Could Congress Be Waking Up?

[Divine Discontent]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/opinion/19mann.html

By THOMAS E. MANN, MOLLY REYNOLDS and NIGEL HOLMES
Published: January 19, 2008

<snip>
The public has reached a decidedly negative conclusion, based on Congress’s inability to force a change in policy on the Iraq war and the pitched partisan battles that characterized much of the year in Washington.

But expectations for seismic change in policymaking after the 2006 midterm elections were almost certainly too high, given the deep ideological differences between the parties, the Democrats’ narrow majorities, the now-routine Senate filibusters and a Republican president determined to go his own way on Iraq, the budget and domestic policy.

Based on our research, the 110th Congress does deserve some praise. In 2007, the level of energy and activity on Capitol Hill picked up markedly. This is not surprising — when the Newt Gingrich Congress, its closest analogue, took over in 1995, the pace of legislative life sped up, too.

In terms of both the number and significance of new public laws, however, last year’s Democratic majority significantly outperformed that Republican Congress. Only one item described in the Republican Contract With America was signed into law at the end of 1995, while most of the proposals the Democrats announced as their agenda were enacted.

<snip>

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Yeah, scary to think, but whoever is the Dem nominee has 435 congressional seats, and 35 senate seats relying on their appearance to the electorate as not being a horrible alternative to the GOP candidate. Hmm... great.

[MADem]

1. last year’s Democratic majority significantly outperformed that Republican Congress

With a razor thin majority in the Senate, too.

Geez, you sure wouldn't know how well they did if you relied on this place for all your news!

[Divine Discontent]

2. despite my frustration at Pelosi regarding Cheney

they did get many things accomplished, and I constantly joked with my closest friends that it would be belittled and rarely spoken of by the talking heads.

I believe in ads that play great music and scroll down a list of accomplishments, having effect on voters, and the Democratic Party should extol its virtues with some pride after Independence Day rolls around and the ads start flying.


take care!

[riverdale]

4. You cannot overlook the Democratic failure to change Iraq policy

I am not buying the "deep ideological differences between the parties" argument. I wish that were true. But on too many crucial policies, the Dems are the go-along-with-a-bad-idea party. Look at what has happened to civil rights and the constitution in the past eight years. Plus, the Dems now can accept full responsibility for Iraq, at least since 2006. Trying to highlight what they have accomplished, and not mentioning the Iraq war, is a little like highlighting Lyndon Johnson's accomplishments and not mentioning his policies in Vietnam.

[ixion]

3. are they still in the beltway? then no, they're not

we will continue our march toward a banana republic police state, freedom and liberty be damned.