Congress proves in plain sight that it can’t be trusted to lead the American people
Howard Baker of East Tennessee served as Republican leader of the Senate and had valuable lessons on civility, compromise and listening that Congress could use right now.
- Bill Haltom is the author of “The Other Fellow May Be Right: The Civility of Howard Baker.”
U.S. Sen. Howard Baker of Tennessee served as a leader in the United States Senate for six years, first as Senator Minority leader (1979 through 1981) and then as Senate Majority leader (1981 through 1985).
During his years of leadership on Capitol Hill, he earned a reputation for bringing senators on both sides of the congressional aisle together to address the issues of the times.
Baker, an East Tennessee Republican, was a role model of civility and collegiality.
He believed that “public life, in every aspect, is a collaborative enterprise.”
He believed in compromise and collaboration, bringing Republican senators and Democratic senators together, often to their surprise. As a result, during his era as a Senate leader, public governance was not dysfunctional.
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There were Sen. Howard Baker’s rules of civility
When he retired from the Senate in 1985, he gave a farewell address on what he believed were “the rules of Senate leadership.”
He began with a rule of civility, stating, “We are doing the business of the American people. We have to do it every day. And if we cannot be civil to one another — if we stop dealing with those who disagree with us or those we do not like, we would soon stop functioning altogether.”
He then listened some very specific rules, including listening more than you speak, and knowing how to count.
Regarding listening, he said every Senator should strive to be “an eloquent listener,” and remember to often give themselves “the luxury of an unexpressed thought.”
Regarding counting, Senator Baker said, “The essential training of a Senate majority leader perhaps ends in the third grade, when he learns to count reliably. But fifty-one (a Senate majority) may be forty-nine tomorrow, so keep on counting.”
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Today, members of Congress are speaking more than listening
While the Senator’s rules were for the United States Senate, they certainly should apply to the House of Representatives as well.
Watching the House of Representatives on news broadcasts this fall, it has become clear to me that our congressional leaders do not even attempt to follow Senator Baker’s rules.
They are not civil. They argue for the sake of argument, accuse each other for the sake of advantage, and demonize representatives on the other side of the congressional aisle.
They don’t listen. They just talk incessantly.
And based on the recent futile efforts to elect a Speaker of the House, their leaders can’t count.
Ballot after ballot was taken and no one could reach a majority of votes required to be elected House Speaker.
Sadly, we Americans can no longer count on Congress to provide the leadership our nation needs.
Bill Haltom is the author of “The Other Fellow May Be Right: The Civility of Howard Baker.” He resides in Memphis and Monteagle, Tennessee.