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Author: Steve Turner -
I had a very good day for two reasons on January 2, 2012. First of all, New Jersey announced Congressional redistricting placing me in the realigned 7th District and secondly, my valued friend, David Larsen, announced his candidacy to be my next Congressman in District 7. He has integrity, the right values, the right focus, and the right understanding of who a Congressman should be in Washington, DC. He has the Right Direction. As much as this “made my day” from my personal perspective here in New Jersey, this article is not only about New Jersey, but also for the rest of the USA.
We have continually seen gridlock in Congress, especially over the budget issues. On the surface, there appears to be a clash of ideologies. Both sides of the aisle feel that they are right, though I have to ask the follow up question, based on what? What is the basis for their position? It is the Democrats vs. the Republicans? Is it preservation of a seat in Congress in the next election if they vote with the leadership? Whatever the real reason is, and I encourage you to consider the second one as much as the first one, the gridlock has generated expected poll results. How can doing nothing accomplish anything other than a record low approval rating? We have seen statistics that put the Congressional approval rating at from 5% to 12%. A recent Rasmussen report of likely voters has Congress’ approval rating at 5%. A current CBS News poll has the rating at a whopping 12%. Since 1975, the ratings have been between 20 and 40%. That is not great either, but it sure beats the most recent results.
I firmly believe that when voters send people to Congress, they are expecting something good to happen. The euphoria over a new Congress leaves us with a hope that things will change. The American people have been let down yet again. What does it take? Change! There is an old saying that says that to continue doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. Let me be clear, I am not calling anyone insane. But, I do want to challenge a common voter process as one to take a good look at.
We as a country are experiencing poor congressional approval ratings. Despite the poor showing, we keep sending many of the same people to congress. We (including me in the past) act is if the ineffective congressmen and women are everywhere except in the district we are responsible to vote in. We take the easy route at the voting booth. We keep sending the incumbents to Washington. We seem to think that what worked in the past will work again. This logic is flawed at the outset. The past is not working! It is time for a change, sweeping change! We need to make changes all over, including at the leadership level. We can elect a new class of freshman, and combine them with the Congressmen and women that are doing a good job, but if we do not change the leadership; we will be subject to more of the same. The existing leaders and some of them that are in line for leadership positions, possibly in the line because it is their “turn” to lead are going to result in more of the same gridlock. History has shown that to be the case. The leaders must also be subject to change. They cannot continue to be re-elected every two years to the House and every six years to the Senate just because they happen to have leadership roles. True change will only happen if the current leadership is not reelected to Congress. That process starts in the primaries.
There are fresh faces all over the political landscape that are like David Larsen who want to serve as Statesmen, not politicians. Many of these need to run in the primaries against the incumbents, as is the case in Mr. Larsen’s run for the 7th District in New Jersey. We as voters need to take the time necessary to review the records of our sitting Congressmen and compare them to the opportunities being presented by qualified candidates like David Larsen. We as voters need to support them in the primaries. We have the ultimate say, and it is our responsibility to exercise that in the best interest of our districts, states and country. Change begins with the first vote cast for a new, qualified person that is seeking to represent their district or state in Congress, with a dream of making a difference. If the first vote for change is not cast in the primary in many cases, the status quo is likely to continue and we will have lost an opportunity to impact the results in Washington.
We cannot afford it! We are at a turning point in this country. Let’s bring in fresh, grounded, conservative ideas from people that are more interested in solving problems than keeping their seat warm for another 2 or 6 years in Congress. It is time for the politicians to stay home, and for the Statesmen to return to Congress!
