The new House dummies

As an African-American role model, Allen West must be advising the average black teenager to be a “bayonet.”

Andy Harris asserts that employees should be granted health insurance on their first day on the job, but not for those who are out of work.

If their names are not already familiar to you, you have probably guessed that they are Republicans. In fact, both will become members of Congress next month.

They have already distinguished themselves as hard-right conservatives not ready for prime time. Because Republicans have the majority in the House of Representatives, vulnerable citizens may have to pay for their decisions.

They both ousted incumbent Democrats, West in south Florida and Harris on the eastern shore of Maryland. With these and other episodes, Harris and West tripped a political trap door suggesting that they are hypocritical, incompetent amateurs.

It is true that the majority of voters in their congressional districts put them in office, but they could be considered products of the system - the unrelenting two-party system that leaves little elbow room for independent candidates.

West launched his political career when he made an impromptu speech at a Fort Lauderdale Tea Party rally in 2009 which was viewed by more than 2.3 million times on YouTube, The Washington Post reported.

His words: “You better get your butts out there and understand it’s a fight, and you better fight for America. You need to leave here understanding one simple word and that word is ‘bayonet.’ You need to leave here and charge this enemy for your freedom.”

Bayonet? He joined some bizarre company like Sarah Palin who employ militaristic terms when criticizing political leaders. The word “bayonet” took on a new layer of meaning when he told a Washington Post reporter: “One of the implied responsibilities that I do have as a black member up here is to be a role model and an example.”

Just what is he telling inner-city black teenagers from broken homes who commit crimes? White people who are on constant alert for young black criminals might conclude that he is urging black teens to use longer, sharper knives.

Of course, using the word “bayonet” in any political context is plain reckless irresponsible. Connecting it to his Washington Post quote makes the reference utterly stupid and ridiculous.

Harris has campaigned to repeal the Affordable Care Act which will plug part of the gap in providing health insurance for those who do not have it. According to The Baltimore Sun, Harris denounced the public option “as a gateway to socialized medicine” during a debate on the health-care law.

Less than two weeks after being elected to Congress, Harris attended a briefing on employee benefits for new members of Congress, staff aides and family members where he questioned why he must wait a month for his new health insurance coverage to start, according to Politico, a Capitol Hill newspaper.

He said, “This is the only employer I’ve ever worked for where you don’t get coverage the first day you are employed (as quoted in Politico).”

An unidentified congressional staffer told Politico that Harris reacted “incredulously” when told he would not receive coverage on Jan. 3 when the new Congress is sworn in.

There is more to the incident, but Harris’ question was sufficient to prompt 59 House Democrats - including three of his fellow Marylanders - to sign a letter blasting Republicans for hypocrisy.

The Baltimore Sun reported that in a letter to Republican congressional leaders, they professed surprise that Harris, who was not identified by name, “would complain about not having health care coverage for a few weeks, even after campaigning to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which will help provide coverage to millions of Americans who find themselves without health insurance for months or even years.

“You cannot enroll in the very kind of coverage that you want for yourselves, and then turn around and deny it to Americans who don’t happen to be members of Congress.”

West and Harris’ constituents have the right to vote for these guys, but we can readily question their wisdom in doing so.

One culprit is our two-party system. Obviously, those who voted Republican were disappointed with the Democrats’ track record. They did not believe that President Obama exercised sufficient leadership, or they were fearful of the economy’s future, or they felt desperate about ongoing unemployment.

Democrats lost some Jewish votes, probably because of their view that Obama has at times been abrasive to Israeli leaders. While Israel has been in the wrong at times, I was personally concerned about the president’s approach.

West, who has hawkish views on Israel, probably attracted Jewish votes that were previously cast for Democrats; his district takes in parts of Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton.

These who voted Republican had legitimate concerns, though they might have had doubts about their final choice. What was their alternative? They wanted to send a message to the Democrats and they were left a single option.

Most independents would come in a distant third because they are weakened by the winner-take-all system. A runoff system, probably Instant Runoff Voting, would have provided voters with three or more choices who would have a better chance of winning.

Moderate and liberal voters also had various reasons to worry about Democratic positions. However, they usually stick with the Democrats because they fully expect the Republicans to be much worse.

So far, two new members of Congress are quite clueless.