Witnessing the heart as it cracks – UPDATED

It is not possible to remain unmoved as Rep. Charles Melancon (D-LA) finds the break point.

“Everything that I know and love is at risk.”

Watch it all. Melancon’s sincere pain is a rebuke to the incessant political posturing we see out of Washington, and all the artless media outrage to which we have become so accustomed.

In all seriousness–because this is a very serious situation–it seems that Chris Matthews’ heart is breaking, too:

Allahpundit writes of Matthews:

But now that I’ve watched and seen the hurt in his eyes when he says “idiotic cerebral meritocracy,” I fear something’s died here that can never be rekindled.

Matthews’ whole remark was:

“. . . this idiotic cerebral meritocracy has got to step aside and let the people who do things take over…”

And that is the problem in a nutshell. Our government is top-heavy with people who have never “done” anything.

The Obama administration is loaded down with academics and lawyers who have spent their lives theorizing about things like economics, markets, social order and crisis management–and criticizing methods with which they disagree–but who have little practical experience in doing.

In fairness to the White House, many members of congress (and their leadership) have never done anything but talk, pose and run for office, too, but perhaps it behooves a president to have a few people in place who know how to (as any successful capitalist would) find the people who have an acquaintance with practical applications and who know how to yell, and how to dig in with both unmanicured hands.

Admittedly, it is difficult to put such people in place. Can-do capitalists are jawboners; they tend to want to lead, rather than fall-in-line. But any administration should have a couple of them discreetly in the background, so that when things hit the fan, there are more than mere theorists on board.

Otherwise, you end up hearing the people who loved and trusted you question the “idiotic cerebral meritocracy” you’ve put in place, and declaring you “incompetent” from a rather large mic.

AJ Strata cries “incompetence” on another issue, too.

UPDATE: As a rule, I generally avoid posting videos created by political parties, unless it is to laugh at them, but this one is exceptionally well done, and relevant to the issue. It is also depressing as hell. When James Carville moves you, you know it’s serious. Yes, it makes the heart crack.

It’s going to take more than a marketing campaign to reassure these folks.

This sort of tone-deafness won’t do it.

Related:

Timeline
“incompetent, inexperienced and divisive”
“President is too busy to talk to you, Mr. Congressman”
Expecting too much of Government
Did Birnbaum lie to Congress?
Culture of Corruption at MMS
Passing the buck?