The public has increasingly soured on Congress — and now, some House lawmakers are starting to agree. With legislating all but brought to a halt and partisanship at an alarming high, members of Con…
The public has increasingly soured on Congress — and now, some House lawmakers are starting to agree.
With legislating all but brought to a halt and partisanship at an alarming high, members of Congress in both parties are running for the exits, opting out of another term on Capitol Hill to vie for higher office or, in some cases, leave politics altogether.
It is a trend that skyrocketed in recent months — amid a tumultuous 10-week stretch on Capitol Hill — and one that is likely to continue through the end of this year, highlighting the challenges of navigating a polarized, and oftentimes chaotic, era of Congress.
“Right now, Washington, D.C. is broken,” Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) said in a statement when announcing that she would not run for reelection. “[I]t is hard to get anything done.”
“Right now, Washington, D.C. is broken,” Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) said in a statement when announcing that she would not run for reelection. “[I]t is hard to get anything done.”
What's amazing is that the party of Newt - who actively worked to divide America, explicitly, then cried about how "divisive" Obama was when he showed up. Because he was Black. And they do the same for Biden. Because he was basically tasked with fixing the mess that Republicans made (like Democrats always are).
Thirty House members — 19 Democrats and 11 Republicans — have announced that they will not seek reelection next year, covering a wide range of congressional seniority, post-House plans and reasons for jumping ship. Sixteen are retiring from public office, 11 are running for seats in the Senate, and three are eyeing other government positions.
The number of House members opting against reelection in 2024 is not necessarily unusual — 49 tapped out in 2022 and 36 in 2020. But unlike past cycles, when the exiting lawmakers have tended to tilt heavily toward one party or the other, depending on the moment’s political winds, the current departures are coming from both parties in a cycle when control of the House is up for grabs.
No. It definitely should be a career. I for one prefer political experts to do their jobs instead of random millionaires who buy their way in on a lark because they're bored. I want my lawyers to be career lawyers, my doctors to be career doctors and my politicians to also know what the duck they're doing and be career politicians. It's ridiculous how politics is the only important job where people want amateurs.
Political experts are making policy decisions about things they are not knowledgeable, let alone experts in. This is a problem. Healthcare, privacy, infrastructure, defense, right to repair, isp monopolies, etc. I don't want actors. I don't want celebrities. I don't want career politicians. I want people who actually understand problems working in government to get those problems solved for a brief time, not in place of being engineers, scientists, educators, and tradesmen.
It's a perfectly reasonable career. The fact that you're even saying this just shows how successful the American right's undermining of the government has been.
Hiring non-profesionals for a job is not a recipe for successful execution of that job's responsibilities.