Daily Astorian: Of Cabbages and Kings: If we Forget Purpose, Institutions Begin to Die

The best litmus test is: Do lawmakers build the institution or destroy it?

Purpose lies at the heart of an institution. When we forget that purpose, the institution begins to die.

Restraint is what keeps an institution healthy. The restraint of its leaders who choose not to cross the line and devalue its birthright.

One need look no further than Salem to see an institution corrupted. Former Gov. John Kitzhaber and his girlfriend (first lady) ceased to serve the people.

The most alarming deterioration of our institutions is in the nation's capital.

This devolution has long roots. The late Sen. Mark Hatfield 40 years ago described to me the damage done by Sen. James Allen of Alabama who realized that he could flood the Senate with amendments and exhaust hours through debate of each amendment.

Some 35 years ago, while I was a correspondent, it was obvious that the real business of Capitol Hill had become celebrity and fundraising, not lawmaking or oversight. It was also clear that senators and congressmen had ceased to know each other. They had become the equivalent of traveling salesmen -- out of town more than in their chambers and meeting rooms. It is hard to do the difficult work of legislating if you don't have personal relationships with your colleagues.

The latest debasement of Congress was by House Speaker John Boehner. By unilaterally inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak to a joint session, Boehner enabled a campaign speech for the Israeli electorate, at the expense of the comity that has existed between presidents and Congress over foreign policy.

Many have written about the damage that Speaker Boehner did by inviting a foreign leader to address a joint session without conferring with the White House. While there is abundant commentary on that transgression, I've not seen members speaking to it -- marking this as a moment when one branch of Congress devalued itself.

"The arrangements (for the joint session) were partisan, dead wrong," said Sen. Ron Wyden.

"I thought it was very inappropriate -- bypassing existing protocols," said Sen. Jeff Merkley. "It was not an easy decision (to attend)," said Rep. Suzanne Bonamici.

Because he is Jewish, Wyden felt special pressure to walk across the Capitol and take a seat in the House chamber. He, Merkley and Bonamici cite the overriding importance of America's bond with Israel.

But Wyden is not Netanyahu's fan. While Wyden found the courage to oppose the Iraq War, Netanyahu beat the drum for it. Of the joint session speech, Wyden said, "I was there because of the (U.S.-Israel) relationship."

Interest groups on the left and right are fond of applying litmus tests to senators and congressmen. The much longer-term litmus test is whether a member works to restore trust in Congress or tear the institution apart.

In talking with Wyden, Merkley and Bonamici on Tuesday morning, it became clear that each is conscious of that task. "I'm trying to do my part to see that we collaborate and work together," said Bonamici. Wyden's bipartisanship stands out in a chamber riven by ideology.

Meanwhile this week's precedent-breaking event was 47 Republican senators writing directly to Mullahs in Iran. This was orchestrated by Tom Cotton a freshman senator from Arkansas. Cotton's predecessor, Sen. J. William Fulbright, would have been appalled at this amateurish stunt. Dana Milbank suggested in The Washington Post, that the GOP is setting up its own nation on Capitol Hill called Republicania.

-- S.A.F.

Source