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Why Does Congress Suck?

2013-01-01 · explainer · John · 3:54 · watch on YouTube

Topic: US politics & society · mode: News analysis · tags: timely hook, civic or action cta, self correction

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

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

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 · United States Congress

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 · United States Congress
  • ★★ 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 · United States Congress
  • ★★★ 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 · Republican Party

    “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 · 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, YouTube

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. (speculative) — 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!”

Threads in this video

Mentioned

Central: gerrymandering · United States Congress

Also: People: André Carson · Dan Burton · Harry S. Truman · Ken Burns · Nate Silver · Nathaniel Woodhull

Projects: Crash Course · SciShow · VidCon

Works: Articles of Confederation · Constitution of the United States · Pride and Prejudice · The Fault in Our Stars · The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Organizations: 80th United States Congress · Democratic Party · Federal government of the United States · Republican Party · The New York Times · United States House of Representatives · United States Senate · YouTube

Concepts: political polarization

Places: Indiana · Indianapolis · Montana · Somalia

Events: United States fiscal cliff

Also centred on gerrymandering: The Lowdown on the Shutdown · Understanding the Primaries: Delegates, Democracy, and America's Nonstop Political Party

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