Barack Obama’s Record of Bills Passed

The following is excerpted from a recent New Yorker article, “Our Broken Constitution”, in the December 9 issue:

“On July 7, 2009, Al Franken was seated, after a recount, as the sixtieth Democratic senator.  (Sixty votes are needed to overcome a filibuster.)”

Bills passed while there were sixty Democratic senators:

1. Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

2. financial reform: the Dodd-Frank legislation

3. bailout of the automobile industry

4. repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” in the military

5. arms-control treaty with Russia

6. confirmation of two Supreme Court justices

“In the midterm elections of 2010, Obama’s party lost control of the House and fell below the filibuster threshold in the Senate.”

“Since then, Obama has failed to accomplish almost anything in Congress.”

In other words, the Republicans have managed to stop Obama from passing any legislation for all but a year and a half in his presidency.  This is despite their extreme unpopularity on a national level.  It is possible because Republicans have a big advantage among rural voters, and under the Constitution, rural states have a disproportionate share of power in the Senate.  Under most state laws, the party in power is given the privilege of drawing electoral districts; the Republicans have gerrymandered enough districts so that, despite a lead of over a million voters, the Democrats still don’t control the House.  So the Democrats lose on a technicality in both houses of Congress.

A lot of people would say, “That’s not democracy” and it isn’t.  Even if voting is strictly proportional to population, voters can still be swayed by television advertising or simply be too bored to vote.

First, it is important to equalize the amount of publicity that candidates get, specifically television time.  This is the issue that most depends on wealth.

Second, I recommend mandatory voting, with the right to cast a vote for “None of the Above.”

The final problem, which I suggest we consider carefully, is the question of whether a democratic vote is always good.  The will of the People could be mistaken.

The choices of the majority must be limited by the tenets of the Bill of Rights and possibly other Constitutional or notional rights (for example, the “right to privacy” developed by the Supreme Court to imply certain other rights.)  It is essential to prevent a tyranny of the majority in which the civil rights of minorities are impaired.