DEGENERATION OF CONGRESS By T.S. Khanna, October 10, 2018.

FOUNDATION FOR BETTER GOVERNMENT

DEGENERATION OF CONGRESS
By T.S. Khanna, October 10, 2018.

In a remote poverty-ridden village of India, a relatively wealthy old man moved in.  To drain his wealth, a smart group of men made out a false case which seemed true under the then prevailing culture of the village:

A woman claimed that the wealthy old man had raped and killed her in her previous life.  From her clear memory, she was 100% certain that the same wealthy old man was the rapist-killer.  It was enough proof for the old man's guilt. The ascetics influenced the perception of the truth.   The smart group of men, who had sponsored the woman, extorted considerable money from the old man as compensation.

This story has some semblance with the tribal drama that recently played in the Senate hearing for Judge Kavanaugh's confirmation.  Psychologists-psychiatrists played the role of the ascetics, influencing the belief system of the time and perception of the truth.

The Kavanaugh hearing has proved that the Senate has stooped to a new low, beyond the "hi-tech lynching".

The convention of self-regulating is the cause of Senate degeneration.  Whichever party is in majority, changes the rules to serve its end.  The convention of 60-vote threshold to assure bipartisan support for presidential nominees is no longer honored.

In 2013, the Democrats in majority changed the rules to simple majority confirmation of presidential nominees, except for the judges.  

In 2016, the Republican majority decided not to hold a hearing for President Obama's nominee, Judge Merrick Garland.

In 2017, the Republican majority changed the rules to simple majority confirmation for Judge Gorsuch.

In 2018, as the Democratic minority ran out of ammunition to disqualify Judge kavanaugh on merit, it used the butt end of the gun: presenting a woman with a 36-year old latent memory with a 100% rape certainty.  It was enough proof for most Democrat Senators to convict Judge Kavanaugh.  They ignored the great principles of justice:  "Due Process" & "Innocent till proven guilty".

In private discussions of Democratic circles, it becomes clear that it was a scheme to revenge Republican's not holding a hearing for Judge Garland in 2016.

What comes next is to be seen.  

There is similar degradation in the House of Reps as well.

Some questions arise:   1.  How can any president work with such dysfunctional Congress to protect/promote national interests?   2.  How can Congress be saved from further stoop and be redeemed to a functional level?   3.  The democratic system is hinged on congress; Can the problems created by or under democracy be solved by democracy?   4.  Is this party system of democratic government suicidal and can it be modified?

Where are the political Pundits?