Celeste Katz at the NYDN Reports: We all know Americans are sick of their government, but former Mayor Ed Koch is taking that a bit further in his weekly commentary, going so far as to say the conditions could be ripe for a new autocracy:
“Congress is a joke. Today there is absolutely no respect for those who were elected to represent us in the House and Senate. The reasons for this lack of respect are many. Overwhelmingly, the public sees Congress as fools because, while they were elected to address and solve the problems besetting our nation, including a nine percent unemployment rate, members of Congress appear far more interested in party politics and reelection. There appears to be no major effort to rise above party affiliation and responsibly address the nation’s problems and save the Republic.
“In a way, this is the behavior pattern adopted by the 1920s German parliamentarians during the Weimar Republic, which led to the public’s turning to dictatorship and ultimately to Adolf Hitler for leadership. We are lucky that in our democracy, the extremists – radicals on the right and left – have had no significant electorate appeal. Nevertheless, the fact that our democracy is not beset by radicals should not cloud our reasoning. There is always the danger of a charismatic fanatic rising up, manipulating the fears and frustrations of those who believe our system of government has failed them, seizing absolute power with popular consent. There will always be those who say it can’t happen here. I say, yes it can.”
