The Boswell/Latham Snore-Fest, um, Match-up

If you are excited about, intensely interested in or have spent more than a few minutes considering the race for Iowa’s Third Congressional District, I am betting you work for or are related to one of the congressmen running. I get a sense few others care who wins this one.

The difference between Leonard Boswell and Tom Latham can be boiled down to a single vote, the first each will take if they are elected. Boswell will cast his ballot to put Nancy Pelosi back in the Speaker’s chair and Latham’s will go to keep John Boehner in that position. Boswell supports the partisan demagogue with a D after her name. Latham supports the one with an R after his. That’s it.

Their eerily similar and shockingly short lists of records and accomplishments as members of the House are fairly good indicators the people of the Third should expect little over the next two years from whomever is the victor come November. Latham and Boswell have proven they are adept at getting along and disinterested in doing little else. I may be oversimplifying the snore-fest that is this campaign, but not much.

At a time when our nation needs leaders, thinkers and innovators, the people of this district must choose between a candidate with excellent Congressional hair and another who once wore a uniform. They are both honest, like guns and know what it takes to raise money for a political campaign. But, neither is inspiring on the stump and neither presents a very convincing case to those who must cast a ballot.

As an aside, I did like when Boswell pistol-whipped the guy who broke into his house a few months ago. Boswell might wake up an audience or two if he set aside his normal ramblings into the microphone and told this story instead. I am sure Latham has had a few moments of spunk like that, too, but such things do not qualify a person for Congressional service.

Latham and Boswell demonstrate a near complete lack of enthusiasm for advancing any agenda beyond that which will keep them unbruised and in shape for the next campaign. If you have used either of the old standby tests, which candidate will do the least harm or which candidate will do the most good, you will need to devise a new test in 2012 for you are likely to have a tie of mediocre proportions on your hands.

I may be tilting at windmills, but I long for a time when candidates place doing what’s best for the people they serve over doing what’s best for a political party. I look forward to hearing from candidates more interested in doing the job than having the job. And, I am hopeful the day will arrive when there are more public servants committed to advancing the people who elect them than elected officials who shamelessly represent the special interests who fund them

Sadly, Campaign 2012 does not offer much of a choice for Third District voters and nothing for this Pollyanna to get excited about. But, I should look on the bight side – I could live in the Fourth District. That race brings things full circle. The candidates in the Fourth are vastly different from one another philosophically, but neither is doing much to build the coalition required to rebuild a nation in crisis. At least we don’t have to suffer through seven snipe-filled debates here in the sleepy Third.

Vote on, Iowans.

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Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com 
This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register online essay.

America Can’t Wait for this Congress to Act

Barack Obama performed a well-choreographed bit of political theater yesterday. Days before he and rival Mitt Romney are scheduled to appear before Hispanic officials in Florida, President Obama took executive action removing the fear of deportation for hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children.

The policy makes sense – many of the immigrants impacted by the action are hard-working people who are contributing and will continue to contribute to the strength of our country.

Politically, the Obama move was brilliant.

Mitt Romney whose stance on immigration has been evolving since January when he said immigrants should “return home, apply and get in line with everyone else,” now finds it difficult in the general election to oppose the merits of a plan such as the one Obama initiated. Romney and friends know winning support from Hispanic voters will dim significantly if Republicans are seen as advocates for the forcible removal of children, college students and young adults who are law-abiding members of the American community.

But, of course, the often-silly game of modern American politics makes it impossible for opponents to applaud the other, even if they agree.

Fear not, team Romney found something to indignantly huff about. They say the President’s action, which is not an executive order but a memo from the Department of Homeland Security to its agencies, is an overreach of executive authority – actions like these should be left to Congress.

Yes, they are suggesting we wait for Congress to act – a Congress so overwhelmingly dominated by out-of-touch partisans from both parties, little of what happens in the marble edifice on the hill these days rises above puerile political sniping.

When asked in 2010 to define the Republicans’ main job in Congress, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”

Outrageous and destructive statements are made by Democrats, too. A disquieting chorus of “to Hell with making America better or doing something productive – we only care about winning elections” echoes through the Capitol these days.

Sorry, Mr. Romney, we can’t wait for Congress to lead. This group of self-interested political hacks is inept and disinterested in working for our country.

Today’s political campaign trail is chock full of candidates vying to score political points with tough sounding sound bites and jabs meant to weaken the opposition. Americans long for candidates who stand for something greater than election. We want leaders committed to building a better America. Sometimes, this will mean agreeing with the guy from the other party. If Congress needs to act, pressure them to do so. If the President’s actions are correct, praise him and explain how you intend to build upon his progress should you come to office. “Yeah, but…” needs to become, “Yes, I agree and I promise to do even better.”

We Americans need to think long and hard about whom we elect to Congress. The current Congress is a failure. Their inability to address the immigration issue is just the tip of the iceberg. There was a positive step taken on immigration yesterday. Let’s work together to take a few more.

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Graham Gillette can be reached at grahamgillette@gmail.com 
This entry was first published as a Des Moines Register online essay.