For some time now, Speaker Pelosi has allowed the minority Republicans to put all kinds of nonsense up to a vote in the House – attacking Rep. Pete Stark, MoveOn, etc. – the kind of stuff that Democrats in the minority were not allowed to do. Well, now Rep. Kucinich is offering up a privileged resolution calling for the impeachment of Vice President Cheney. It will of course fail, but the question is if Pelosi will allow it on to the floor. The Democratic leadership have allowed themselves to get spun around on the most important issues of our time, allowing the Republicans impunity even as they remain in the minority – so will she allow a relatively high-profile member the right to have his grievance addressed in a vote on the floor?
I happen to not agree with Rep. Kucinich on hardly anything besides getting out of Iraq, but I certainly have more respect for him than I do for a serial idiot like Rep. John Boehner. He has earned the right to have his privileged resolution, no matter how much it goes down in flames (as it will) or how impractical it is (very) given the same rights Pelosi gives to the Republican minority time and time again.
This is the price the party leadership pays for being in the majority and still acting like the minority and allowing Bush & Co. to continue to screw up the country. This is why your approval ratings are in the toilet. We didn’t elect a Democratic majority to keep giving up Republican victories.
I have no hope she will pass this test and if we win in 2008, it will be a testament to how much the electorate dislikes Bush and Republicans, it will have nothing to do with how the electorate likes Democrats, because Pelosi and Reid and this Congress? Total crap.
“because Pelosi and Reid and this Congress? Total crap.”
That’s not true. They’ve done a lot of good work. A hell of a lot of good work. They are far from perfect and way too often make the mistake that the Republicans are partners, or even human, but overall I am satisfied with the job they have done.
If I were to vote I would vote Democratic, 100%. And that would be 60% voting for a Democrat and 40% voting against the Republicans.
They’ve done a lot of good work. A hell of a lot of good work.
Like …?
Me: “They’ve done a lot of good work. A hell of a lot of good work.”
SaveFarris: “Like …?”
Oh good, SaveFarris is here to prove is fucking stupid. And he did it in just one word. His parents must be so proud.
- Increased minimum wage
- Implemented the 9/11 commission report recommendations.
- Reduced interest payments on student loans
- Improved labour relations act
- Major ethics reform
- Held hearings on several government scandals that were ignored last time around
- Invested in renewable energy
- and a whole lot more.
In fact, they set a record for most votes taken place in one congress and more than doubled the number of votes that happened in 109th congress.
But don’t worry about facts. Continuing believing the 110th congress have been a do nothing congress. And in almost exactly a year when you slip further as a minority, you’ll know why.
I guess if you want to complain that the democratically led congress hasn’t done enough Farris, you have to look at the obstructionist Republican minority and Captain Veto. Obstructionist minority.
I think SaveFarris has run away from this debate.
I would like to point out before this post slipped into the archieve that SaveFarris posted a one word response and then ran when he got his ass kicked. Like too many of the right-wingers on this site, he is a coward when it comes to an intellectually honest debate.
“- Major ethics reform”
“- Held hearings on several government scandals that were ignored last time around”
both strike me as sound and fury with nothing to show for it.
Now I haven’t really been following these, so I’m willing to allow that my impression is wrong. But IMHO major ethics reform would require action by the ethics committee when certain conditions are met and (my impression) is that that still just isn’t so. The foxes still patrol the hen house (and choose not to investigate themselves).
And holding hearings doesn’t mean any action is actually taken. Where are the subpoenas? What charges have been filed?