It's Not "Congress" or "Washington"

The need to be precise

Photo by Samuel Corum

Is Congress in chaos? For sure. 
Is much of Washington at least borderline dysfunctional? Yep. 
Is our political polarization extreme? You bet.
Do fringe factions have undue influence on our governance? No doubt about it. 

Oh, and one more question: Does false equivalence infect the framing of our political moment in ways that grossly distort the truth? Sadly, yes. And the damage to our nation on this last score might be as significant as on the others listed before it. 

In coverage of the House of Representatives meltdown that cost Speaker Kevin McCarthy his gavel, there has rightfully been a lot of attention on the internecine battles within the Republican caucus. After all, that IS the story. But as with the shutdown threat that was recently averted and may soon reappear, or the ethics scandals plaguing the Supreme Court, or the ubiquitous hand-waving about political polarization, there is also a sense in the coverage and general discourse that the entire system is broken. And that framing crucially gives the impression of a relative parity in the blame between the two political parties — especially because Democrats control the White House and the Senate. 

We should be precise in how we discuss this dire moment in American democracy. Generalities don’t simply lack exactness; they can fundamentally distort the truth. And the truth is that at all levels and branches of government, the current Republican Party is the primary agent undermining the integrity of our republic, the rule of law, and our constitutional stability. Certainly the Democratic Party contributes, but by any reasonable analysis, the GOP is the key driver.    

It brings no joy to say this. In fact, it is difficult for a journalist to write such a sentence. We are trained to strive for fairness. We are to be impartial and alert to our own biases. We follow a mantra that we should cover the news without fear or favor. That everyone in power should be held accountable for their actions. To focus unduly on the failings of one political party can create an impression that we have crossed that precarious line that divides reporting from advocacy. 

To be sure and to reemphasize it: The Democratic Party and its members are far from perfect, and their errors and shortcomings should be covered with the full energy and zeal of an independent press. Over the course of our country’s history, there have been plenty of dysfunction, corruption, poor policy decisions, anti-democratic tendencies, cynicism, opportunism, and disingenuousness to go around. After all, politicians are people, with all the flaws and complexities that come with being human. It is just as essential that voters learn the unvarnished truth about administrations, congressional caucuses, and states and cities controlled by Democratic politicians.  

But it’s also true that the most important institutions and systems failing American democracy today are being undermined through the concerted and deliberate efforts of the Republican Party. 

When Democrats were in control of Congress, it ran largely as it was intended. Legislation was proposed, debated, and passed or defeated. Leadership exercised the power dynamics that come with the territory. You could disagree with the policy decisions of the majority, but you couldn’t say the institution was in chaos. Yes, the Democrats have a spectrum of ideology in their caucus. But by and large, the members are there to try to run the government, not blow it up. They try to at least address issues and challenges facing the American people. They have a governing philosophy, for better or worse. You can’t say that about this group of Republicans. 

Let’s head to another institution in Washington, the Supreme Court. The reason the justices’ standing has plummeted with the public is a calculated, decades-long effort by Republican politicians to stock the federal bench with hard-right activist judges eager to disregard precedent and trample long-standing constitutional rights. It is also some of those Republican-appointed justices, most notably Clarence Thomas, who have demonstrated serious ethical lapses. So, yes the court is unpopular, but who exactly is to blame? 

When it comes to the fairness and stability of our democracy as a whole, Democrats have wanted to pass expansive voting rights bills at the federal and state levels, but they have been blocked by Republicans. Where Republicans have the power to do so, they have implemented voting restrictions, disenfranchisement, and extreme partisan gerrymandering. In states like Wisconsin and North Carolina, you have systematic attempts to install minority rule. 

As the Republican Party marches in almost lockstep fealty to a previous president facing serious legal jeopardy on multiple fronts, we have seen growing attacks on law enforcement and judges. This is another dangerous escalation undermining our democratic stability and the core belief that everyone should be equal under the law. 

For decades, Republican elected officials and their cheerleaders in right-wing media have done a brilliant job weaponizing mainstream media’s desperate desire to appear nonpartisan. They are “working the refs,” as the saying goes. And every time the dysfunction of the Republican Party and its leadership, especially the former president, is contextualized as “Washington,” or “Congress,” or the “Supreme Court,” the truth loses. 

We should not confuse a desire for fairness with fairness itself. Fairness means looking at the truth without blinking, and right now, the Republican Party is embracing a leader who vocally and unabashedly conveys that if reelected, he will try to end American democracy as we know it. His party is working at every level of government to entrench minority rule, tear apart the norms that have allowed our nation to function, and sow the seeds of autocracy. 

This is the contest that should infuse every story about the dysfunction plaguing “Washington,” the chaos of “Congress,” and the “dangerous moment for American democracy.”

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