Many people from the Left and the Right are talking about their dissatisfaction with Congress. Both sides seem to agree that Congress has sold out to special interest groups and big money. Yet time and time again, we re-elect that same representatives that we complain bitterly about.

Many political analyst attributed to a feeling that, "my representative is doing a good job. The others are crooks." Another reason could be the blitz of hot button political ads that are designed to sell you on voting for a candidate where they at least appeared to be concerned about your concerns. And then there is big money. Incumbents have the power of gathering more money from their past political dealings. And if they have played their part well in the political machine, their party will funnel campaign funds their way.

But once the dust has settled and the election is over, the party leaders survey the board, evaluate their position, and then set their political agenda. This agenda may have little to do with the hundreds of campaign promises that were issued. It has everything to do with how powerful the leadership feels. And if any of the pawns decide to rebel and chart an independent course, they are putting their political career and influence in jeopardy.

Just take a look at what happened to Joe Lieberman. Once the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate, he was forced out by his own party because he chose a more moderate stance. Another example is an article from foxnews.com where a group of moderate Republicans and Democrats were considering a protest vote for the Speaker of the House.  Voting in a moderate Speaker would allow for more compromises in the House and could actually lead to progress in solving the countries difficult problems. But the article goes on to explain why this vote is not likely to happen. The reason, these moderate members are worried about their own careers and committee appointments.

It is the party leaders who assign committee members, and it is the party leaders who decide to to promote and who to let go adrift. So if a Congressman wants to keep their job and they want to have a meaningful role, then they are expected to follow the party leaders. So how can we help the members of Congress to break free of their political party bosses? The first step would be to have publicly funded campaigns. The second may be to enforce constitutional rules on Congress to prevent cronyism. One possible solution would be to make all committee appointments subject to a full vote of the legislative body. That way members of Congress could gain influence by earning the respect of their peers instead of doing political favors for the bosses.

 - Thomas Paine 2

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