The Problems We Face

I subscribe to a newsletter called Tangle. Recently, Tangle interviewed recently retired Republican Colorado Congressman Ken Buck and I wanted to pass along a small passage from the interview:

We have some huge problems that we need to deal with — spending, immigration, you name it. And Republicans — the other side does it too — but Republicans are lying to the American public. The election wasn’t stolen. We don’t have political prisoners from January 6th. We have criminals who were assaulting police officers and destroying federal property.

Those kinds of lies I think undermine our credibility and our ability to deal with some of the most serious problems. So I announced that I wasn’t running for reelection. And as I got back into America and started talking to people, not in campaign mode but really listening to what they were saying, people believe we have the worst two major party nominees in modern history.

which at the very last provides some food for thought. Here’s another snippet:

We have a problem with how we elect members of Congress — the House, the Senate, governors, state legislatures. And the problem is that someone can win a primary with 34% of the vote. [Ed: Buck means “34%” of the total electorate, but the majority of one party] You know and I know that the primary vote is low anyway to start with, but they win that low vote with 34% of the vote, and then because they’re in a deep red or a deep blue district, they win the general election.

The result of that is that we get these people who have no background, who have no business making policy for the United States of America, and what they focus on is getting reelected and making themselves a social media star in a way that is harmful. It’s harmful because they are publicly attacking particular members. It’s one thing to have a policy debate on social media. It’s one thing to have a policy debate on TV or radio. It’s another thing when you attack a particular member.