Matt Taibbi wrote a terrific piece for Rolling Stone in October 2006 about the Republican-led Congress in power at the time. He painted an unsettling picture of what he called the “Worst Congress Ever.”
“These were the years,” Taibbi wrote, “when the U.S. parliament became a historical punch line, a political obscenity on par with the court of Nero or Caligula — a stable of thieves and perverts who committed crimes rolling out of bed in the morning and did their very best to turn the mighty American empire into a debt-laden, despotic backwater, a Burkina Faso with cable.”
The article included this classic quote from Jonathan Turley: “The 109th Congress is so bad that it makes you wonder if democracy is a failed experiment.”
That was six years ago. I think it’s more than fair to say the current, 112th Congress makes the 109th look brilliant and responsible by comparison. Indeed, in all sincerity, I don’t even think it’s a close call. Ezra Klein had a great piece today, listing “13 reasons why this is the worst Congress ever.”
Hating on Congress is a beloved American tradition. Hence Mark Twain’s old joke, “Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.” But the 112th Congress is no ordinary congress. It’s a very bad, no good, terrible Congress. It is, in fact, one of the very worst congresses we have ever had.
Ezra’s list is well worth reading, and the list is an effective indictment. Congress isn’t legislating; it lacks public support; it’s undermining the national economy; and it fails to complete basic tasks.









