The Failed Congress
The National Review has an editorial pointing out just how ineffective the Democrats have been since taking control of Congress. It is a record of failure that makes the last Congress look wildly productive.
The Democrats could have a sweep in 2008, but if they do it will not be because of anything this Congress or its leaders did. The congressional majority has inflicted very little political damage on the Republicans, either through show trials or through legislation. They had some success, to be sure, in portraying Republicans as opposed to children’s health care; but by next November that debate will have widened into an argument about the future of American health care, which was unavoidable anyway and in which the Democrats may be overreaching.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Congress has, through its inability to fix the Alternative Minimum Tax, even for a year, ensured that taxpayers will receive their refunds late. Republican politicians may not always be as sharp as we would like, but surely they have the wit to channel public blame where it belongs.
I have said for quite some time that the rank and file of the Democratic party would come to revile the Reid-Pelosi regime. They have done nothing to change that opinion and others are seeing the same thing. The fact that the leading Democratic contenders for the presidential nomination happen to be serving members of the increasingly inept and ineffectual Congress will be a huge negative against whoever gets the nod. The voters will not want to promote someone to a higher office who is already a failure at what they are supposed to be doing.
By Maggie, Monday, 3 December , 2007 @ 9:54 am
A “Do nothing Congress” really isn’t all that bad …
But a Congress that insists on obstructing the President, and by doing so, uses our troops as pawns in their political game(s) is criminal to the people (and the troops of course) of this country.
By martian, Monday, 3 December , 2007 @ 10:37 am
I agree, Maggie, the entire Democratic agenda, since the 2000 election, has been to do whatever they could to undermine Pres. Bush and make him look bad. Every action, every reaction, every statement they make is measured in those terms. Even their presidential candidates are, basically, running against George Bush. Listen to their campaign speeches. How many of their statements start with “This president…………”? Has there been one campaign speech, by any of the Democratic candidates, that didn’t mention Pres. Bush and do so in a negative light?
The problem is Pres. Bush ISN’T RUNNING in this election. They have been working from the “Anybody But Bush” position for so long, they don’t have any other strategy. Unless they wake up, this will hurt them a lot in the main election. The people electing the next president from the choices of whoever survives the primaries might actually be looking for a candidate who has actual plans to DO something, not just complain. Democrats haven’t had actual constructive plans in so long it may be impossible for them to come up with any real ideas.