Congress: The Roots of Obstruction

Like Rodney Dangerfield, this Congress doesn't get much respect. Americans rate it slightly above sludge, but below George Bush, the least admired president in the history of polling. McCain strategists hope to discredit Barack Obama by linking him to Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Progressives shudder as they watch Democrats hand over a blank check to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson for the bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and rail against the coming collapse on off-shore oil drilling. Republicans chant about the "do-nothing Congress."

But take another look. The reputation of the Congress would be very different had the Republican minority and George Bush not orchestrated a systematic campaign of obstruction to bottle up any progress. For example, majorities in both Houses of Congress voted for:

Setting a date certain to bring the occupation of Iraq to an end, freeing up the $12 billion a month in direct costs (about a billion a day in total) for vital needs here at home;

Saving seniors tens of billions in prescription drug prices by empowering Medicare to negotiate discounts for its bulk purchases;

Investing billions in renewable energy sources and energy efficiency, generating green collar jobs, and paying for it by repealing subsidies for oil companies already pocketing the greatest profits in recorded history;

Providing health care for millions of children of working and poor families, giving them with a chance for a healthy start to life;

Ensuring that soldiers be guaranteed adequate rest and recovery between deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan;

The Congress also managed to pass the first increase in the minimum wage in a decade, the largest increase in college aid since the GI Bill, and cleaned up its own act a bit. Now this isn't everything, but stopping a bad war, changing our energy policy, caring for the troops and providing more affordable health care to seniors and children isn't a bad start.

What stopped these measures from becoming law was a purposeful and unprecedented "block and blame" obstruction strategy by the Republican minority. In the Senate, Republicans have routinely filibustered every major piece of Democratic legislation. As a report by the Campaign for America's Future which I help direct reveals, this has forced a record number of cloture votes that require a super-majority of sixty votes to end the filibusters. This was reinforced by over 119 veto threats by President Bush(who never issued a veto as the previous Republican congresses ran up record deficits). Majority rule has essentially been repealed.

The strategy hasn't been a secret. Conservatives have openly gloated about it. Conservative pundit Charles Krauthammer told Fox News viewers, "I think [Democrats' inability to pass legislation][ will give the Republicans the one opening they are going to have in 2008. Everything is running against the Republicans, but I think they have a chance if they argue that the Democrats have been in charge and they are the do-nothing Congress." Or as former Senate Minority Whip Trent Lott, R-Miss, told Roll Call, "The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail...and so far it's working for us."

Now this is sort of like knee-capping the postman and then complaining that the mail is late. Will Republicans get away with it? As the economy has plummeted, they've started to worry. Recently, Republican Senators up for re-election have started to bail out, moving to help overcome filibusters and veto threats on Medicare funding. Politico reports that GOP leaders are advising vulnerable senators to "get well" with voters by siding with Democrats on everything but energy and national security.

As the economy gets worse, incumbent legislators should be nervous whether in the majority or the minority. But as Republicans posture about the do-nothing Congress, it's worth remembering that much would have gotten done had they not been in the way.

Comments

[zjr909]

As long as we have government by lobby, it doesn't matter who does what in Congress. It's a losing deal for the American people - period. I can actually remember a time when the people and even the press was concerned about the growing influence of lobbyists (anyone remember Dita Beard?). Now it's just taken for granted that the lobbyists dictate policy; and it's only when they go way overboard in their bribery (er, lobbying) efforts, like Jack Abramoff, that anything happens. Unless that changes, nothing constructive will ever again happen in the government. It's just that simple.

[TXpastafarian]

I agree! We should stop labeling Congressional seats by the states and districts they "represent," but rather by the lobbyists they represent: Big Tobacco, Big Oil, Jewish Lobby, Cuban Lobby, Credit Lobby, Defense Contractors, etc., etc.

The actions of our Congressional leaders are not dictated by what they can and can't do for the good of their constituents. They are dictated by what will bring them the largest campaign contributions.

[gavbrown]

This Congress, Pelosi, Reid, and my congresspeople (from the state of Maryland) will never recover my loyalty or faith again. In fact, I have left the Democratic party because of their complicity in and continuing support of the criminal establishment that runs this country. There is no distinction in my mind, none whatsoever, between crooks and those who should prosecute crooks but don't. The Democratic party has abandoned its people and truly, has abandoned America itself. They are not worthy of being at the stewardship of a bottle of orange soda, let alone this great but fading land. My contempt for them is complete and irrevokable. No defense of them is legitimate.

[darcy]

gavbrown, heartfelt! I agree with you. I'm voting for Nader this year, and I will vote third party from now on.

[scooperss]

Nice try but the democrats share the blame as well as the republicans. pelosi was on The Daily Show touting the WONDERFUL job she had done by not bring the off-shore drilling vote to the floor and how she was making the republicans whine because of that.
IF she had wanted to, she could have not brought controversial votes to the floor (FISA) but she did anyway.
My son wandered into the room while pelosi was on and asked what I was watching. I told him comedy and after listening to pelosi attempt to whitewash herself and tar the republicans, he agreed.

[mamacita]

Democratic leadership is just as responsible for the obstructionism as the Republicans. Who has had the guts to call them on their filibusters? Instead, at the mere whiff of a suggestion that there "might" be a filibuster, the Dems have caved every time. Nancy Pelosi gave back the leadership to Republicans with her "Impeachment is off the table" statement, condoning their conduct by saying that nothing would be done to hold them accountable.

We the People need a Democratic Leadership in fact, and not in name only. Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have failed miserably in providing a cohesive and strong support system.

[kae]

"Here I close my opinion.
"I could not say less in view of questions of such gravity
that go down to the very foundations of the government.
If the provisions of the Constitution can be set aside
by an Act of Congress, where is the course of usurpation to end?
The present assault upon capital is but the beginning.
It will be but the stepping-stone to others, larger and more sweeping,
till our political contests will become a war of the poor
against the rich; a war growing in intensity and bitterness­."
Justice Stephen J. Field,(1816-1899) US Supreme Court Justice
Source: United States Supreme Court opinion,
Pollock v. Farmers Loan & Trust Co. (1898)

[kae]

Sorry but Bush/Cheney crimes are = to Congressional inaction. Both republicans and democrats are to blame, and if republicans are purposefully impeding the efficiency of our government then isn't it someones job to check or balance something regarding that? Pretty sure our government is set up with this in mind. I'm tired of watching crime after crime go unchecked. What's the current prison population in this country? If Congress answers to the American people why are we being ignored and told to just wait a little, justice must be scheduled at a later date. Republicans clear the way for Bush's filthiness and Democrats answer back with tsk tsks and shame on yous. Pelosi knew about warrant less wiretapping and did nothing. She was on The Daily Show yesterday talking up this same "it's their fault" rhetoric. Corporate news regularly streams the democrat's "we need to protect the party" BS all the while things are not getting better for many. Republicans and Democrats care more for their image than the state of the union - that's disgusting. Oh, and by the way only a true elitist would think a minimum wage increase after 10 years was something to brag about - how much money has KBR made in Iraq?

[Uselessboy]

I'll give you $75 if you can convey this reality to the general electorate.

[vipersdad]

I'll match it

[PuffDragon]

Speaker Pelosi has her hands on the Congressional steering wheel: every measure brought to the floor has to have her approval for discussion. She prevented the off-shore oil drilling bill from reaching the floor "because I couldn't let him (Bush) get away with it", she said.

Now, I don't approve of it either, but the last time I looked, off-shore drilling didn't violate the Constitution and Bill of Rights the way most other recent legislation does.

If Republicans are obstructing Democratic legislation, why is she bringing every bill that is dear to the Bush Agenda to the floor, only to pass it after some debate and short-lived opposition from Dems? (ala the unlimited domestic spying casserole with retroactive immunity gravy)

[turfkiller]

It's either the "Do nothing Democrats"

or

the "Do everything wrong Republicans"

[zuzuzpetals]

Pelosi didn't have to actually impeach--but did she need to announce that it was off the the table? How about using investigations to grab headlines, to educate the public? "Off the table" signaled to the Republicans from day one that they could do whatever they wanted--the Democrats were going to keep themselves cowering and powerless and silent.

Why isn't Congress exercising their power of inherent contempt against Myers and Rove? The Democrats themselves are colluding with the destruction of checks and balances.

When the Democrats said they'd filibuster something years ago the Republicans screamed to the rafters. In response to Republican obstruction today, the Democrats scold, send stern letters and look perturbed. They seem unable to take the political lemons that are handed to them and make any kind of political lemonade at all.

They don't do press theater. Pelosi doesn't demand party discipline but runs scared of the press and the minority of blue dogs. She shoots down any Democrat that dares to show high profile leadership.

Reid and Pelosi have done nothing but create headlines that make the Dems look weak and Bush like the legislative winner over and over again---FISA anyone?

The Democrat's "comfort zone" seems to require divesting themselves of any power that lands on them as quickly as possible.

[Maezeppa]

Congress' low marks shouldn't perturb people too much because if you ask people about their district, their personal Democratic congress rep gets on average extremely high marks. In other words, Dems don't think well of congress as a whole but they like their personal rep.

[JiminNC]

I hope we will see that not to be true in November. Many republicans are going to be shocked to find that their obstruction is well known and documented. Some will be unexpectedly looking for jobs in 2009. Even M-itch M-cConnell is in trouble. They may have cheated, lied and stolen their way back to another 40 years in the minority. They didn't learn, we told them in their "contract with America" that they would pay if it was all lies. It was and now they will.

[truthoutdotduh]

There should also be a movement to replace many of the do nothing, status-quo democrats as well. They need to be challenged by active so something progressives.

Bottom line is this: As many republicans as possible need to be replaced, as well as the old school democrats. That is if real change is what you really want . . .

The only thing that would create real change . . . is real change!

[DRaymond]

Republicans love to gloat about the low approval numbers for congress. But the polls never ask separate questions about how they feel about the Republicans in congress and how they feel about the Democrats in Congress. If they did the answers would be likely different. If the Republicans think that the low approval bodes well for them in the congressional elections I think that they are mistaken.

[ListenToTruth]

Maybe if all the Republican voters out there paid more attention to their elected representatives, they might notice that the Bush Republicans have selfishly decided to ensure nothing is accomplished that would actually benefit our country or their constituents. Instead their representatives are working for political reasons as if they sold their souls to the Bush/Cheney mafioso. Blocking the Democrats is their only goal. Maybe that's why the House and Senate are nearly empty whenever I turn on C-Span. The Republicans obviously have more important things to do than their actual jobs.

[Magee]

The Republicans in Washington have fine tuned bullying. Bullies stand in the way of those with the right intentions, then ridicule them when they fail. Too bad most of the public is naive enough to miss what the bullies have done. There is the problem of the slim majority in the senate with Joe Lieberman sitting on important committees as a Democrat, yet campaigning with McCain! He should be run out of the party. Plus had Pelosi allowed for impeachment hearings, instead of playing footsie, we wouldn't be in this mess. The bottom line is that bullies need to be confronted with force. As I heard someone say on the radio, "Democrats need to stop bringing knives to gunfights.­"

[PuffDragon]

Dems need to leave their butter knives out of the fight altogether. Speaker Pelosi was just on The Daily Show - OMG - it was made clear how much control she has over what measures come to the floor. Why do they continue to bring the bills that Republicans want and debate a little, but ultimately capitulate to them, while ignore those issues most fervently sought by American voters? (ie, impeachment)

[FearlessFreep]

I'll say this much for the Republicans. At least they know how to oppose.