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Why Does Congress Suck?

2013-01-01 · John · watch on YouTube · US politics & society · news analysis

John argues that Congress has become historically ineffective largely because state legislatures draw safe 'landslide' districts, so members fear only primary challengers and will not compromise; he urges viewers to vote in the state elections that draw the lines.

What is said

00:00:00 — Greeting; sixth anniversary of Vlogbrothers; the Senate's New Year's Eve fiscal-cliff compromise; 'John from the future' update on the House

  • ★★ John notes that the day marks the sixth anniversary of Vlogbrothers. — 00:00:00 · Vlogbrothers
  • ★★ John reports that on New Year's Eve the US Senate reached a compromise to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff of tax increases and spending cuts, mainly by postponing the hard decisions a few months. (playful) — 00:00:03
  • ★★ In an inserted 'John from the future' update, John says he had assumed the House would also agree to the compromise but may have been overly optimistic. (hedged) — 00:00:18

00:00:29 — The least effective Congress since the 1850s: 219 bills in two years, mostly naming buildings, vs the Do-Nothing Congress

  • ★★★ John says the last two years saw the least effective Congress since at least the 1850s: it passed only 219 bills, almost all naming federal buildings after war heroes. — 00:00:30 · United States Congress
  • ★ John jokes he is happy a post office is now named after Revolutionary War general Nathaniel Woodhull, who said 'God save us all' instead of 'God save the Queen' and was killed. (playful) — 00:00:45
  • ★★ John contrasts this with the famous 'Do-Nothing Congress' of the Harry Truman era, which passed more than 900 bills. — 00:00:56

00:01:01 — Quick history: Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, Senate and House terms

  • ★★ John explains that the first US government under the Articles of Confederation could do almost nothing, so the Constitution replaced it with a Congress that could do a little. (playful) — 00:01:06
  • ★★ John explains that the Senate has two members per state elected for six years, while House members serve two-year terms and so are basically always campaigning. — 00:01:20

00:01:28 — State legislatures draw district lines: John and his neighbour have different representatives; swing districts fall from 103 to 35; landslide districts; only primaries matter, so no compromise

  • ★ John says House seats are allotted by population: Montana has one representative and Indiana about nine. (playful) (hedged) — 00:01:28 · Montana, Indiana
  • ★★★ John argues that state legislatures drawing their own congressional district lines is one of the central reasons Congress cannot do anything. (hedged) — 00:01:34
  • ★★★ John says his Indianapolis congressman is Democrat Andre Carson while his across-the-street neighbour in the same zip code has Republican Dan Burton, because the district was redrawn to take in pricier houses expected to vote Republican. — 00:01:45 · Indianapolis, Republican Party
  • ★★★ Citing Nate Silver's analysis, John says the number of swing districts, where either party has about an equal chance, fell from 103 to 35 over the last 20 years. — 00:02:05
  • ★★★ John says most districts are now 'landslide districts', at least 20% more Republican or Democratic than the country, so incumbents like Carson or Burton win general elections by about 30 points. — 00:02:14 > «most congressional districts are so-called "landslide districts", which means they're at least 20% more Republican or more Democratic»
  • ★★★ John argues that in safe districts the only threat is a primary challenger calling the incumbent not radical enough, so compromising can cost members their jobs. — 00:02:30

00:02:45 — 2012 was an amazing year 'because government' (and Nerdfighteria); Somalia has no government, roads, schools or telecom

  • ★★ John calls 2012 an amazing year for the brothers: Hank co-created The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, SciShow and Crash Course, VidCon doubled, and The Fault in Our Stars spent 51 consecutive weeks on the NYT list. — 00:02:45 · The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, SciShow, Crash Course, VidCon, The Fault in Our Stars, The New York Times
  • ★★★ John says these successes happened 'because government' (also Nerdfighteria): Somalia, lacking a government, roads, public schools and telecom investment, produced no popular YouTube Pride and Prejudice adaptation. (playful) — 00:02:57 · Nerdfighteria

00:03:13 — Congress was designed to suck but must cover the basics; loss of faith would be a process; vote in state elections that draw the lines

  • ★★★ John says Congress was designed to be bad at doing things but has to cooperate just enough to cover the basics; it always has, but he is now a little worried. — 00:03:13 · United States Congress
  • ★★ John warns that Americans would lose faith in their ability to govern themselves gradually, as a process, and that this would be far worse than any fiscal cliff. — 00:03:21
  • ★★★ John tells viewers that the next time they vote, the most important race may be for state legislator or whoever draws district lines. (hedged) — 00:03:31

00:03:42 — Sign-off; P.S. six years of the channel, thanks to the American government

  • ★ In a P.S. John marvels at six years of the channel and thanks the American government for running well enough that he can make videos in his basement for Nerdfighters. (playful) — 00:03:44 · Nerdfighteria, Vlogbrothers

Humor (significant)

  • John describes the Senate's late-night deal to avoid the fiscal cliff — 00:00:05 > «threw the worst New Year's Eve party ever»
  • John says the last two years saw the least effective Congress since at least the 1850s, 'which as you might remember' — 00:00:36 > «led to a Ken Burns documentary.»
  • Explaining the two chambers of Congress — 00:01:17 > «like a lot of rich people, lives in two houses.»
  • John thanks the American government for running well enough that he can make videos in his basement for Nerdfighters — 00:03:52 > «That sounded creepy, but it's not!»

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