Hubris, Arrogance, and Stupidity in the Fish Bowl

Politico Arena Topic: Sex Scandals Ruining Congress's Image?

Since the days of Mark Twain, Congress has had an image problem. That image problem is particularly great today. In a Gallup Poll from the summer of 2010, only 7% of citizens said they had a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in Congress—dead last among all societal institutions including the presidency and Supreme Court. The seemingly unending ethics scandals of members of congress (both active and former) of both parties further erodes the confidence of the American public. And the fact that the dirty details of text messages, tweets, and photos is readily available for public assumption, exacerbates the problem and increases the cynicism with which the American public views the legislative branch and government in general.

The hubris, arrogance, and stupidity of some in the political class never fails to surprise, amuse, and sicken me all at once. It’s bad enough that they engage in morally bankrupt behavior hurting their marriages and sometimes destroying their families. That so many behave this way despite living in a fish bowl, is shocking.

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