Image from web.
This past Wednesday, I was given the opportunity to interview and participate in an open forum with Representative Joe Courtney, the House member from Connecticut’s third district, which includes Conn. He was quite engaging, and very knowledgeable about all the issues we touched on. I was struck by his willingness to leave euphemism behind and tackle issues from a pragmatic, reasonable standpoint.
Take his position on taxes for the wealthy: “That clearly has to be part of any deficit reduction plan.” In Courtney’s ideal world, we would return to the tax levels of the Clinton era. After all, even with those oh-so-onerous tax rates, businesses were somehow still able to add jobs and keep producing quality, competitive goods. His statements make even more sense when you consider the fact that ExxonMobil announced record breaking profits for the first quarter, yet continued to rail against any cuts to the 4 billion dollars or so of tax-payer funded subsidies that Big Oil gets every year. Keep in mind; this is a company that makes well above that (about 10 billion dollars) in the first three months of the year. Come on! I just can’t find that much sympathy for the poor oil executive who might have to trade in his Lamborghini for a Lexus. It’s refreshing to see that there are still members in Congress who are not in the pocket of wealthy special interests, and are willing to stand up for the average American taxpayer.
Courtney also stands with the mainstream voter when he mentioned his annoyance about the hearings the Armed Services Committee, of which he is a member, recently had on “the repeal of the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” He couldn’t help but keep a chuckle out of voice when he talked about it, and neither could I. Opponents of DADT have often said that the most important thing was to listen to the military commanders. Well, all the top generals and admirals were in agreement at this hearing: repeal of DADT is moving along as planned, without the mass exodus of soldiers predicted by opponents. You’d think, now that the military is behind this effort, that opponents would shut up or change their opinion. But their unwillingness to change their views shows them to be nothing more than ideologues in an era where people increasingly want to see some real bipartisan cooperation.
Joe Courtney seems to be a dying breed in Congress; opinionated and passionate, yet reasonable and open to compromise. He has found ways to work with colleagues of all stripes, like co-sponsoring a bill on dredging with a Republican representative from Louisiana. When you talk to him, he doesn’t refer to Republicans as the enemy, or call them names, or make outlandish claims about their nationality. This is the kind of person we need more of in Congress. The Michelle Bachmanns of the right and the Alan Graysons of the left may be entertaining, but they pollute the environment of DC. We don’t need Ms. Bachmann to explain yet again why our President is a socialist, or any more charts by Mr. Grayson or his acolytes detailing how the Republican health care is “don’t get sick, and if you get sick, die quick.” Courtney is a strong progressive, and he’s unafraid to admit it. But that doesn’t mean he thinks Republicans are not deserving of respect. Demonizing your opponents may make for good politics, but it doesn’t make for good policy. Washington could take a lesson here: America doesn’t need any more entertainment. Hollywood can take care of that. Our nation’s capital should not be the next version of a daytime soap. What we need is for people like Joe Courtney to sit down together, kick the media out of the room for a minute, and speak to each other like the adults that they say they are. To expect any less is to expect second best, and that should never be something this great country strives to be. It’s time for those who praise “American exceptionalism” to put their money where their mouth is and make the tough choices to actually make us exceptional. With more leaders like Courtney in Washington, maybe this pipedream will become a reality.
