Conservatives have repeatedly criticized the Democratic-led Congress for not passing enough legislation. “I don’t think they’ve gotten anything done,” House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) said in March. In July, he added that “Congressional Democrats” have “failed to deliver on any of their promises and have almost no accomplishments of which to speak.”
That's a fair assessment. Current members of Congress promised a whole lot of things when they were campaigning for office. Now that they are in power, they have decided to do nothing. But wait! Think Progress wants to defend them! Ok, let's hear it:
But a new Politico analysis finds that this 110th Congress has had more roll call votes this year than any other Congress in history, almost doubling the number under the previous Congress overseen by Boehner and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL):
The House last week held its 943rd roll call vote of the year, breaking the previous record of 942 votes, a mark set in 1978. The vote was on a procedural motion related to a mortgage foreclosure bill. When the House adjourned on Oct. 4 for the long weekend, the chamber had reached 948 roll call votes, putting Democrats on pace to easily eclipse 1,000 votes on the House floor in 2007.
Last year, the Republican controlled House held 543 votes, and for historical comparison, the last time there was a shift in power in Congress, Republicans held 885 roll call votes in 1995. The Senate, which has held 363 votes this year, isn’t on pace to break any records, but has already surpassed the 2006 Senate mark of 279 votes.
That's it? You're showing progress by the number of role call votes you've had? That's the dumbest things I've ever heard! It's like if someone says they are doing a good job in school because they've answered "here" when the teacher called out their name. It boggles my mind when I read about the campaign promises that Democrats made during the 2006 election, then when they CLEARLY haven't achieved those promises, they try a new benchmark. But, to be fair, there's a rebuttal.
Much of the lack of progress can be traced back to obstructionism by conservatives. Approximately “1 in 6 roll-call votes in the Senate this year have been cloture votes,” noted a July McClatchy report. “If this pace of blocking legislation continues, this 110th Congress will be on track to roughly triple the previous record number of cloture votes.”
Well, let's be fair here folks, Democrats generally try to tax the living shit out of everyone, spend excess money on frivolous things like a fucking mule museum.
It’s interesting that Boehner is criticizing the 110th Congress as doing nothing. After all, the House, under his leadership, met for just 101 days during the second session of the 109th Congress, setting the record “for the fewest days in session in one year since the end of World War II.”
Honestly, I don't care if Congress meets once a year, as long as they get things done. Laws need to be passed, budgets need to be ironed out, and the country needs leadership. What McClatchy's report DOESN'T tell you, is what they accomplished vs. what the 109th accomplished. That's very telling. If they had a real argument, they'd say "we accomplished X,Y, and Z, while they accomplished nothing".
Yet they don't do that. How very odd.
But alas, they TRY to offer up what they've done now by giving us two links. Let's take a look shall we?
The 110th Congress is making progress for the American people on the toughest challenges we face—working together to defend our country, restore accountability, grow our economy, strengthen our families, and preserve our planet.
Since January, more than 75 key measures have passed the House, with nearly 70 percent, receiving significant bipartisan support. In critical instances, the President and his Republican allies in Congress have stubbornly stood in the way of progress with three vetoes and 36 vetoes threatened.
The New Direction Congress is working to change course in Iraq. This war, now into its fifth year, has not made America safer, even as our troops have bravely performed their duties. This Congress continues to demand that President Bush and the Administration be held accountable, that the Iraqi government take responsibility for its own country, and that we responsibly bring this war to an end.
Let's talk about "making America safer" shall we? I mean, you brought it up and all. YOUR party voted to strip out and vote down a critical measure that would grant legal immunity to people who report suspicious terrorist activity in good faith.
In fact, here's a list of everyone who voted "no":
Akaka (D-HI)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Carper (D-DE)
Casey (D-PA)
Dodd (D-CT)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Kohl (D-WI)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lincoln (D-AR)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sanders (I-VT)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Webb (D-VA)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)
Please note, EVERYONE who voted "no" was a Democrat. EVERYONE. Also, please note, that the measure failed by 3 votes. Conspicuously absent from the vote? Barack Obama.
What you and your political party have done is open up ordinary American citizens to lawsuits if they report suspicious activity in good faith. THAT makes America less safe because people are afraid of getting sued! That fear can lead directly to the deaths of hundreds or thousands of people and is DIRECTLY YOUR FAULT.
But let's take a look at your other "accomplishments"
Well good, you finally got something. Good for you!
Was being worked on LONG before you came around.
Yes, how is William Jefferson's impeachment proceedings going?
Take a look at it, it changes NOTHING.
Really? Then please explain your $22 billion dollars worth of earmarks in the latest budget?
Wow, 2012. Tell me, why does it take 4 years to come to a balance budget? Why can't you cut spending in areas that don't need billions of dollars a year? Why did you spend $16,000 on flowers for your office? The only reason you're touting this is because you CAN'T cut spending, it's alienate your welfare state constituents, so you'll simply raise taxes.
Really? Where's the results of this?
I seem to remember Congress dragging their feet on funding for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. In fact, I seem to remember your buddy Harry Reid saying he was willing to strip ALL funding for troops unless they were sent home within X amount of time. Sorry Nancy, you can't twist this around and make it look like an "accomplishment"
These were in development LONG before your party came to power. You should try watching "Futureweapons" on the Military Channel. They showcased this vehicle a long while ago.
Yes, how is that coming along? Dubai seems to be investing heavily right now in our financial markets. Doesn't seem to bother you does it?
Wow, you spent more money without cutting costs, why am I not surprised?
Yes, and Iraq is doing significantly better thanks to General Petraeus' new tactics and the surge in the troop levels. So, when can we expect you to praise that progress? You don't have to believe me, or the statistics show it, how about you see it for yourself on the ground?
President Bush had said he favored a 20% increase in the SCHIP program. You wanted 140%. President Bush vetoed it because it spent too much money and it would included people who are above the poverty line significantly. You then LIED to the American people and painted it out to be that Bush was against ANY increase.
You list this as an "accomplishment"? This is something that's just SUPPOSED to happen.
Ok, so you've spent more money without spending money on prevention. Good call.
I see you're alluding to the firings of the US Attorneys "scandal". Tell me, were you so "outraged" when Clinton fired ALL US Attorneys?
Yes, how it William Jefferson's impeachment proceedings going? Right there you have "corruption and incompetence" on his part and yours. Tell me, why did you put a possibly corrupt member of Congress into a position of which he has access to classified data? Incompetence, or just blind party faithfulness?
Great, MORE spending of money without cutting costs. How about you move Congress' mail server to Linux and get to be more of a paperless office? That'll save a ton of money right there.
Let's face it Nancy, you're in charge of the worst Congress in history. It's not enough that you have known corrupt members within your own party. It's not enough for you to outright lie to the American people. You even try to take things that aren't accomplishments and try to turn them into them. You take incompetence to a whole new level, and Think Progress is full of idiots for trying to list role call votes as "accomplishments".
Travis
No comments:
Post a Comment