In this video, Dr. Chris Magiera cautions viewers against Congressional cliques and group-think when it comes to voting on legislation. Please see below for the transcript.
What do high school students and members of Congress have in common? A lot more than you would think. And that is sad and concerning.
Hello. I’m Dr. Chris Magiera of Warsaw, Indiana, and I am running for the United States House of Representatives from the 3rd Congressional District of Indiana. On May 5 June 2, there will be a Republican Party primary election, and I would appreciate your vote.
Back to the headline: Congress and High School. What is the link here? I shall answer. Because humans are social creatures, we tend to bond into units. Some of these collectives can function for the good, but others can be very destructive. A case in point is high school cliques: ruthless, authoritarian mobs fueled by raging hormones and immature neural connections.
Is advancing age an escape from this tyranny? Perhaps not. A case in point is the phenomenon of the congressional caucus. Not infrequently, I am asked, “If you are elected to the House, which caucus will you join?” And people wait for an answer, as though this will provide some amazing revelation. I standardly answer that, according to the Rules of the House, I will caucus with the Republicans. But people will press, “How about the Freedom Caucus or the Republican Study Committee?” And on and on and on.
Curious, I looked into this. Did you know that in addition to the Republican and Democrat caucuses, that there are 357 officially recognized and financed caucuses — or, technically, Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs) — in the United States House of Representatives? I’m not kidding. Here is the list. I have read through it, and a few of the Cliques caught my attention. There’s the Bourbon Caucus and the Wrestling Caucus. What will come next, the Poker and Cigar Caucuses?
We can joke about this for hours, but these cliques are serious business, and voters need to be educated as to the effect of group-think on legislation. Just like in high school and junior high school, the clique phenomenon exacts a high price on its members. Are the memories coming back now? In order to be popular in a clique, there is enormous peer pressure to conform to the prevailing views. It is natural human group psychology. We change behavior in order to seek pleasure and approval and to avoid the emotional pain of non-conformity. And of course, there is always the desire to be “leader of the pack.”
Cliques and caucuses act to subvert independence. The Founders knew this well. In fact, George Washington often said that “faction” would be one of two things that would undo our constitutional, representative Republic. The other item [he mentioned was] foreign entanglements.
So, back to this election. I would put forth that my 37 years of medical practice makes me uniquely qualified for the House and insulated against the effects of factions, caucuses, and cliques. In addition to healing the sick, I have always had another goal in my medical practice, and that has been maintaining the sanctity of the patient-doctor relationship. I have developed a determined independence of keeping all other interlopers out of the exam room. Government, insurance companies, bureaucrats, and bean counters: out! I am used to making decisions that are not easy, convenient, or popular.
Governments are instituted among men in order to secure our God-given natural rights to life, liberty, property and the means to support and defend them to the best of our abilities (to paraphrase Samuel Adams). The clique that I will belong to is the Constitution caucus. And you know what? It’s not even on the list. How sad.
If elected, I “shall be bound,” according to Article 6, Section 3, “by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution.” Period. 100 percent of the time. Unlike ambitious career politicians, I will be unafraid to confront the cliques and leadership in order to pursue the Constitution Solution.
In order to keep America great, we must keep America constitutional — never wavering from our mission.
On May 5 June 2, vote for the Constitution Solution, Dr. Chris Magiera for Congress. Visit DrChrisMagiera.com to learn more.
I’m Dr. Chris Magiera, and I approve this message. Paid for by Friends of Chris Magiera, Inc. Thank you.