win the Cold War; America lost the
Cold War.’ He convincingly argues that America’s business with Cold War was to
keep the Cold War in place, not to stop the existence of the Cold War. He
reasons that when the Cold War was over, the Pandora’s Box was removed; see
what happened under that box. May small things will come and up troubles every
of us. The same thing applies to the Cold War. During Cold War, there is only
one major issue to pay attention. Yet, the post-Cold War era introduced lots
and lots of problems which after all states could not handle. Hence, America
should find its way back to the Cold War situation so that its American society
can be united.
v
Avoid military autonomy: The increasing autonomy of
military-industrial complex or military-industrial-congressional complex, as
warned by the U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned during his farewell
party in 1961, could be a major tragedy for the whole country. What happens when military industrial
complex dictates or monopolizes powers? The Congress may become a puppet
institution serving military elites, bureaucrats, and the cliques but not
American in general. Thus, keeping the Congress works independently and
smoothly they should keep a careful eye on this growing deadly industry.
In short, governance
crisis in the U.S. congress is simply a crisis that most liberal democracies
encountered. It is not that serious, fragile conflict. This is the way thing is
done for most liberal democracies. Despite some discrimination and shooting
cases in the American society, America is more united than divorced. Today’s
polarization is not a deadly division like did during U.S vs. USSR Cold War.
American in general, Congress in particular, still can gather support for major
legislations, despite times consuming.