Who needs to hire the Jester?
In the olden days Kings hired Jesters. While the image today is that of a fool, in fact the position was very important and really good Jesters were worth their weight in gold. It is the one position that is not specified in the Constitution of the United States, but clearly we need one now more than ever.
Traditionally the Jester was consider a "fool." We think of him today as some sort of entertainer, more or less like a Medieval Robin Williams, always ready with some biting wit and maybe some slapstick comedy to boot. It's possible there were some that were like that, but, in fact, they served a much more important role.
Kings tended to be surrounded by yes-men. Those in the court courted favor by agreeing with the King, and given the power structures of the time that wasn't a bad idea. The Game of Thrones may be fiction, but disagreeing with the King was a bad idea in reality too. Even today we see those near the top continually fighting and clawing for a higher place in the pecking order and it's obvious that, especially within Congress, positions are taken that have nothing to do with "what's the right answer" or "how can we best solve this problem?" In fact, for most things those concepts seem to be the very last thing anybody considers. It's about party alliance and getting re-elected, which means every decision is based upon not offending the people who provide the money needed for the next campaign.
In any case, the Jester was known to be a fool. That was the whole idea. So, given that status, the Jester could say just about anything...and to the unknowing his remarks could be dismissed as the musings of a fool. However, the smart Kings used the Jester as a sounding board. The fool was allowed to point out the obvious failings of a proposal because he wasn't there to curry favor. The fool could call the King a fool and get away with it. He provided a certain counter-balance to the yes-men. When everyone else was getting carried away, he could point out the Emperor had no clothes.
So...what we need today is a Jester. I'm not thinking of someone to advise the President, simply because he doesn't have the power to make laws all by himself or herself. The President only gets to sign legislation. True he or she can propose ideas, and given the system his or her party can then draft bills to enact those ideas, but in reality the people with the most clout are in Congress.
The guy who needs to hired a Jester is the Speaker of the House. He needs somebody to explain to him, in simple, concrete, understandable terms exactly why Congress has such low approval ratings, because it's pretty clear he has no idea. Those within his party won't tell him, and he dismisses anything said by folks in the other party. In short, we need a fool to explain to a fool how foolish the Congress under his leadership looks. When he says he won't consider passing an immigration bill he needs a Jester to point out how stupid that is. When he openly discusses shutting down the government (again) he needs a Jester to tell him yet again that he's being Stupid. When he refuses to allow a bill to be debated and voted, he needs a Jester to explain exactly how much the American People are tired of his games.
In short, the House needs to hire a Jester. Get a good one, with a really neat costume. We need a fool who can communicate with another Fool and somehow explain reality. The House has a chaplain, a door-keeper, a barber, and a bunch of pages. What they really need is a Jester, because adding one more fool to the mix can't possibly hurt.
Traditionally the Jester was consider a "fool." We think of him today as some sort of entertainer, more or less like a Medieval Robin Williams, always ready with some biting wit and maybe some slapstick comedy to boot. It's possible there were some that were like that, but, in fact, they served a much more important role.
Kings tended to be surrounded by yes-men. Those in the court courted favor by agreeing with the King, and given the power structures of the time that wasn't a bad idea. The Game of Thrones may be fiction, but disagreeing with the King was a bad idea in reality too. Even today we see those near the top continually fighting and clawing for a higher place in the pecking order and it's obvious that, especially within Congress, positions are taken that have nothing to do with "what's the right answer" or "how can we best solve this problem?" In fact, for most things those concepts seem to be the very last thing anybody considers. It's about party alliance and getting re-elected, which means every decision is based upon not offending the people who provide the money needed for the next campaign.
In any case, the Jester was known to be a fool. That was the whole idea. So, given that status, the Jester could say just about anything...and to the unknowing his remarks could be dismissed as the musings of a fool. However, the smart Kings used the Jester as a sounding board. The fool was allowed to point out the obvious failings of a proposal because he wasn't there to curry favor. The fool could call the King a fool and get away with it. He provided a certain counter-balance to the yes-men. When everyone else was getting carried away, he could point out the Emperor had no clothes.
So...what we need today is a Jester. I'm not thinking of someone to advise the President, simply because he doesn't have the power to make laws all by himself or herself. The President only gets to sign legislation. True he or she can propose ideas, and given the system his or her party can then draft bills to enact those ideas, but in reality the people with the most clout are in Congress.
The guy who needs to hired a Jester is the Speaker of the House. He needs somebody to explain to him, in simple, concrete, understandable terms exactly why Congress has such low approval ratings, because it's pretty clear he has no idea. Those within his party won't tell him, and he dismisses anything said by folks in the other party. In short, we need a fool to explain to a fool how foolish the Congress under his leadership looks. When he says he won't consider passing an immigration bill he needs a Jester to point out how stupid that is. When he openly discusses shutting down the government (again) he needs a Jester to tell him yet again that he's being Stupid. When he refuses to allow a bill to be debated and voted, he needs a Jester to explain exactly how much the American People are tired of his games.
In short, the House needs to hire a Jester. Get a good one, with a really neat costume. We need a fool who can communicate with another Fool and somehow explain reality. The House has a chaplain, a door-keeper, a barber, and a bunch of pages. What they really need is a Jester, because adding one more fool to the mix can't possibly hurt.