Just because I voted (mostly) for Democrats this past election doesn't mean that I reserve my anger for members of the GOP. These days the President appears to be somewhat like a kindergarten teacher; Speaker Pelosi, relishing Democratic control of the executive and legislative branches of government, has decided to not involve GOP members of the House in drafting the House version of the stimulus plan. John Boehner, upset at this, told House Republicans that they are not to vote for the stimulus plan and said this even before the President made his way to Capital Hill yesterday. Mitch McConnell (who barely won reelection) seems a little less indignant but . . . .
Of course I remember when the roles were reversed and Republican Senators (and Mr. Bush) smugly demanded an "up or down" vote on judicial nominees and I'm sure Democratic members of both the House and the Senate remember those days as well. So, I'll bet that we're seeing a little pay back here. Now, while the GOP should take their medicine the damn Democrats need to understand that in November Americans voted for change. We seem to be getting this from the President but we also need it from members of Congress. There is simply too much at stake for these turf battles to continue.
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3 comments:
Obama and McConnell have taken the high road as it relates to the drafting of the stimulus plan. Nancy Pelosi has disappointed me by not incorporating the GOP with these discussions. John Boehner's got blood on his hands too.
As a whole, the US Senate is more bipartisan than the House. To be elected in a statewide race such as Senator, a politician must be able to compromise to different factions. The House, on the other hand, is a victim of gerrymandering of districts by state legislatures. As a result, certain politicians can be left-wing or right-wing because they only have 400,000 voters to please.
I'm proud of Obama for showing leadership with the stimulus plan. I'm surprised that McConnell has added assistance.
I agree with your observations 100%. I did not vote for Obama, but I have been extremely impressed with his leadership even before the inauguration. He has been a man among boys in my opinion and it is unfortunate that Congress continues to play the same old games. How some of these people got into office and stay there is amazing (Barney Frank was caught with a male prostitute - how the hell is he still in office?).
Although my vote in November went a different direction, I am extremely glad that my guy lost because I see now that Obama is exactly what we need, even though it was not evident to me back then. He has turned out to be much more moderate than I thought. But the main thing is his cool-headed manner of going about things while still reminding us that this is not a good situation. I woud not be surprised if this Congress suffers the same fate as the last Congress and gets voted out.
I imagine that the Dems will keep control of Congress for another 2 years because of the math problems the GOP has. The GOP have more Senate seats to defend in 2010, and the Dems so far have no retirements (except for Delaware, where Biden's son will be the heir apparent).
As far as the house goes, the Dems are in pretty good shape too. I doubt if the Dems will lose more than 10 seat in 2010. The GOP needs 40 seats to regain control.
I think Pelosi will be the one endangered, much like Gingrich in 1998. I wouldn't be surprised if some Dems back off from supporting her in the future.
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