The D’s and the R’s!

Increasingly, I hold the Democrats responsible for many of Washington’s governing ills.

Yes the GOP has been negative, the party of “no,” filibuster users, and nasty, but that is what the political party "out of power” is supposed to do.

The Republcians don’t have a majority of congressional votes or possess the White House, so they obfuscate and play guerilla politics. So what!

I blame the Democrats because they do have the votes and control of Congress and the Administration, but have piddled away a year bloviating and doing very little else.
I blame the D congressional leadership for accommodating too many of the party’s interest groups over the party’s interests and priorities.

If I hear Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) threaten, one more time, to use “reconciliation,” I’ll wet myself. Use it Harry, don’t just threaten! Get something done and live with the political consequences—likely, quite positive--of passing a healthcare bill and whatever else you have.

Use reconciliation every time you need it, because you don’t have the 60 votes to defeat a GOP filibuster.

The Democrats control between 53 and 59 votes on most issues. Reid needs to make those votes work for policy purposes and stop walking around like a timid vegeterian lion. Roar and eat some red meat!

Use reconciliation, Harry, and stop worrying about lining up 60 votes. That allows you to ignore Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman, Evan Bayh and other D’s who are more trouble than they are worth are.

Plus, looking forward to congressional control after the 2012 elections--in the Senate and in the House--not every D seat up for grabs will go Red and not every Republican candidate will win, so—Harry and Nancy--build the best record you can, don’t diddle. You’ll just facilitate the demise of your party’s future control.

(Note: I previously had written another 1000 words—which was due to be in the second segment of this blog—discussing a way to help the Congress transition from the current mortgage finance system to the new one which will arise once Congress “abolishes” Fannie and Freddie. But, the Administration declaration that it wasn’t ready to deal with Fannie and Freddie probably kills the House effort to do anything in 2010, which already was a slim possibility, and certainly dims any ardor in the Senate, which has a basket of its own problems. So, I’ll save that mortgage system wisdom for another time.)

GOP Credibility

Thinking about the congressional Republicans and their antics makes me ask, where is their party credibility?

At least Barack Obama, as fumbling as his efforts have been, has tried to address what he perceives to be “national problems,” seeking what he believes are reasonable solutions. Too bad, that Democrats don’t control the Congress and can give President Obama some help! (Just teasing, a bit.)

But, face it, the GOP has zero credibility. It seems only to work hard for the large commercial banks, giant agribusinesses, Wall Street, insurance companies, big oil, and other monied interests.

The Republican Party--which laments the amount of federal spending and new bureaucracies, as well as government takeovers of business--has a poor track record in those regards. And, it’s there for all to see.

It only was 10 years ago when the Republicans—with their same slogans and ”principles” heard just last week at the nationally televised Obama Health Summit--took total control of Washington, with the Bush White House and majorities in both the House and Senate.

They ruled, definitively and totally, but produced an abysmal record of incompetence, greed, lying, indifferent federal regulation, and law breaking and that was before they got warmed up! Where is the GOP credibility?

They called themselves the heroes of deficit reduction. The Bush Administration wasted a budget surplus and supporrtd by a spend happy GOP Congress, pushed federal deficits to astronomical heights and with it federal work force numbers and government spending. Yet, they still complain, as recently as last week, about “federal bureaucracies.” Where is the GOP credibility?

Are we really better off with the GOP-created Department of Homeland Security and its monstrous budget, rather than the dozens of formerly independent federal agencies, which were subsumed by DHS?.


The R's rushed to war in Iraq on totally specious grounds—lying to one another, the Congress, the American people, and the world “about weapons of mass destruction”--spending untold billions and costing us the lives of more than 5000 US service men and women, who didn’t have to die. Several times that number came back from Iraq maimed and wounded. Yet, in hindsight, even an unruly Iraq—with Saddam Hussein at the head--would have been a better Iran buffer than anything which exists today. Where is the GOP credibility?

Yet, these are the indisputable records of the crew challenging virtually everything the Democrats try to do legislatively, claiming the GOP has a better way.


I understand the legislative game to say “no.” But, where is the GOP credibility?
Why should the Republican leaders ever be believed about any policy recommendations, the infrequent times they offer them?

John Boehner (R-Ohio), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), Dick Shelby (R-Ala), Michelle Bachman (R-Minn), John Corwyn (R-Tex), Jed Hensarling (R-Tex), Sarah Palin, Newt Gingrich, Glenn Beck, Michelle Malkin, Michael Savage, and Rush Limbaugh are a few of the opposition leaders to Democrats.

These are people who would have us vote control of Congress in 2010, the White House in 2012, and our national lives to the GOP’s conservative Right?

Since last year, President Obama’s efforts at times have disappointed many who voted for him (including me). But I see nothing he has done that gives credibility or standing to any of these GOP officials or howling media hounds.

(Question for Democrats: Why is Ed DeMarco still holding his FHFA job?)


Maloni, 3-2-2010