Over the weekend, I heard Congress described as a disaster because it has done nothing during the last year. The description was repeated often enough that I began to wonder if it is the new talking point for the Democrats. It got me to thinking though. Is doing nothing a good thing or a bad thing?
The answer in the media seems to depend on just who it is that is doing nothing. For example, the Keystone Pipeline has been under consideration for the last five years, and during that time president Obama has done nothing. That is fine with the media even though it means that tens of thousands of jobs that could have been created were not. Or how about the IRS scandal. When it first broke, Obama told the country that he would get to the bottom of the scandal and punish the perpetrators. He has done nothing, but the media does not seem to care. Then there is Obama's plan for growing the economy. Of course, there is no such plan; Obama has done essentially nothing on that front, but the media does not complain. The there is Obama's oversight of the roll out of Obamacare. The entire country knows that Obama did nothing to try to achieve a good result for the laws roll out. There has been criticism of the resulting chaos, but almost no one in the media has criticized Obama for doing nothing in the years leading up to the fiasco. If Obama does nothing, indeed, if Obama fails to do his job, the media does not really care.
So that brings us to Congress. During the last year, there has been sharp division on many different issues before Congress. As a result, there has been little legislation passed. The inaction has been the result of policy differences, unlike Obama's inaction which is the result of incompetence or indifference. Nevertheless, the media treats Congressional inaction like a disaster of major proportions.
The answer in the media seems to depend on just who it is that is doing nothing. For example, the Keystone Pipeline has been under consideration for the last five years, and during that time president Obama has done nothing. That is fine with the media even though it means that tens of thousands of jobs that could have been created were not. Or how about the IRS scandal. When it first broke, Obama told the country that he would get to the bottom of the scandal and punish the perpetrators. He has done nothing, but the media does not seem to care. Then there is Obama's plan for growing the economy. Of course, there is no such plan; Obama has done essentially nothing on that front, but the media does not complain. The there is Obama's oversight of the roll out of Obamacare. The entire country knows that Obama did nothing to try to achieve a good result for the laws roll out. There has been criticism of the resulting chaos, but almost no one in the media has criticized Obama for doing nothing in the years leading up to the fiasco. If Obama does nothing, indeed, if Obama fails to do his job, the media does not really care.
So that brings us to Congress. During the last year, there has been sharp division on many different issues before Congress. As a result, there has been little legislation passed. The inaction has been the result of policy differences, unlike Obama's inaction which is the result of incompetence or indifference. Nevertheless, the media treats Congressional inaction like a disaster of major proportions.
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