Your standards are way too low for your party. The filibuster existed when the Dems were the minority but they were afraid to use it. Good politicians and leaders find ways to get things done. Pelosi and Reid are still impotent even with the majority. Ronald Regan, Bill Clinton, Bush, Gingrich, O'Neil, etc. all got things done through very creative methods. Pelosi and Reid are being exposed for not having much of an agenda. They are still playing "defense". The tax cuts, funding for the war, and every other Republican initiative has been completely unaffected by the Democrat takeover. The Democrats "winning or losing votes" may affect your mood but it hasn't seemed to affect the Republican agenda.
This is an interesting article explaining how the Republican minority defeated the Democrat majority in Congress on almost every issue. Whenever the rubber hits the road the Democrat's total incompetence is exposed.
. . . the Republicans had the filibuster and the veto. That's what checked the Democrats. Unless the Democrats were ready to throw the government into disarray, they weren't going to do anything but check the Republicans-- which is far better than what was happening in the last Congress.
Ironic that the Weekly Standard boasts about the Republican's superior "strategery," [sic] when those very Republicans almost retired the filibuster in the previous session.
Here was the only way the Democrats could win: 1) Impeach Cheney; 2) Impeach Bush; 3) shut down the government.
They weren't going to do any of those, and the public right now is not desperate enough to be behind any of them.
Maybe the Democrats look bad, but that's all. They aren't going to lose any votes over what happened here. Even the most radical liberals who feel most let down aren't going to switch or stay out of the race-- the memories of Republicans running all branches of government is too bitter a memory.
Your standards are way too low for your party. The filibuster existed when the Dems were the minority but they were afraid to use it. Good politicians and leaders find ways to get things done. Pelosi and Reid are still impotent even with the majority. Ronald Regan, Bill Clinton, Bush, Gingrich, O'Neil, etc. all got things done through very creative methods. Pelosi and Reid are being exposed for not having much of an agenda. They are still playing "defense". The tax cuts, funding for the war, and every other Republican initiative has been completely unaffected by the Democrat takeover. The Democrats "winning or losing votes" may affect your mood but it hasn't seemed to affect the Republican agenda.
You write like Pelosi and Reid are the party. If this keeps up, they will be replaced. My prediction is that incumbents don't have the job security they once did. The left is activated and mobilized now in the Democratic party. Reid and Peolosi will answer to this.
Tax cuts-- it's not like the Republicans have passed any new ones. Bush's tax cut's haven't been made permanent-- and won't be, I will add. The only tax victory mentioned was a 1-year patch to the alternative minimum tax-- where it was at the end of the session and the $50 billion was too small to squabble over.
Personally, I think the fact that the Democratic Congress brought more oversight to the Bush Administration was in itself a great victory. Democrats might have won majorities in both houses, but really, their majorities are not impressive. The 2006 election was more impressive for the depth of the defeat. Republicans took a beating at every level of government. Since those State and Local offices train candidates for Federal office-- the Republicans buried a generation. Given that demographics in the US are shifting disfavorably for Republicans, the announced retirements by Republican congressmen, and the fact that the Republicans have saddled us with the worst possible presidency, the world is going to be icy for Republicans in the years ahead.
IMHO, of course.