Congress’s Problems Are Deep-Seated but Fixable

There is a pervasive sense in Washington that Congress has gone, at least temporarily, off the rails.

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 19, 2011. Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images

A lot of ink is being spilled about the speakership drama in the U.S. House, the demands by members of the conservative Freedom Caucus, and the turmoil besetting the Republicans who run Capitol Hill. There is a pervasive sense in Washington that Congress has gone, at least temporarily, off the rails.

Even members of Congress are saying it. “I think the House is bordering on ungovernable right now,” one prominent Republican told NBC earlier this month. I’ve been around congressional politics for over 50 years, and I can’t ever remember hearing a member of Congress say such a thing.

All this attention on the crises of the moment suggests that resolving them will fix Congress. It won’t. There are three deep-seated issues that have to be addressed before Congress can play a constructive role in sustaining our place in the world and tackling the tough economic and social issues we face at home.

The American people don't expect a solution to everything. But they do expect a Congress that's capable of developing creative approaches to the major problems of the day.