Congressional Republicans Destroying Legislative Process - Parallels to Flavian Principate Striking

Boston.com / News / Nation / Back-room dealing a Capitol trend: "With one party controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress, and having little fear of retaliation by the opposing party, the House leadership is changing the way laws are made in America, favoring secrecy and speed over open debate and negotiation. Longstanding rules and practices are ignored. Committees more often meet in secret. Members are less able to make changes to legislation on the House floor. Bills come up for votes so quickly that elected officials frequently don't know what's in them. And there is less time to discuss proposed laws before they come up for a vote."<.blockquote>

Miriam Griffin, "The Flavians," Cambridge Ancient History (Cambridge, 2000), p. 1-2

Again, Vespasian might appear more fortunate than Augustus in that he did not have to devise a new political system. But the old one had exhibited tensions that had contributed to Nero's fall, and his short=lived successors had not resolved them or found new ways of maintaining equilibirum. What was the corrrect image for the princeps who was in fact, but not in theory, a monarchy?...How was the Senate to be given importance without power?....