THE CONGRESSIONAL “WHIFFENPOOFS”

The 112th Congress

According to my research, “The Yale Whiffenpoofs are the oldest collegiate a cappella group in the United States, established in 1909.[1]” They are “best known for ‘The Whiffenpoof Song’, a tune that was written by Tod Galloway (Amherst 1895)[2] and adapted with lyrics by Meade Minnigerode (Yale 1910)[1] & George S Pomeroy (Yale 1910).”

“‘The Whiffenpoof Song’, the group's traditional closing number, was published in sheet music form in 1909. It became a hit first for Rudy Vallee in 1927 and later in 1947 for Bing Crosby.” I am sure you have all heard and sang the lyrics before and I believe it is the perfect theme song for the 112th Congress. The chorus of “The Whiffenpoof Song” goes like this:

“The Whiffenpoof Song”

“We are poor little lambs who have lost our way, bah, bah, bah.”
“We are little black sheep who have gone astray, bah, bah, bah.”

“We have lost our way” and “we have gone astray” aptly describes the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate; and I would also include the President of the United States. Let’s look back at the U.S. Constitution and the intent of the Founding Fathers when they laid out the duties and responsibilities of the three branches of government.

The U.S. House of Representatives is the federal body of government that is supposed to represent the people within their respective districts. That is why congressional districts are drawn. They identify the boundaries and the constituents within those boundaries that individual congressmen represent. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) represents the 8th congressional district of California, which is comprised primarily of San Francisco. Eric Cantor (R-VA) represents the 7th congressional district of Virginia which spans several counties including the city of Richmond. They are elected every 2 years by the constituents within their districts and their primary responsibilities are to represent those constituents in Congress.

The U.S Senate is a federal body of government that is supposed to represent the States that elected them. There are 100 Senators elected to 6 year terms; 2 to represent each state. Harry Reid (D-NV) was elected in Nevada to represent the interests of the State of Nevada in the Senate. Mitch McConnell (R- KY) was elected in Kentucky and was sent to Washington to represent the State of Kentucky.

The President of the United States is elected every 4 years and his duties and responsibilities are to represent the United States of America; both domestically and abroad. As you can see there is an intended hierarchy that the Founders established with the House representing the people; the Senate representing the States; and the President representing the country as a whole. How can this hierarchy be maintained when all of the parties involved abandon their constitutional duties in lieu of chasing their ideological pipe dreams?

An example of this breakdown has been a story in the news lately; the construction of the Keystone Pipeline. The pipeline project is intended to bring crude oil supplies from Canada to several market hubs in the U.S., such as the Midwest, Oklahoma and Texas. It will create jobs for thousands of people within the congressional districts it passes through and it should be of paramount importance to the congressional delegation representing those districts, regardless of party affiliation. The project is of equal importance to the states it passes through and the millions of dollars of revenue the pipeline could generate for those states; something that their respective Senators should be keenly aware. Finally, the project could have a profound impact on the national security of the United States; an issue that should be supported by the President.
 
The House members from both political parties in the pipeline states should be aligning themselves to support such an important economic project, as should the Senators from those states but, unfortunately, they are not. Instead, the ideological camps from the ultra right are taking a pro position while the ideologs on the lunatic left are taking a con position. Neither side is representing the people in their districts, the well being of the states, or the ultimate best interests of the country; they are representing a destructive ideology. This example can be applied to numerous issues this country is grappling with but is failing to find solutions for that would benefit individuals, their states or the country because ideology trumps principles.

That is why Washington is broken, the country is faltering, and the Constitution is teetering because they are no longer being run by individuals with the rule of law in mind or the tenets of the Constitution as their sworn oath. We need to go back to a time, if it ever really existed, where words like “the people”, “the states”, and “the country” take center stage; and words like Democrat, Republican, liberal, progressive, conservative or libertarian are merely adjectives to describe human frailty. That is why I say, “They are poor little sheep who have lost their way and have gone astray, bah, bah, bah!



[1] The Rev. James M. Howard, Yale Class of 1909, "An Authentic Account of the Founding of the Whiffenpoofs"
[2] "Time Magazine, August 2, 1937, "Whiffenpoof Contest"