4 ms·

Ben Sasse (senator) wrote an interesting opinion piece a month ago: https://www.wsj.com/articles/make-the-senate-great-again-11599589142 https://www.wsj.com/art

by kyrra 6y ago

Ben Sasse (senator) wrote an interesting opinion piece a month ago: https://www.wsj.com/articles/make-the-senate-great-again-11599589142 https://www.wsj.com/articles/make-the-senate-great-again-115... The below is from the article which applies specifically to your point: > Cut the cameras. Most of what happens in committee hearings isn’t oversight, it’s showmanship. Senators make speeches that get chopped up, shipped to home-state TV stations, and blasted across social media. They aren’t trying to learn from witnesses, uncover details, or improve legislation. They’re competing for sound bites. > There’s one notable exception: The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the majority of whose work is done in secret. Without posturing for cameras, Republicans and Democrats cooperate on some of America’s most complicated and urgent problems. Other committees could follow their example, while keeping transparency by making transcripts and real-time audio available to the public.

mmm_grayons 6y ago
This is exactly right. The treatment of Secretary Clinton and Judge (now Justice) Kavanaugh before the Senate are excellent examples of how the cameras cause senators pontificate and castigate rather than gather information and form policy. If senators wanted information to make decisions, they almost certainly wouldn't be questioning CEOs but rather a group of representatives from each corporation most knowledgeable about their concerns.
- salawat 6y ago
  S/Most knowledgeable about their concerns/coached by hired lobbyists The issue with Congressional hearings is that not one person has recently been punished for perjury under oath. Actually press charges, convict, and levy a sentence and watch how the atmosphere magically changes. If the legislature continues to be something seen as having no teeth, this poor behavior will continue without end.
dragonwriter 6y ago
The cameras have to do with the showmanship in the committee hearings, but not with the fact that oversight is what happens prior to and in preparation for the hearings. As anywhere else, work doesn't get done in meetings, work that has been done prior gets approved or rejected in meetings. Public meetings (with or without cameras, and even if the main public access is by public record) add showmanship to justify/excuse the action (or ones position for or against whatever becomes the committee action), but they aren't what puts the substantive work outside of the meetings. That's just how meetings, pretty invariably, work.
deleted 6y ago
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TheRealDunkirk 6y ago
Which is all just proof that the only real "work" our Congresspeople actually DO is just campaign for reelection. Our government is deadlocked by campaign contributions and a lack of term limits. It will not improve until both are remedied. I know it's kind of pointless to post a comment as nihilistic as this, but it is what it is.
- lizardmancan 6y ago
  Try have a go at what regulation should look like. Someone some day wil have an idea to good to ignore. I would like to see more dynamic laws designed to be as practical as possible. If we need moderation in public speech the parts of the process should go though a formal process. platforms would simply implement spec rather than innovate social engineering.

by kyrra 6y ago

mmm_grayons 6y ago

This is exactly right. The treatment of Secretary Clinton and Judge (now Justice) Kavanaugh before the Senate are excellent examples of how the cameras cause senators pontificate and castigate rather than gather information and form policy. If senators wanted information to make decisions, they almost certainly wouldn't be questioning CEOs but rather a group of representatives from each corporation most knowledgeable about their concerns.

salawat 6y ago
S/Most knowledgeable about their concerns/coached by hired lobbyists The issue with Congressional hearings is that not one person has recently been punished for perjury under oath. Actually press charges, convict, and levy a sentence and watch how the atmosphere magically changes. If the legislature continues to be something seen as having no teeth, this poor behavior will continue without end.

dragonwriter 6y ago

The cameras have to do with the showmanship in the committee hearings, but not with the fact that oversight is what happens prior to and in preparation for the hearings. As anywhere else, work doesn't get done in meetings, work that has been done prior gets approved or rejected in meetings. Public meetings (with or without cameras, and even if the main public access is by public record) add showmanship to justify/excuse the action (or ones position for or against whatever becomes the committee action), but they aren't what puts the substantive work outside of the meetings. That's just how meetings, pretty invariably, work.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

TheRealDunkirk 6y ago

Which is all just proof that the only real "work" our Congresspeople actually DO is just campaign for reelection. Our government is deadlocked by campaign contributions and a lack of term limits. It will not improve until both are remedied. I know it's kind of pointless to post a comment as nihilistic as this, but it is what it is.

lizardmancan 6y ago
Try have a go at what regulation should look like. Someone some day wil have an idea to good to ignore. I would like to see more dynamic laws designed to be as practical as possible. If we need moderation in public speech the parts of the process should go though a formal process. platforms would simply implement spec rather than innovate social engineering.