Herman

Cain

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August 11, 2008

Reid, Pelosi and the Abuse of Power

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are the two most powerful Democrats in Congress and our nation.

They have the power to influence the passage or defeat of legislation to be sent to the president for his approval or veto. They also have the power to block or deny debate on legislation that they feel they might lose if such legislation would get to the floor of the two respective chambers of our Congress.

If that latter tactic does not achieve their goal of trying to manipulate the will of the people for even more political power, they have the power to simply adjourn their respective chambers against the will of their members of Congress to avoid congressional consideration altogether.

That’s exactly what Speaker Pelosi did on Friday August 1, 2008.

Her action sparked a spontaneous protest on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is eloquently detailed by my North Star Writers Group colleague, David Karki, in his August 8, 2008 column.

Speaker Pelosi and Sen. Reid have refused to allow any meaningful energy legislation to get to the floors of Congress for any meaningful debate by its members on behalf of We the People. When Pelosi and Reid deny our elected representatives an opportunity to address critical issues and solutions that the public might support, they also deny us our rightful representation.

That’s a clear abuse of power.

That same abuse of power was one of the trigger points for the first American Revolution.

One would think that historically low approval ratings of Congress under their leadership, as well as historically low ratings for them individually, would be enough for them to see the light. It is not.

When Speaker Pelosi forcibly adjourned the House for a five-week vacation to avoid any debate or vote on domestic energy drilling, Congressman Lynn Westmoreland and 39 other House Republicans could not take such arrogance any longer. They continued to speak on the floor of the House to a host of shocked visitors in the House galleries for hours, even after Speaker Pelosi ordered the microphones, the lights and even the water turned off.

When Rep. Pelosi was elected by her fellow Democrats on January 4, 2007 as the first woman Speaker of the House, she said, “I accept this gavel in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship”, and pledged that this would be the “most honest and open Congress in history”.

If this is her idea of partnership, honesty and openness, then danger lies ahead for the representation we deserve and are entitled to have.

If this is the leadership desired by the Democrats in Congress and those that consider themselves Democrats, and who consistently vote a straight Democratic ballot on Election Day, then there is even more danger ahead for the future of this country.

As the British historian Lord John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton observed: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.”

It can happen to women also.

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