Pity them, please. The life of a congressman
just keeps getting worse and worse:
They don’t make national policy anymore. They can’t earmark money for communities back home. The public hates them.
And perks little and big, from private jet travel to a little free nosh now and then, have been locked down by ethics rules.
As they head for the exits this year, many leaving Congress say the prestigious job of being a congressman sucks now, and that’s why lawmakers young and old are trading in their member pins for a new life in the private sector.
There's also a salary cap. Oh, and Congress is too partisan these days. And elections are hard. And nothing's getting done. Did I mention nothing's getting done?
As you can see from the prominent use of the word "sucks" in the above blockquote, it's a snarkily written story, as deserving of the subject. All right, I'll miss Barney Frank. I'll give you that one. He blames the current climate in Washington for not being able to accomplish anything. Some of the other (ex)members, though, have decidedly odder complaints:
Former New York Rep. Tom Reynolds, who served as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and is now a lobbyist at Nixon Peabody, said he warns new lawmakers that the constant media presence and new technology have obliterated any privacy.
“The fishbowl today means that you are captured on film or you’re captured on digital of a cellphone or a BlackBerry that can be on YouTube in minutes,” he said.
Wow, being filmed while you're doing your job. That's a tough one to stomach. What's next, being asked to prove you're not on drugs by peeing into a cup before each vote? Wait—that's actually a fantastic idea. Somebody make that happen, please.
I guess the main problem is that when you elect a bunch of gigantic asses into Congress, then tell them they'll only be reelected if they don't get anything done, you end up with, well, that thing I just said. It tends to be self-selecting, since that environment would indeed make any half-reasonable person think long and hard about retiring to a nice desk job somewhere in the private sector. I think the only thing that might have an effect is to maybe stop electing such gigantic asses, but I'm not sure how realistic that plan might be.