Ka BOO ki

I used to work for an organization that spent a lot of time trying to talk Congress into increasing public funding for the arts. To be frank, Congress doesn’t much care about most forms of the arts, except, apparently, kabuki theater.

If you don’t know what kabuki is, don’t feel bad. Congress doesn’t either. In fact, only once in the past 20 years has the word “kabuki” been used by members of Congress to actually describe the form of traditional Japanese theater. Considerably more often, it’s used as an almost laughably inappropriate metaphor. In the first half of December of 2007 alone, for example, the term was used twice. In a December 13 Washington Post article detailing problems that congressional democrats have had working with each other, Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) is quoted as saying, "I understand the frustration; we're frustrated, too…but holding a bunch of kabuki theater doesn't get anything done." A week earlier, on December 4, Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) expressed frustration with the Senate’s inability to move a tax bill. “If that is where we are going to end up,” said Baucus, “let's just do it, not go through this kabuki here, these games.” (Note: Baucus probably meant to say “kabuki theater,” since Congress always seems to say "kabuki theater" or "kabuki dance.")

As these examples show, Members of Congress use the term kabuki to describe a congressional dog-and-pony show, a lot of posturing and debate that is ultimately meaningless and produces nothing. As Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) put it, “We have to do an elaborate kabuki dance to make it seem as if we are doing something but not do anything at all.” (May 19, 1999) One could argue that based on this definition, Congress itself is nothing but a big Kabuki theater, and maybe these lawmakers are using the term correctly after all. Let’s take some facts about Kabuki and see if they also pertain to Congress.

1) “Kabuki” can be roughly translated as “the art of singing and dancng.” When you get right down to it, Congress is about little more than singing and dancing.

2) Kabuki is traditionally performed on a rotating stage equipped with trapdoors through which the actors can appear and disappear. This does not describe either congressional chamber, but it’s something they should strongly consider. Imagine Senator X is giving a speech about Senator Y. Senator Y is not in the room. Senator X says “Senator Y’s bill doesn’t work, and he’s an idiot for introducing it.” All of a sudden, BAM, up through the floor comes Senator Y, wearing traditional kabuki makeup, and screaming at the top of his lungs. He ritualistically guts Senator X with a shinto sword. Ratings for C-SPAN would skyrocket.

3) In some performances, an actor’s costume would be attached to wires, and he would appear to fly over the stage or through the auditorium. Again, Congress needs this. The sight of a flying Ted Kennedy? Forget about it.

4) In 1629, women were banned from performing Kabuki. As a result, according to Wikipedia, “Young male boys began taking the role of women due to there youthfulness and higher pitched voices in comparison to that of a grown male man.” Mark Foley is probably a fan of Kabuki.

5) The men performing in the plays, according to Wikipedia, “also performed a lot of romantic scenes. Theses scenes were fully played out with one another.” Larry Craig is probably a fan of Kabuki.

6) One type of Kabuki, Aragoto, is known for it’s over-the-top style - the actors exaggerate their words and gestures, and use multiple props. Can't think of any members of Congress who might do that.

So there certainly are similarities. As a result (and given how often they use the term) you’d think members of Congress would know more about it. But let’s go over some more quotes, all from the Senate or House floor.

“The gentleman has now acknowledged that nothing in his amendment does anything about the deficit. He says it is a two-step dance. It is a Kabuki dance. It is a Dance of Seven Veils. It has got an unrepresentative argument here.” Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), May 17, 2007

Wow, Barney, that’s a lot of dancing and a whole lot of odd cultural references. I don’t get the two-step dance reference at all. The kabuki dance is slightly more odd, but keeps with the usual misuse that whatever you're referring to is ultimately meaningless. But the dance of the seven veils thing is even more odd – so, you’re saying if the amendment passes that I’ll need to bring you John the Baptist's head on a platter? Or simply that you’ll do a saucy dance for me if I give you my vote? You lost me, Barney, but you’re well-dressed, as always. (Seriously, is there a "Queer Eye for the Queer Guy?" Can we hook Barney up?)

“It is kind of a kabuki show here, because we know full well from the Government Accounting Office reports that the money, after 2 years, will not be required because there will be additional revenues.” Sen. John McCain (D-AZ), November 2, 1995.

Yes, Senator McCain, that’s exactly what constitutes a “kabuki show,” detailed Government Accounting Office reports. Those were all over the works of higher Japanese culture.

“'We do not like your budget.’ I have been through that Kabuki dance before. We have been guilty on occasion where we have said, ‘we are not going to offer our budget resolution; we will just attack yours and offer amendments.' And we were made fun of by the other side.” Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS), May 18, 1995.

Okay, again, kabuki has very little to do with reports and/or budgets. And do you notice that most members of Congress refer to kabuki as a dance? In its infancy, that was true, but dance was phased out as the art form went on. So, apparently, did talk of reports and budgets.

“I am not going to spend a lot of time on this because this is just kabuki tonight. Everyone knows this is not a serious effort.” Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), November 15, 2005.

Kabuki was very serious business, Mr. Baucus. There are no kabuki comedies. You notice that he again did not refer to it as dance or theater? He probably just thinks it's a word that's synonomous with "smoke and mirrors" and has no idea that there's an artistic connotation to it. I don't imagine a lot of kabuki gets performed in Montana.

“I will, therefore, vote no on this cloture vote because I still think that, arguments about politics to the contrary, neither side having totally clean hands on all of this, the controlling factor ought to be the substance of the bill, which I think is good, and that the controlling factor on a vote ought to be how one feels about whether or not one can continue to debate product liability and hope that the leadership will come together in some kind of an arrangement, as, indeed, in this sort of Kabuki dance there has been.” Sen. John D. Rockefeller (D-WV), July 9, 1998.

I can’t even fathom what the sentence means. I have no clue where in the world he was trying to go with this. Context doesn’t help; I read the whole speech and won’t waste your time reprinting it here. I wonder if he just threw in “kabuki” to make himself sound smarter. Plus it’s a fun word to say. “Kabuki! Kabuki! The girl who’s hard to get! Kabuki! Kabuki! But you can win her yet!”

“The Senate is being reduced to something close to a farce. It is becoming rapidly not the world's greatest deliberative body but instead the world's greatest kabuki theater, a place where speeches are given to which very few people listen, no minds are changed, and votes are then held with complete predictability of results.” Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN), November 12, 2003.

A few quibbles with this. I would argue that really doesn’t describe kabuki. First of all, most audience members were held in rapt attention. In fact, the plays were intended to go on for a full day and, unlike in Congress, people actually listened. The metaphor is completely lost when you start talking about votes. To my knowledge, there was no voting in kabuki. In fact, there wasn’t much voting in ANY part of feudal Japan. But good try. On the other hand, you have to hand it to Representative Jim Oberstar (D-MN), who actually takes the time to explain a little bit about kabuki:

“Now, there are discussions, back door, called it in one meeting kind of a Kabuki dance, wearing a mask, putting on a uniform and doing this dance, and we are supposed to understand what is happening behind the dance.” June 23, 2004.

EXACTLY! You’ve got it! Thanks, Jim! The actors do put on uniforms and makeup, they dance and act, and you, the audience, are meant to interpret what’s going on, even if it doesn’t make any sense! Just like Congress!

Finally, for some reason, Rep. David Obey (D-WI), chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, REALLY likes kabuki theater.

“I want Members to understand that there is a little kabuki dance going on here, and that is required by the refusal of the majority party to provide an allocation to this subcommittee strong enough to meet our national responsibilities.” (June 22, 2000)

Little known fact – a lack of allocations to the subcommittees was the inspiration for a lot of kabuki plays.

“We then saw a Kabuki dance engaged in by the President and various Members of this House. The same day that that conference was being considered, the President said in a speech that he was in support of the content of the Kohl amendment to extend the milk program.” October 9, 2004.

I was unable to find a connection between kabuki and milk. However, if such a link exists, I’m sure Obey is aware of it.

“Madam Chairman, I do not want to rain on anybody's parade, but in a sense I do. What we have just witnessed here is our annual Kabuki dance on the question of the arts.” May 19, 2005

Now that would be sweet – every time the arts are brought up in Congress, the debate has to be performed in kabuki. We’d have folks with obnoxious makeup caked on their faces popping up through trapdoors, flying around the stage like big, fat vultures, and screaming in Japanese. That is democracy I can get behind.

“Last night, in a very interesting kabuki dance, the majority party managed to finally find the votes some more than a month late to pass their budget resolution in this House.” May 18, 2006

“Hey Bob, we just don’t have the votes for this budget resolution. Should we try bribing? Offering plum committee assignments? Hookers? Oh wait, what if we sat the opposition down in a room, get all dolled up, and reenacted the story of the 47 Ronin? That’ll be fuckin’ SWEET. Dave Obey will be pissed.”

“I would like to comment on what has happened with respect to local law enforcement assistance over the past 3 years. We have had a Kabuki dance going on for years between the White House and the Congress of the United States.” July 25, 2007

Now Bush is getting in on the dance! It’s like there’s warring factions of kabuki dancers, like a crazy, Washington-based Japanese West Side Story!

When you're a Dem
You're a Dem all the way!
From your sad, bleeding heart
To your morals of clay!

When you're a Dem
If the spit hits the fan,
You’ll yell and you’ll scream
about withdrawal plans!

You're always alone,
You're always dejected!
You’ll get nothing done
like the voters expected!

(And hey, we’re bipartisan – to the tune of “Gee, Officer Krupke:)

George Bush is a bastard
Cheney’s an S.O.B.
McConnell’s always plastered
While he fucks the bourgeoisie
Condi wears a mustache
Larry Craig wears a dress.
Thank god we’ve suspended freedom of the press