John Warner, long-time Virginia Senator, died last month at the age of 94. The moderate Republican was well-respected, not only for his judgement and experience but also for his willingness to work across the aisle to get things done—a trait in short supply on Capitol Hill these days.
John Warner was elected in the Senate in 1979, after having served as Secretary of the Navy under Richard Nixon. As a Senator, he was the long-time Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. When he was in office, Committee Chairs had more power than party leaders. Committee Chairs could forge bi-partisan deals with conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans to move legislation forward, or stall bills from coming to the floor for a vote, even over party objections. Many Senators had personal clout as well. When Warner retired, five Senator were World War II veterans (including Warner) and two were Medal of Honor winners—and party chairs had to show a deference to these icons. Things began to change, however, in the 2000s when liberals and conservative became more aligned to the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. Also, the “great men” retired. So today, when Senate Minority Leader, Mitch McConnel, vows to “oppose Biden’s agenda 100%” no matter what the issue is—there is no one to challenge him in the name of moderation, compromise, and working together.
The cost of this change has been increased deviance. In World Leadership, I define four primary limitations of nation-state governance, and this is one of them—where personal agendas diverge from society’s interests. Moderation is nowhere to be found, and society suffers (common sense gun regulation amidst a rash of mass shootings, for example).
While there is much talk in the media these days of how entrench and polarized Americans are, most Americans still want their representatives to work together to get things done. However, ossified mindsets and weak character prevail. Things are unlikely to change anytime soon.
Source:
Paul Kane, “John Warner’s Death is a Reminder of How Power has Shifted to Senate Leaders, Washington Post, 30 May 2021, A4; see also https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/john-warner-senate-independence/2021/05/28/3b45afac-bfd5-11eb-b26e-53663e6be6ff_story.html
Michael Kranish, Mike DeBonis, Jacqueline Alemany, “Their Agenda at Stake, Democrats Size Up Filibuster, Washington Post, 30 May 2021, A1
“John Warner,” Wikipedia, accessed 16 June 2021 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Warner
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