Jerry Kremer

Pete King is trapped in his party’s downward spiral

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These days I feel sorry for anyone who gets into the world of politics, because it has become such a mean-spirited and dysfunctional profession. For the most part, the public lumps good and bad politicians into one category, and they don’t recognize that there’s a difference between the two. Serving in government was once a great experience, and that’s why I feel especially sorry for U.S. Rep. Peter King.

King is one of 435 members, the vast majority of whom work hard and do a credible job. He navigates Washington with a good understanding of how power works and how it can be used to benefit the public. He has been in this business a long time, having served in local government at all levels. There are some people, including a few Democrats, who don’t love King, but I’m not one.

There are some issues on which I disagree with him, but overall, I admire his tenacity and dedication to public service. He is a constant presence on television and never holds back, even if he knows you won’t like what he says. He has never hidden his conservative philosophy, but has embraced many moderate causes that help people.

Many of my fellow Democrats forget that King fearlessly voted against President Clinton’s impeachment. He was a leader in the effort to broker a peace agreement in Northern Ireland, and was an unofficial adviser to Clinton on the conflict. But after all these years of doing things, King, like many other members of the House, is trapped in the downward spiral of the Republican Party.

It’s hard to believe that in a body of 435 people, a relative handful of members can succeed in wrecking the institution and the legislative process. Week after week, members like King travel to Washington ready to do the nation’s business, only to find that a small band of renegades in their party came there with only one goal: to tear down the government and destroy Congress in the process.

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