AlterNet - The 112th Congress As The Worst In History - Calls Out Republicans!

[TomCADem]

The corporate media continues to push the Blame Democrats, Give Republicans a free pass narrative, and the American public continues to buy it. The narrative blames unemployment entirely on President Obama, but ignores the complete inaction and unwillingness of Congressional Republicans to lift a finger to address unemployment. Worse, Republicans feel like they can ditch a joint sesssion of Congress to address jobs so that they can prepare for a football party. They can act with impunity, because the American public, including many liberals, have internalized the corporate media narrative of giving Republicans a free pass. At best, we have embraced a false equivalency in which we assume that Democrats must be at least equally at fault as Republicans. Worse, some folks accuse Democrats of secretly supporting a Republican agenda.

Yet, a growing number of articles are appearing outside of the harsh glare of the corporate media spotlight, which highlight the truth: That the 112th Congress is the Worst Ever. A few are even placing the blame squarely where it belongs: on a Republican party that is dedicated to sabotaging the economy for political gain.

Still, too many Americans have accepted the corporate media narrative, which ignores the fact that the 112th Congress is the absolute worst in history due to the borderline treasonous actions of Republicans in deliberately harming the economy such as intentionally driving the Nation to the brink of default. Indeed, some folks on the "left" insist on giving Republicans a free pass, and arguing that Democrats and President Obama blame for the actions of a radicalized right. Afterall, if the Democrats were liberal enough, Jim DeMint would support gay marriage, Cantor would support taxes on the rich, and Michelle Bachmann would blink on occasion.

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/638963/'worst._congress._ever.'/

But from where I sit, Ornstein goes a little too easy on congressional Republicans. Congress is still capable of functioning as an institution. Indeed, over 2009 and 2010, we saw our share of frustrating legislative disputes, but an enormous amount of successful policymaking was completed. Had the Senate been able to operate by majority rule -- the way it used to -- the 111th Congress would have been even more impressive.

The problem with the 112th isn't a structural impediment; it's the result of a radicalized Republican Party that has no use for compromise, evidence, or reason. We have a congressional GOP abandoning all institutional norms, pushing extremist policies, rejecting their own ideas if they enjoy Democratic support, and engaging in tactics that were once thought unthinkable from policymakers who put the nation's needs first.

Is this the "Worst. Congress. Ever." as the headline on Ornstein's piece argues? After six months on the job, that seems extremely likely. Indeed, if this Congress deliberately causes a global economic catastrophe, the competition for the worst Congress ever will end quite quickly.

But the public needs to understand that Congress, at an institutional level, doesn't bear all of the blame. The stark raving mad Republican Party does.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Just more chest beating & trying to "out wit" the republicans.

It's impossible to use logic as tool against those bastards, they have much bigger tools, money & corporate power.