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

[DaphnesDad]

As an old professor mine once opined during a private conversation: "The problem with Republicans is that they don't know how to compromise, while the problem with the Dems is that they don't know when not to".

Although he made this observation about 10 years ago, it's funny how the major political parties have changed so little and continue to behave in a way that conforms to this stereotype.

It's as accurate an observation about the state of modern American politics as any I've come across since.

[christianhypocrites]

You can't blame it on the Republicans when Reid honors their holds but not holds by Democrats. Democrats control Congress and they love George W. Bush, which is why they give him everything he wants.

No Principles. Just Money. Vote Democrat.

[Leatherhelmet]

Americans have no faith in this democratic Congress.

Reid said the war in Iraq was unwinnable and the surge would never work.

This Congress could not finish work on helping the flood victims in the Midwest. They took a break while the flood victims did not have the time to take a break.

Pelosi refuses to open off-shore drilling and doesn't care that the little people are the ones that suffer.
The lack of a comprehensive energy plan is pathetic. Two years of horrific leadership have left a Congress with the lowest ratings in history -- 2/3rds worse than Bush's ratings.

It is not the republican's fault, it is a lack of leadership by Pelosi that is the problem.
This will haunt her come this fall.

[JLee]

The war in Iraq is not winnable--especially when no one knows what winning is. The surge might have reduced violence, but it can't work indefinitely. Iraqis need to work their country out for themselves, and an American occupation isn't the way to do it.

And it's pretty rich of you to criticize Congress about disaster relief. Remember Katrina? The last time I checked disaster relief was the executive branch's job. Guess the guy in there now is pretty damn incompetent if Congress has to do his job for him.

Off-shore drilling. A minuscule increase in gas prices 10 years down the line. Where do you think your country is, Saudi Arabia or Iraq?

Congress as a whole always gets bad ratings. It's a collegial body unlike the President, if you remember. Individual Congresspeople get high ratings from their constituents--it's just the rest of 'em that's scum, goes the thinking.

[PuffDragon]

Um, so your point is???

The war in Iraq IS unwinnable - the Iraqis a're fighting among themselves with US soldiers standing there in the middle as an occupying army!! Get a clue!!

Whatever the surge was meant to accomplish is irrelevant at this point in time.

Offshore drilling is no solution at all - given the 10-year timeline for implementation, we'd be much better off going for renewable, environmentally-friendly alternatives.

You are right in many ways about lack of leadership, but that cuts both ways, and the Republican's obstructionism has become legendary.

[olephart]

Funny how the Republican minority can block the Democratic majority on Democratic issues but the Democratic majority can’t block the Republican minority on Republican issues.

[WIpatriot]

Ain't THAT the truth, olephart!

[rhx056]

Don't forget about all the Dems who voted WITH the repugs...

[veracity]

As usual, the "Democratic" "leadership" is corrupt, lazy, complacent, and complicit with the inside-beltway "CONVENTIONAL WISDOM", which over the past two decades has become the refined and distilled Right-Wing disenfranchisement, low-wages, slashed benefits, slashed social programs, trillion dollar deficits and tax cuts for the hyper wealthy agenda. Oh- and ever since 9-11, the police-state and expanding wars agenda.

There is NO DAMN EXCUSE for Democrat "leaders" NOT PORTRAYING the Bush-Republican Party as the party of OBSTRUCTION and SOCAILISM - massive bailouts - for the hyper wealthy, but somewhere along the line the senior Democrats defined their job as NOT having to CONFRONT the corporate, corrupt, lying media.

(The above due to the simple fact that despite a budget of at least $200 million for election campaigns every election season, the Democrats have NO answer to the Righ-Wing ability to SMEAR, SLIME, and DESTROY Democrat candidates, including Tom Daschle and Max Cleland in 2002, Alabama Dem. Gov. Don Seigelman in a rigged & fixed parttsan prosecution in 2003, etc. etc. etc.)

[BubbaC33]

The GOP has worked to obstruct any real legislation by Congress, that is true. However, Reid and Pelosi have provided no real leadership. If either one would show some leadership the GOP plans would fail and enough Republicans could be convinced of the good sense it would make to vote with the majority. As I recall when the GOP controlled Congress they had no difficulty in getting things done. We should demand more efficient leadership from Reid and Pelosi or demand new leaders.

[maniarwild]

"We should demand more efficient leadership from Reid and Pelosi or demand new leaders." I absolutely agree except substitute the word brave for efficient. Unfortunately, they have cowered over the thought that someone (like MSM) would call them cowards, and they have done everything in their power to confirm it.

[GrainOSand]

Where is the Democratic counter to the Republican tactics? Also, when Democrats were in the minority why were they ineffective at thwarting the GOP agenda? The wimpy approach to dealing with thugs has to go. I do not advocate abandoning principle, but I do suggest doing all that is legal and moral to prevent the devil from taking over the nation. Look where Democratic capitulation to the agenda of the devil has led the nation -- to illegal occupation of Iraq.

If this is an elevator ride, can it be said that the nation is rising, are we stuck between floors, or dread, are we going down as if the cable was cut, or as if the hydraulics failed?

[lafrance]

I think most people know the republicans and Bush are doing obstruction. That is why people overwhelmingly support a democratic majority in the house and senate. And to get rid of the republicans.
It seems that everyone has figured out what is going on and are not happy and blame the republicans, rightly, for this.
Seems their little tactic backfired and more voters are supporting putting in more democrats to get the legislation they want and support passed and it is not republican legislation they want.

[darthmaul]

This congress lacks backbone, pure and simple. Pelosi made a major strategic blunder when she took impeachment off the table. They hold hearings where the witnesses don't show up and they don't do anything. They never call the republicans bluff.

A famous business man once said "Failure can always be explained away. Performance stands out like a ton of diamonds."

Weak leadership=Weak congress

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Reid is a wimp on what I call "gentleman's filibusters." He should make the party that USED to tout "up or down votes" stand and read the damn phone book.

The whole point of a filibuster is muted if there's no associated stand taken in the light of day.

Reid has made Senate progress a 60-40 super-majority matter. Not the Republicans. Reid.

Then there's the matter of Dems caving on war funding and timetables. In 2006, the public voted to end the war. Period.

[johnfoirdfw]

I remember when the Republicans were in the minority the last time and managed to be so effective. They had malice but they had balls and were effective. It seems the Democrats have no malice but they have no balls either. They could have stood on principal and shut this war down and reigned in this little punk president but choose not to do so. I have never been so ashamed to be a Democrat. Shame on you Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.

[Mojane]

I started tuning into C-SPAN 2 a little over a year ago. Lots of Senate hearings on a lot of pretty heady issues and my impression was, "Finally, an attempt at congressional oversight, that had not been in evidence for 8 years of Republican dominance." They've been holding some important ones in the House too. Trouble is, if no one hears about what they're doing, and bills or corrective measures are put forward, they go nowhere because there's no true Democratic majority, and if something does pass, it gets to Bush for a veto. So, if the press wants to go along with the public's perception, we'll keep getting BS instead of reporting what's been going on behind Congressional doors with hearings and on the floor.

[jhink465]

There is a very simple solution: vote the Republicans out to the political desert for another forty years so we can rebuild the country after the wreck they have made of it.

[letsbepeaceful]

I so agree. Check the article in the Washington Post today about why Congress is ineffectual, (Sen. Reid thwarted on bundle of bills), check the actual content of the omnibus bill (s. 3294) and how the individual subtitles passed the House and the committees, and then you'll see why nothing gets done because there isn't a majority of 60. Republicans have so distorted the meaning of these votes that it's no surprise that Congress is seen as ineffectual.