The House of 1814—like the House of the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793,
the Spanish Flu of 1918, the Civil War, and 9/11—continued to meet in
person, conducting the business of those who elected them. In the shadow
of their memory, the House of 2020 finds itself diminished.
For the first time in history this
week, members of the House of Representatives voted without actually
being in the chamber. More to the point, they had other members cast
their votes for them.
Proxy voting, as it is known, was an extraordinary change to the
House rules jammed through alongside Nancy Pelosi’s $4 trillion COVID-19
“relief” package, and it allows Members to delegate their voting
responsibility—the one they fought so hard in an election to obtain—to
another Member.
In doing so, it removes the responsibility of elected Members of
Congress to be present when legislation is written, debated, and passed;
to respond to and sway with the tides of the legislative process. It
diminishes the fundamental nature of politics itself, which is to be
present; to bear witness to and engage with the changes that
collectively determine the character of the country.
Such a move is unprecedented. Not during the Spanish Flu of 1918 or
other pandemics; the Civil War; when the British burned all of
Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812; and not even during 9/11, when
the Capitol was a terrorist target, did Members of the House wither in
the face of their duty to represent for their part of the country, and
to be present to vote its interests.........To Read More.....
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