red states rule
08-08-2007, 05:35 AM
So what have Dems accomplished, except record low poll numbers?
New Congress, same culture
By: Martin Kady II
Aug 6, 2007 06:36 PM EST
Democrats swept into power last fall promising to change the tone on Capitol Hill. But after a meltdown of civility on the eve of the August recess, many voters might be scratching their heads.
It's nothing new for candidates to promise a more hopeful political climate -- it's a way of acknowledging to voters that you think Washington is an ugly, acrimonious place and, darn it, if you're elected, you'll do something to improve things.
But such promises amount to misty-eyed optimism when politicians return to the trenches, whether it's a Senate all-nighter debating the war, a House Republican meltdown over a vote tally or a 1:12 a.m. Sunday morning adjournment resolution.
The House floor devolved into a scene reminiscent of "Animal House" at times in the waning days before Congress left town for August, as Republicans walked off yelling "cheater" and "shame" at the Democrats. Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.) said the GOP walkout, after Democrats cut short a vote count, "was definitely a low moment for me in the House."
But are Democrats to blame for such hostility? Or should Republicans in both chambers, who have used procedural tactics to stall legislation, shoulder some of the blame?
"(Democrats) were so seriously abused by Republicans (when the GOP was in the majority), so what a good opportunity it would have been to truly turn the other cheek," said Stephen Hess, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "But it's not in politicians' DNA. I don't think much has changed."
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the architect of the Democratic House victory last year, acknowledges the process can get ugly but said there should be no residual bitterness over a hard-fought floor debate.
"It's better than it looks," Emanuel said Sunday, assessing the congressional climate on CBS's "Face the Nation."
"There are differences, and it's OK to have those differences,'' he said. "I come from a family where differences are fought out, and that's a good thing."
Some veteran congressional watchers warn that it's too early to make any judgments about the political atmosphere. And while lawmakers complain about the chaos and partisanship on display in recent weeks, the current events pale in comparison to the 1998 impeachment -- and acquittal -- of President Bill Clinton, the 1995 government shutdown and the long Watergate era.
"You shouldn't look at one flare-up on the House floor as an indicator of anything," said former Rep. Martin Frost, who represented a Dallas-area congressional district for 26 years and is a columnist for The Politico. "Obviously there were frustrations (at the end of a long session), but Republicans have had a very fair shot to be heard. They shouldn't complain."
That's not the prevailing view among grumbling Republicans, who would like to blame Democrats for the bitter atmosphere, even as they have used every procedural tool in the book to stymie the majority.
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the House minority whip, said last week's events "really poisoned the atmosphere more than anything I've seen in the past few Congresses."
And even though the GOP walkout at 11 p.m. Thursday was somewhat theatrical, Blunt said it was "an appropriate response."
Part of the problem is that both parties are under pressure from their base, and civil, bipartisan dialogue does not play well with the hard-core party faithful. Republican leaders are also under increasing pressure from their rank and file to block the Democratic agenda, rather than broker legislative compromise.
Statistically speaking, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has given Republicans a stronger voice in the minority -- allowing more amendments under so-called "open rules" on the House floor than her GOP predecessors did. Midway through the 2007 session, Democrats had allowed eight open rules compared with two under Republicans last year. And the majority allowed 60 GOP amendments, compared with 51 Democratic amendments authorized by Republicans halfway through last year.
"We are trying to be as fair as we can, but sometimes they just want to protest," said Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly. "We would like more bipartisanship and less acrimony, but it's difficult. We're trying to talk with the other side to get more agreements."
The long August recess will likely do little to cool the passions on either side of the aisle. The first significant clash in September will come as lawmakers try to spin results of a long-awaited Iraq report by Army Gen. David Petraeus, and the rest of the month will be dominated by a budget showdown between Democrats and the Bush administration, which has threatened to veto several appropriations bills.
Also, as the fall turns to the winter, the presidential primaries will loom, and in 2008, all bets are off for political cooperation.
"It's only going to get worse before it gets even worse," said the Brookings Institution's Hess. "Jan. 20, 2009, is the only potential turning point for change."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0807/5279.html
New Congress, same culture
By: Martin Kady II
Aug 6, 2007 06:36 PM EST
Democrats swept into power last fall promising to change the tone on Capitol Hill. But after a meltdown of civility on the eve of the August recess, many voters might be scratching their heads.
It's nothing new for candidates to promise a more hopeful political climate -- it's a way of acknowledging to voters that you think Washington is an ugly, acrimonious place and, darn it, if you're elected, you'll do something to improve things.
But such promises amount to misty-eyed optimism when politicians return to the trenches, whether it's a Senate all-nighter debating the war, a House Republican meltdown over a vote tally or a 1:12 a.m. Sunday morning adjournment resolution.
The House floor devolved into a scene reminiscent of "Animal House" at times in the waning days before Congress left town for August, as Republicans walked off yelling "cheater" and "shame" at the Democrats. Rep. John L. Mica (R-Fla.) said the GOP walkout, after Democrats cut short a vote count, "was definitely a low moment for me in the House."
But are Democrats to blame for such hostility? Or should Republicans in both chambers, who have used procedural tactics to stall legislation, shoulder some of the blame?
"(Democrats) were so seriously abused by Republicans (when the GOP was in the majority), so what a good opportunity it would have been to truly turn the other cheek," said Stephen Hess, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. "But it's not in politicians' DNA. I don't think much has changed."
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), the architect of the Democratic House victory last year, acknowledges the process can get ugly but said there should be no residual bitterness over a hard-fought floor debate.
"It's better than it looks," Emanuel said Sunday, assessing the congressional climate on CBS's "Face the Nation."
"There are differences, and it's OK to have those differences,'' he said. "I come from a family where differences are fought out, and that's a good thing."
Some veteran congressional watchers warn that it's too early to make any judgments about the political atmosphere. And while lawmakers complain about the chaos and partisanship on display in recent weeks, the current events pale in comparison to the 1998 impeachment -- and acquittal -- of President Bill Clinton, the 1995 government shutdown and the long Watergate era.
"You shouldn't look at one flare-up on the House floor as an indicator of anything," said former Rep. Martin Frost, who represented a Dallas-area congressional district for 26 years and is a columnist for The Politico. "Obviously there were frustrations (at the end of a long session), but Republicans have had a very fair shot to be heard. They shouldn't complain."
That's not the prevailing view among grumbling Republicans, who would like to blame Democrats for the bitter atmosphere, even as they have used every procedural tool in the book to stymie the majority.
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the House minority whip, said last week's events "really poisoned the atmosphere more than anything I've seen in the past few Congresses."
And even though the GOP walkout at 11 p.m. Thursday was somewhat theatrical, Blunt said it was "an appropriate response."
Part of the problem is that both parties are under pressure from their base, and civil, bipartisan dialogue does not play well with the hard-core party faithful. Republican leaders are also under increasing pressure from their rank and file to block the Democratic agenda, rather than broker legislative compromise.
Statistically speaking, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has given Republicans a stronger voice in the minority -- allowing more amendments under so-called "open rules" on the House floor than her GOP predecessors did. Midway through the 2007 session, Democrats had allowed eight open rules compared with two under Republicans last year. And the majority allowed 60 GOP amendments, compared with 51 Democratic amendments authorized by Republicans halfway through last year.
"We are trying to be as fair as we can, but sometimes they just want to protest," said Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly. "We would like more bipartisanship and less acrimony, but it's difficult. We're trying to talk with the other side to get more agreements."
The long August recess will likely do little to cool the passions on either side of the aisle. The first significant clash in September will come as lawmakers try to spin results of a long-awaited Iraq report by Army Gen. David Petraeus, and the rest of the month will be dominated by a budget showdown between Democrats and the Bush administration, which has threatened to veto several appropriations bills.
Also, as the fall turns to the winter, the presidential primaries will loom, and in 2008, all bets are off for political cooperation.
"It's only going to get worse before it gets even worse," said the Brookings Institution's Hess. "Jan. 20, 2009, is the only potential turning point for change."
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0807/5279.html