Robert Gates on the GOP's Breakdown and Failure at "The Basic Functions of Government"

By Steve Benen, Washington Monthly
Posted on October 15, 2011, Printed on October 16, 2011

Robert Gates, a respected elder statesman of the political establishment, recently delivered some provocative remarks on the health, of lack thereof, of the American political system. Brian Beutler had a good item on this the other day, noting the increasing frequency with which prominent voices, not prone to hyperbole or alarmism, are raising awkward questions.

The GOP’s hyper-partisan turn after Barack Obama’s victory in 2008 meant 112th Congress was destined to test the limits of dysfunctional governance. But it also happened to coincide with a moment in history when the country needed the government to do better than the bare minimum. Instead, it’s done less. And that’s shaken people who’ve spent their careers steering the ship of state.