Is Gridlock Saving America?

[DonViejo]

When In Doubt, Mumble—Dynamic Inaction May Be Our Best Hope

by Joe McLean Apr 6, 2013 4:45 AM EDT

With Tea Party Republicans pining for an imagined American past, a do-nothing Congress may be the best we can hope for, writes Joe McLean.

The late James H. Boren, a mostly forgotten humorist, bureaucrat, and erstwhile philosopher (as well as the brother of former Oklahoma Senator David Boren) is credited with discovering the powerful doctrine of “dynamic inaction.” In 1976, with newly elected President Jimmy Carter coming to Washington wearing a cardigan and carrying his own luggage, Boren told Time, “Any president who sets foot in this town without a full briefing on dynamic inaction, decision-postponement patterns, and creative status quo cannot go very far.”

Boren was already semi-famous inside the Beltway for his profound little volume, When in Doubt, Mumble, A Bureaucrat’s Handbook. He defines Dynamic Inaction with one pithy aphorism: “When in doubt, mumble; when in trouble, delegate; when in charge, ponder.”

Nowadays we call it gridlock. And despite all the jeremiads coming from the talking heads and pundits in the commentariat lamenting political dysfunction and the imminent collapse of civilization, Dynamic Inaction might just be our salvation.

In today’s Washington, Boren’s advice might be, “When in doubt, bloviate; when in trouble, filibuster; when in charge, posture.”

Congress may be gridlocked, but the country is not. Our demography, religion, politics, morality, business, and economics are all in flux. We’re not the country of Ozzie and Harriet, and Roy Rogers. We’re not the country of Woodstock and Flower Power, or of Gangnam Style (that’s so last week). We’re not the country of the Junior Chamber, Rotary Club, cotillions, Bushwood Country Club, or Rush Limbaugh.

mas:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/06/when-in-doubt-mumble-dynamic-inaction-may-be-our-best-hope.html

[graham4anything]

1. Willie Nelson said it best- Still is Still Moving to Me. President Obama forever.

Can you imagine how much worse it could be?
I mean, really, can you imagine how much worse it could be.

[Skink]

2. The admin seems to know what is and isn't possibe

so getting them on record isn't all that bad.

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Gridlock may be responsible for the bad employment figures this week

and once the effects of the sequester kick in fully, those figures will get worse. Gridlock may yet cause a new recession.

[cprise]

4. It causes the public to sympathize with fascism

Especially if the economy continues to sour in the face of government inaction.

[CBHagman]

5. I was thinking about this last night and specifically about the contrast...

...between legislatures and governors in the various states: Connecticut, Colorado, and Maryland, and New York's gun safety packages versus the states with "stand your ground" and concealed-carry. Progressive taxation versus regressive (Bobby Jindal and Sam Brownback, I'm looking at you!). Governor Moonbeam versus Governor Ultrasound.

I think these passages in The Daily Beast essay put it all in perspective:

[url]http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/06/when-in-doubt-mumble-dynamic-inaction-may-be-our-best-hope.html[/url]


A majority of Americans support gay marriage. Nearly 60 percent agree that abortion should be legal in most or all cases, and the Feb. 2013 NBC/WSJ poll found 61 percent of us want stricter gun laws. Even before the tragedy in Newtown, 69 percent of NRA members favored closing the gun-show loophole. Large majorities support immigration reform and a path to citizenship for the undocumented. A clear majority accepts the common-sense notion that a balanced approach, both raising revenue and cutting spending, is the right way to cure the deficit.

What this all means is that for the first time since the turn of the 21st century, the moderate left is driving the debate, and remarkably, most Americans are on board. This dramatic shift didn’t happen overnight. It’s been quietly building for years, but reality hasn’t dawned on Tea Party Republicans yet.

As the nation’s political center of gravity arcs back toward common sense over ideology, science over dogma, and social tolerance over invidious stereotyping, (see Young, Don) Dynamic Inaction means the wingnuts can stomp on the brakes but they can’t reach the steering wheel. Until Congress actually catches up to the rest of the country, Dynamic Inaction is our best hope.