WASHINGTON D.C.--Let the legislating commence! We're getting a raise in the minimum-wage (no big-deal here), hopefully a real investigation into 9/11 (a very big-deal), a revamping of ethics rules in a good-direction (a big-deal), investigations into the handling of the war in Iraq (very big-deal), you-name-it . Even before the elections were over, the GOP began their whining about how they were "victims," which as reasonable people know, is not credible. Democrats were shut-out of most of the major committees, and there were plenty or rush-votes where the opposition wasn't even allowed to read the contents of a bill. When the GOP wasn't in-recess, they were naming things after Ronald Reagan, or renaming committees and mountains and airports like commissars under the Soviet system. Interestingly, they're now trying to say it wasn't a failure of their ideology, but that it was the war and all the scandals. Funny, none of those scandals and the war would have been possible without implementation of their--surprise--ideology.
When Democrats were shut out, they were often compelled to vote on bills blindly, or face sanctions and accusations (supported by the inaction and collusion of the mainstream press) that they were "obstructing." You won't see much coverage of GOP-obstructionism now, that's for sure, but mainly because it's been shut-down before it could begin. Strangely, the AP is even taking-on the GOP-argument of the first 100-hours: "House Republicans, meanwhile, adjusted to their unaccustomed roles [Ed.--actually, it's their traditional-role, ever-since the New Deal.] out of power, grousing about being shut out of any chance to affect the early agenda." (AP, 01.04.07) This is simply a restating of the GOP's comments this-weekend and today. Keep your eye on-the-ball. What applies to representatives of the people, does not to the representatives of concentrated power.
Add to this elements of the Left who are going to be complaining about no open-drive for impeachment occurring. They should know better. It doesn't work like that, and to really take-down Bush, you need him to be toxic to his party. He's practically there, so be patient, it won't be more than a month before his party rejects and abandons-him over Iraq. As the situation there worsens, and he keeps digging-in his heels, he will become more-and-more isolated. It's coming. When Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.)--my Senator, unfortunately--said there will "have to be consultation on Iraq," he wasn't kidding, it was a warning to the Bush administration that their support is flagging and conditional now. The Bush administration still has the mainstream media, however. Note the reactions to the illness of Sen. Tim Johnson (where you could feel the disappointment in the press that he could survive and serve), or the day-to-day white-outs we have with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Also, we've had major violations of the law hidden from us by the New York Times, and other media outlets, all committed by the Bush administration (and enabled by the GOP and many Democrats). Oversight can change this. It was virtually nonexistent under the GOP-majority. Would they do it again? You bet.
This-weekend, and today, the GOP is whining-about what they did to Democrats for over four-years, with no reference to their recent-behavior:
In two separate press conferences, Republicans, who are ending a 12-year reign today, blasted Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders for preventing provisions of the first 100 hours of the Democratic rule from going through a normal committee process.
There is a very simple reason for why Speaker Pelosi did it. If she hadn't, there would be no 100-hours of change (consciously modeled-after FDR's first "100-days"). The GOP knows full-well that they would have engaged in every obstructionist measure there is. Democrats claim these are bills that have carried-over from the 109th, and have been "vetted" in the process already. But perhaps the real fear of GOP-incumbents is that the first items deal with ethics-rules in Congress, and a move to tighten them and their language. For those in the GOP who are still-hiding their violations, this is the end if they're caught, and can be seen as one source of the complaints of being "shut-out." However, I believe the GOP will majorly vote for ethics to be revised, they have little-choice. Still, what about cutting those ridiculous tax-cuts to the wealthiest during wartime? Or anytime? THIS is what we should be hitting the Democrats on, and ending the war by defunding it.
A Fine-Example of a Bullshit Argument:
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/010407/charge.html
Republicans, the Red-Headed Step-Child:
http://thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/Comment/Editorial/010407.html
AP, GOP Lapdogs?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070104/ap_on_go_co/congress_rdp
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