By Matthew Wadler:
Dear Absentee Democratic House of Representatives,
I, like all officials within the government, took an oath prior to my initial enlistment and then again when I commissioned as an officer. The two congressional offices take the same oath, swearing their loyalty to the Constitution of the United States. Interestingly enough, there is no mention of loyalty to a party within their oath. It would almost appear as if the founding fathers felt that the allegiance of the individual should be solely to our country and not to an ideology.
Within the two houses of Congress, we have the Senate and the House of Representatives. According to https://www.house.gov/content/learn/, “As per the Constitution, the US House of Representatives makes and passes federal laws.” Fairly straightforward, and again nothing listed about party affiliation. However, what surprised me was what I found when I looked at the what the overall Congress was responsible for. Using the government site https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/about-congress, I found this: “Through legislative debate and compromise, the US Congress makes laws that influence our daily lives. It holds hearings to inform the legislative process, conducts investigations to oversee the executive branch, and serves as the voice of the people and the states in the federal government.” Per this statement, it would seem that the representatives are supposed to represent all of the people within their districts. In fact, nothing is stated at all about their views or feelings, simply that they do the people’s business.
Clearly, this must be erroneous, as Congress continuously seems to act of their own accord and without regard to the people as a whole. So, I turned to an old and outdated document that we barely even abide by anymore. That document is, of course, the US Constitution. In going through this document (which is only 4,543 words long, compared to the regulations for the Affordable Care Act, which is roughly 11,588,500 words long—the Constitution, which governs our nation, is .04% of the Obamacare regulation), I still was unable to locate anything about party membership. Article I, Section 2 references that the people elect representatives. Article I, Section 3 states that senators would be selected by state legislature, but that was changed by Amendment XVII, which again states that senators are elected by the people. So, the Constitution was completely unhelpful in my quest for answers, as it kept going back to the outdated idea of a government for and by the people.
I finally figured that I would go to the source directly and look to the words of our first president and father of this nation, George Washington. This finally answered my questions. In his farewell address, President Washington stated, “However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.” In other words, political parties will come to rule the lives of those affiliated with them as a means to purloin all the power they can. This statement makes perfect sense to me.
As a member of the military, I was always allowed to have my own political opinion. Not only was I allowed to, but I was highly encouraged to vote. In fact, twice I was the voting assistance officer while deployed (and to my former commanders, I am still suffering from nightmares based on that experience), and we went to extremes to help individuals get registered and then vote in both local and national elections. What I was not allowed to do, however, was allow my political opinions to influence me in the discharge of my duties. In fact, the Department of Defense issues guidance on such things: “Per longstanding DoD policy, active duty personnel may not engage in partisan political activities and all military personnel should avoid the inference that their political activities imply or appear to imply DoD sponsorship, approval, or endorsement of a political candidate, campaign, or cause. Members on active duty may not campaign for a partisan candidate, engage in partisan fundraising activities, serve as an officer of a partisan club, or speak before a partisan gathering.”
We can even take it up a notch and look at how the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) prohibits us from acting toward our elected officials. According to Article 88, Contempt Towards Officials, “Any commissioned officer who uses contemptuous words against the President, the Vice President, Congress, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary of Transportation, or the Governor or legislature of any State, Territory, Commonwealth, or possession in which he is on duty or present shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.” So, if I made a contemptuous statement toward an elected official while on active duty—as is my right as a citizen—I could end up in jail.
None of that bothers me. Again, it comes down to that oath—the oath to uphold and protect the Constitution. Part of that promise is that I will stand by and protect those who govern and act on behalf of our great nation. As such, while I might disagree with you greatly, I would always respect you for the position that the people bestowed upon you. Showing respect toward you shows respect for the people of our nation.
How is it, then, that members of the House of Representatives are allowed to turn their backs not only to the President and Vice President, but to the people of their districts who voted for President Trump? Our government has clearly forgotten—as foretold by George Washington—who they are supposed to be accountable for.
You have become fat off the power given by your party affiliation and gluttonous to the freedom from scrutiny it provides.
Let me expound upon this in relation to the world I lived in for the entirety of my professional career. At my change of command, should my soldiers not have shown up, there would be only one recourse. They would all be immediately referred for court martial under Article 94, Mutiny or Sedition. What is the punishment for such crime? In this case, it carries the death penalty. Our elected officials don’t have such restraints or expectations. Yet, just like the politicians, soldiers serve in the government of the United States. Why should they be forced to show honor and respect and not their leaders? How can you call yourselves representatives of the people while you view yourselves above the military that protects the people of this nation? Right now, don’t we need to show unity above all else? How is this tantrum accomplishing anything productive? What would your response be to such an organization? How would you react if soldiers were writing to you stating that they didn’t agree with their commander’s decisions, so they simply weren’t going to show up for duty? Would you go to the Department of Defense to defend these subversive actions?
I am, admittedly, disgusted by the lack of respect I see from you, our elected representatives. When did it become the norm for our elected members of Congress to openly bash the president? Please do not think that this is a phenomenon that is relegated simply to those on the left. I can state, with evidence openly available, that the Democratic Party has become highly polarizing and horrifically disgusting in its speech and actions. Your party, as an organization, is seemingly devoid of the ability to rationally discuss issues important to the people of this country, and instead chooses to lie, mislead, and conduct sophomoric fits of theater more suited to the playground. Unfortunately, I can also find ridiculous levels of juvenile actions by those on the right. However, the right tends not to make the same public spectacle of themselves as their Democratic counterparts.
The inauguration is not about party affiliation. It is about the ability of our country to continue with a tradition started by George Washington. This tradition is that the outgoing president steps down and walks away from the mantle of power peacefully so that the incoming commander in chief can step into the office and be seen, before the populace that elected him, as the rightful leader of this great nation.
You do not need to like the fact that Trump was elected. You do not have to submit on bent knee to the whim of his agenda. Our founding fathers wanted discourse and compromise; it is why they set up a system that promotes debate. What you do need to do is stop with the hyperbole of, “He is not my President” or “I don’t believe he won the election.” According to the Constitution, Article II, Section 1, he is your President and he did win the election. Please feel free to reference that portion should you feel the need.
Not attending the inauguration did not stop or disrupt the process. It did, however, make you and your party look petty and weak. More importantly, it reflects poorly on our nation. For the sake of the citizens of this country who elected you, grow up and act like the defenders of the Constitution you were elected to be.
Matthew Wadler is a Senior OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army veteran. Matt served in the Army for 20 years as both enlisted and officer before retiring. His service includes time as Military Police, Field Artillery, Adjutant General, and Recruiting. His deployments include Somalia and two tours to Afghanistan. His formal education includes a master’s degree in HR Management. He is a strong supporter of the constitution and advocate for the military and veteran communities. Follow Matthew on Twitter @MatthewWadler.
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