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Tag:

House of Representatives

BlogFrom the Desk of Bob Barr

The Benghazi Select Committee – Another Exercise in Republican Ineffectiveness

by lgadmin October 21, 2015
written by lgadmin

A generation ago, it took exactly 506 days between the passage of Senate Resolution 60 establishing the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities to investigate the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee’s Watergate headquarters, and the release of an exhaustive 1,250 report that would lead to the resignation of President Richard Nixon a mere 43 days later. By comparison, it has been 532 days from the date on which the Benghazi Select Committee was formed; and from all outward appearances, we are no closer to a resolution of anything than when the committee first began.

 

The point? The GOP does not know how to conduct oversight – one of the three key responsibilities of the Congress (along with legislating and appropriating monies).

 

The work of the Watergate Committee forced Nixon to resign as a result of the cover-up of the Watergate break-in. Now, a generation later, with the GOP rather than the Democratic Party in firm control of the House, the on-again/off-again investigation of the Benghazi debacle that resulted in the deaths of four Americans, including a sitting Ambassador, and which has revealed apparent violations of federal record keeping laws, continues to sputter. The contrast between the effectiveness of the two select committees could not be more evident.

 

When the Watergate Committee was convened after a unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate, members of the committee were chosen because of their esteem among colleagues from both parties, and because they understood their mission was not to embark on a political witch-hunt, but to find the truth and dispense justice for any discovered law breaking.

 

No such respect or appreciation has been afforded Benghazi Committee Chairman Rep. Trey Gowdy’s mission. Despite his competence as a trained prosecutor, Gowdy has had to fight tooth and nail against attacks on his investigation coming from on all sides. Not only have Democrats, and initially even Republican leaders like House Speaker John Boehner, refused to accept the need for congressional oversight into the Executive Branch’s actions leading up to and following the Benghazi attack, but Gowdy has been forced into cleaning up the fallout from Republicans like Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who make foolish comments to the press politicizing the investigation, thus further undermining its credibility.

 

Unfortunately for Gowdy, it is not a fight he can win; not because there is not corruption to uncover, or because he is unfit to lead the investigation. The problem is that Republican leaders in Congress have yet to figure out how to investigate Executive Branch abuse, or even to comprehend why.

 

The Obama Administration, and Hillary as a part of that Administration, is certainly responsible for its corruption and ethical deficiencies. Congress too, however, must shoulder some of this responsibility given its systemic ineffectiveness at holding the Executive Branch accountable for this pattern of misconduct. But why should a Democratic Administration fear an opposition majority party in the House that is busy fine-tuning the art of shooting itself in the foot; and a Senate also in the hands of a GOP majority, whose members are frozen in place and afraid to assert their numerical majority for fear of upsetting Minority Leader Harry Reid?

 

It is easy to blame outgoing House Speaker John Boehner for the pervasiveness of this permissive attitude. However, the problem is far more systemic than it is the fault of any one person. Simply put, Republicans no better understand their oversight powers and responsibilities now than they did when I was in Congress during the Clinton Administration.

 

Fortunately, Boehner’s resignation opens the door for reform of this broken process. The next Speaker of the House needs to be a leader who recognizes the constitutional and procedural sources of congressional oversight powers. If Boehner had better understood all the tools in his arsenal, then perhaps rather than simply empower Gowdy to conduct an investigation via a Select Committee, with its limited jurisdiction, he would have empowered the permanent House Oversight Committee — which has the broadest jurisdiction of any committee of the Congress — to undertake investigations that included, but were not strictly limited to, the Benghazi attack. Unfortunately, this generation of Republican congressional leaders never have exhibited the moxie for substantive, hard-nosed oversight investigations.

 

“It goes without saying that partisanship is at the very heart of the original problem,” the late Sen. Jesse Helms stated during the debate over the formation of the Watergate Committee. “It is all the more important, therefore, that the investigation be conducted in an atmosphere that inspires confidence and betrays no suspicion that less than the truth, and the whole truth, has been found.” If we are to have any hope of returning to our status as a nation of laws rather than of men, the next Speaker of the House must realize the gravity of Helms’ words, and work to reassert Congress as an independent check on Executive power as intended by the Constitution. I have learned the hard way, however, not to hold my breath.

Originally published here on townhall.com

October 21, 2015 0 comment
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BlogFrom the Desk of Bob Barr

My Candidate for the Next Speaker of the House: Newt Gingrich

by lgadmin September 28, 2015
written by lgadmin

Want a Speaker who knows how to get things done? Want a Speaker who is smart as a whip? Want a Speaker with a proven record of success under the most trying of conditions? How about one who knows when to press an advantage, and when to compromise? Want a Speaker who actually learns from his mistakes? Or a Speaker who has exhibited a true willingness to work with a president of the other political party without sacrificing the core goal of his Party? Then elect Newt Gingrich as the next Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

First, some disclaimers. I did not agree with everything Newt did as Speaker from 1995-1999, when we served together in the House; and, I do not agree with every position he has taken since he resigned the speakership and his congressional seat amidst a scandal a decade and a half ago. Newt did not endorse me when I sought a return to the House in 2014.

However, Newt Gingrich remains one of the singularly brightest and most competent public figures in the United States today. He can write a book, or deliver a seminar to a gathering of top CEOs or political leaders, on the most substantive of issues; from health care reform, to technology futures. There are few others alive today in the political arena who can do this — and none among those known to be considering, or being considered as a replacement to John Boehner.

While all 61 occupants of this constitutionally-established post have been members of the House of Representatives, the Constitution does not limit the pool of candidates to this college. Indeed, it would present a wave of fresh air to break with tradition in this regard; and, after all, 90% of a Speaker’s duties and responsibilities have nothing to do with representing his or her home district. And then again, Newt has served many years in the House; he knows how it works and how to keep a very fractious majority together even as he fought a very adversarial minority Party. In Speaker Gingrich, we would have the best of both worlds – fresh air and experience.

Think back. The last time we had a Speaker who actually accomplished notable goals as Speaker, and as a direct result of his hard work to forge a working majority and convince a President (who was not his friend) to come along, was Newt Gingrich. Structural reform of the House of Representatives, the Contract with America, a balanced federal budget, welfare reform, and tax cuts are just some of his more noteworthy accomplishments. Granted, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who served as Speaker from January 2007 to January 2011, can claim passage of significant legislation during her tenure – the Affordable Care Act and Dodd-Frank, for example — but these were easy legislative victories considering the fact that she enjoyed a Democratic majority in the House, a similar situation in the Senate and, most importantly, a President of her own Party who strongly pressed for passage of those precise measures.

Sure, Newt has been out of public office for over 15 years, but he has hardly been out of public service. His schedule is busy as ever; full of speeches, articles, interviews, consulting gigs, and appearances at political events. He is every bit the Energizer Bunny today as in years past. He has been active in more issues than he was during his terms as Speaker, for the simple fact his responsibilities do not include the many day-to-day duties with which the occupant of that office must concern himself.

Yes, Newt can be stubborn, wrong, egotistical, and aloof. He is no Everyman. At the same time, Newt has navigated the roadways between Wall Street and Main Street with consistent success; and he possesses as deep an understanding of what makes America tick as any current office holder, at any level of government. For Newt there would be no learning curve. Yet, there have been learning curves for Newt; and unlike many of his peers, he actually has learned from them.

Whereas two decades ago when Newt would deliver a speech, he might identify six main themes, each with five subparts and three minor themes. Then, through the course of an hour-long speech, Newt would and could follow each and every branch of his complex presentation. His audiences, of course, rarely could; even though they would gather he knew what he was talking about and it all somehow made sense. Today, Newt’s speeches are far more precise and aurally legible. He has learned how to simplify complexity far better than in his previous incarnation.

Despite their many partisan differences, Newt Gingrich and his counterpart at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue during the tumultuous years he served as Speaker – Bill Clinton – share much in common. Most importantly, they both possess an ability to fight for those goals their Party demands, but also a willingness to recognize when the time is ripe to join forces to accomplish something the country needs, and not be concerned that the other will claim credit for it.

Newt has learned the hard way that the world does not revolve around him. But Newt knew then, and he knows now, what makes the world revolve and what needs to be done to make it continue to do so, in a way that no other potential candidate for Speaker even comes close to being able to claim.

Originally Published here via townhall.com

September 28, 2015 0 comment
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From the Desk of Bob Barr

Election Results Sweet For GOP, But Will It Last?

by Liberty Guard Author November 5, 2014
written by Liberty Guard Author

You do not need to retain the services of a high-priced, K-Street consultant (I understand that “high-priced” and “K-Street” are redundant terms) to decipher the tea leaves of yesterday’s mid-year election. The message for the Obama Agenda and those who advocate for it was loud and clear: “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”

Last night’s results were a crushing indictment of the Democratic Party’s unquestioning embrace of the incompetence and corruption that has been the proud hallmark of this President. For six long years, voters watched as Democrats abandoned reason and integrity in order to protect “their” President and his agenda at all costs; never blinking in the face of increasing evidence of mismanagement and outright criminal activity in the Executive Branch. What they got for their loyalty was not an impressive track record of legislative victories, but a string of scandals and resignations-in-disgrace; and finally, a resounding rejection by the voters.

By the time the toxicity of the once-ubiquitous “Brand Obama” was clear, even keeping its namesake on the sidelines for the midterms was not enough to uncouple the train car transporting most Democratic incumbents and challengers, and prevent it from crashing off the rails.

Despite the dismal results of the midterms for the President’s Party, however, the writing on the political wall still is not evident to everyone. Die-hard Democrat partisans still cling to the narrative that Obama remains a sort of tragic hero, who after all of the trials and tribulations under which he has suffered, possesses still the courage (and relevancy) to rally his party. “I’m not sitting here blithely telling you we are as awesome as we can be . . . ” one top White House aide told POLITICO, “but, you hit bottom, and then you have the Obama comeback story.”

What worked for Bill Clinton — the so-called “Comeback Kid” of the 1990s, a decade ago — will not work for Barack Obama. Obama is no Bill Clinton.

Whereas Clinton was a consummate and charismatic politician — one who clearly eschewed an ideological agenda in favor of actually winning political victories — Obama remains to his core an arrogant ideologue unwilling to admit mistake; much less a man willing to swallow his pride in order to salvage some success from the embers of a crushing defeat.

We therefore almost certainly will not witness a chastened but optimistic Barack Obama rise from the ashes of his second mid-term election, to work with Republicans to accomplish at least some bipartisan benefits for the American people. Far more likely will be two more years mired in the same, tired routine of deception, bullying, brinksmanship, and unilateral actions.

But where go the Republicans, now that they have captured the brass ring of Senate majority control? Will they unite and govern as Republicans? Or will they be satisfied as so often they have been in the past, to simply cast themselves as Democrat Lite?

Americans truly are hungry for real leadership — the type of leadership that was promised, but never delivered, by the Obama Administration. The sort of leadership often promised, but rarely delivered consistently, by the GOP.

Indeed, the Republican Party has a golden opportunity to write its own comeback story. However, to do so it will have to act out of character and – in the bargain – position itself to beat Hillary Clinton, the all-but-certain Democrat nominee in 2016. Clinton will continue to put as much distance between herself and Obama as humanly possible in the coming months. Republicans will have to develop an actual record of conservative accomplishments if their nominee is to beat her; simply running against Obama – which worked in this mid-term – will not cut it in 2016.

Yesterday’s election victory is but a small prize in a much larger battle for the GOP; one it can hope to win only by recognizing and rejecting the mistakes it has made in the past, when its leaders stressed re-election and raising K-Street dollars to do so, rather than standing by and for a truly conservative legislative record. The jury is still out; but what happens in the upcoming Lame Duck session of Congress, and in the first crucial months of the 114th Congress with the GOP controlling both houses, definitely will signal in which direction the jury is leaning.

November 5, 2014 0 comment
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