Inside D.C.

Lessons from Tuesday

We’re in the Republican afterglow from Tuesday’s elections, the celebratory noise is still loud, and the rhythm of backslapping can be felt all over town.  Then there’s the undertones of Democrat grumbling and activist teeth gnashing, creating an interesting tune to which GOP congressional leaders and President Obama dance as they bob and weave over what’s going to get done and when.

There are new voices coming to this town.  I’m looking forward to meeting Iowa’s Senator-elect Joni Ernst, the hog castrating war vet.  Mike Rounds, the new Senator from South Dakota seems like a nice, smart guy, and I’m hoping Dan Sullivan of Alaska breaks the mold for his state’s legislators.

But as I type this the four congressional leaders are in a White House meeting with the President, the public description of which is to “explore areas of cooperation and priority.”  Cynics in town say the meeting was called so President Obama can lay out the agenda for the next two years.  Round-headed guys like me hope the meeting is what it’s been promoted to be, the beginning of a bipartisan way forward.

The GOP “wave” is a wake-up call for both parties.  First, government by edict, as in “trust us, we know what’s best for you” doesn’t work for the Democrats any more, and to continue down that path threatens their 2016 chances, as well.  The economy continues to stagger, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is at best working in a piece-meal fashion, the hardcore unemployed number isn’t coming down and salaries for those with jobs aren’t going up fast enough.

For the Republicans, the message is clear. The voting public is telling Congress as a whole “we’re tired of the partisan stuff, we want to see leadership and we want to see solutions.” If you’re a died-in-the-wool Republican you can only read this one way:  This is your last chance to demonstrate leadership, creativity and bipartisanship.  If you blow the next two years on bickering, partisanship and blame assignment, that’s it.  Oh, and by the way, you can kiss good-by any hope of taking the White House in 2016.

For the agriculture and food sectors, there’s good news in Tuesday’s outcome.  Sen. Pat Roberts (R, KS) won reelection by a comfortable margin after being dubbed the poster child for bad campaigns, and serving as perhaps the most dramatic example of voter frustration with Washington, DC.  Up until the polls opened on Tuesday a.m., Roberts was in a statistical tie with newcomer Greg Orman, a self-proclaimed Independent.  That should never have happened.  I was personally upset watching the Roberts campaign falter. I’ve known him since his House days, and I can say without challenge there is no bigger, better champion for agriculture in this town.  Had he lost, all of ag would have lost.

Both ag committees get new leaders – Roberts to take the Senate ag panel, and Rep. Mike Conaway (R, TX) will helm the House Agriculture Committee.  Both panels will get new blood and new thinking.  This scares the old timers a bit, but change is good.  This is particularly true on the Senate side where retirements of ag veterans open up at least four new seats. Oh, and by the way, Roberts becomes the first and very likely only sitting member of Congress to have chaired both House and Senate Agriculture Committees.

Those on the right who preach about a “confrontational majority” in Congress need to be quiet and go sit on the fringe of your party.  Such talk and behavior brought on the GOP wave, i.e., it so repelled middle America, they voted to clean house, and neither party is immune to that reaction.  While carrying political benefits for both parties, the overarching reason we need focused, deliberate, bipartisan legislating is that DC – on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue – has too long ignored the problems of this country, focusing instead on spinning alibis, playing politics and assigning blame.  There are crisises to be dealt with, people.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R, KY), who will become the new Senate majority leader, says he’s going to “fix” the Senate, meaning bipartisan bills, with debate and amendments, compromises and votes will once again become the order of the day. I hope he lives up to that commitment.

However, McConnell also said:  “The American people have decided it’s good to have a divided Congress, but divided does not have to mean dysfunction and inaction.”  Amen.