It did not require “Rich men north of Richmond” (Oliver Anthony) to bring attention to Washington’s degeneration. We have all known for a long time that it is power, influence, and legal tender, not the pride of representing one’s constituents, that drives the decision-making process there. A few stand up politicians and the checks and balances of civility have in the past been able to temper the worst of it; but no more.

The Trump White House so dramatically lowered the bar on the acceptable behavior of an elected official (self-absorption, overt nepotism, grade school name calling, despot friending, non-lacky degradation, authoritarianism etc.), that such behavior became acceptable, almost fashionable. Society was already heading in that direction consequential to the internet’s anonymity, but our absorptive embrace of such behavior allowed it to set a new standard for Congress as well.

The fault here, ultimately though, lies with us, not them. Politicians have always been of the ilk that they would abscond with whatever they could but, “We the People” in the past would hold them accountable. We have in the last few years, unfortunately, allowed them to make many of us as partisan as they (without their soul selling perks) allowing us to comfortably assign guilt of an illegal or security compromising act based solely upon one’s political color. The continued support of the perpetrators of Jan. 6 illustrates the depths to which many fail to assign the same standard bereft of political bias.

Guilt needs to be color blind. People (and congresspeople) who cannot judge as purples, have no business voting (or representing). 

It seems to me that we need to take care of our own cankerous predilections East, West, and South of Richmond before we can ever “drain the swamp” North of it.

Gary Verst 

Bowling Green