Back in March I posted an essay on this blog by Robert Freeman, entitled The U.S. is Facing a Weimar Moment. The recent activity (or inaction) in congress is proving that to be a more accurate assessment of politics than ever.
Excerpt:
An article that I wrote regarding the thousands of Americans losing unemployment benefits while the Senate dithers received an overwhelming response from readers.
Today, the obstructionists in the Senate gave up on delaying the bill to extend unemployment compensation and it should should be passed soon. Perhaps the overwhelming response of people across the nation to many articles on that topic had something to do with that. I would like to think so.
As I pointed out yesterday, Democrats in the Senate have made comments alleging that the minority party is trying to stall legislation in order to prevent other Democratic priorities from reaching the floor. The minority party has succeeded in doing that by delaying legislation like this, which should have taken a fast track though congress.
In this commentary, I would like try to put what is happening in Washington into a historical perspective.
For that I must turn to an essay by Robert Freeman, published at CommonDreams.org on March 15, 2009. I posted the essay on this blog shortly thereafter and I am reposting it now because it is more relevant now than it was back then.
Mr. Freeman is a little-known writer in Palo Alto, CA who covers topics relating to education, history and economics. What he writes in this essay should sound hauntingly familiar to anyone who has been following politics in Washington for the past year. It is entitled The U.S. is facing a Weimar moment.
I could attempt to summarize this essay, but that would not do it justice. I’ll just say that the obstruction of the bills and policies of a “new” political party in power by a minority party has happened before in the 20th century…and the results were catastrophic. Freeman’s essay hits the nail on the head as to what is happening in Washington right now. I encourage you to read this in its entirety, because it puts the current political climate in our country in a very realistic, historical, and frightening perspective.
Read more here: http://www.examiner.com/x-23316-Madison-Independent-Examiner~y2009m11d5-GOP-Obstruction-in-the-Senate-may-be-history-repeating-itself