You can’t fool us anymore

Procedural arguments about the validity of “deeming” a budget passed, or using reconciliation to push through health care, are now part of the mainstream conversation.  For instance, family meals with my 89-year old grandmother centered on highly-specific House and Senate rules, Facebook friends from across the country bemoaned the ways in which procedure manipulated the legislative agenda, and sales clerks peppered me with their incredulity: “how could Congress try to ‘trick us’ to such an undesirable outcome?”

Was my experience unique?  I really don’t think so.  A quick scan of the blogosphere, including comments on my organization’s site, LibertyCentral.org, supports the conclusion that back-room deals and sneaky legislative maneuvers can no longer fool the American people.

My optimism stems from the fact that the energetic, informed voters are going to raise the cost of voting for this seemingly-innocuous energy bill.  They’re not going to let Senator Reid fool those “swing” Senators – and we all know who they are – into voting for something that’s actually going to give a Lame Duck Congress the tools it needs to pass cap and trade.

In our great information age, it turns out that you don’t need to live in the Beltway to understand Congressional procedure.  You just can’t fool us anymore.

Sarah Field is the Director of Policy and General Counsel of Liberty Central, Inc., a non-profit organization whose primary objective is to harness the power of citizen voices, inform everyday Americans with knowledge, and activate them to preserve liberty.