Liberals wasting time...

[hilltoppanther]

All we heard from the Liberals during the last year's campaigns were empty promises.

They have done nothing they promised. Their approval rate is at an all-time low 27%.

Since gaining the majority in Congress, they Dems have too busy investigating Republicans to pass any worthwhile legislation. Since January, they have conducted over 300 investigations of Republicans. What is their agenda?

[southpaw]

Actually I saw a gallup poll at 18 % approval for Congress. The lowest the gallup poll has ever recorded in their existence. The Democrats have no agenda except to blame Bush for everything!

[once a runner]

Since the republicans had 6 years of free reign, there was virtually no oversight. The democrats have a lot to catch up on. Issues like possible fraud in Iraq and whether or not the administration is violating the constitution are worthy of investigation. Maybe they are innocent, but when questions of a serious nature arise, they deserve to be investigated. I'm sure you'd agree if a democrat was president. The republicans did their share of investigation on Clinton. Time and money was spent on important issues like asking for the White House Christmas list and what happens to mail addressed to Socks (Clinton's cat).

It would be nice if the democrats passed more legislation. However, knowing that a veto waits for them in the Oval Office, I can understand why they might be reluctant to send anything to the president. I think they should pass as much legislation as possible and make the president use his veto power. Also, it would put each and every member of congress on record for their decisions.

It's not like congressional approval rating plummeted since the democrats took over. It was 21% in December of 2006 and now it's 18%. It will probably won't change much either way because it is doubtful that anything of significance will happen until the elections next year. We won't really find out who the Americans blame until then.

[WPIAL~Titan]

Hilly, I love ya, but you wanna talk about investigations, talk about the money that the conservative Reps spent on The Satrr Report investigating whether Billy Clinton got a b****** from some fat college chick. WHO CARES?????

[LionPride]

I think they should pass as much legislation as possible and make the president use his veto power. Also, it would put each and every member of congress on record for their decisions.

And therein lies the problem. The Democrats are scared out of their minds to go on record about anything with the election year coming up. If they do, it makes it all that much harder to flip flop. They learned their lessons from Kerry.

I too would love to see them pass something worthwhile to send to the President for the very reasons you describe. But they won't, because the Democrat leaders in Congress are spineless (note I didn't say all Democrats).

[Lemmy]

WASHINGTON — This year Senate Republicans are threatening filibusters to block more legislation than ever before, a pattern that's rooted in — and could increase — the pettiness and dysfunction in Congress.

The trend has been evolving for 30 years. The reasons behind it are too complex to pin on one party. But it has been especially pronounced since the Democrats' razor-thin win in last year's election, giving them effectively a 51-49 Senate majority, and the Republicans' exile to the minority.

Seven months into the current two-year term, the Senate has held 42 "cloture" votes aimed at shutting off extended debate — filibusters, or sometimes only the threat of one — and moving to up-or-down votes on contested legislation. Under Senate rules that protect a minority's right to debate, these votes require a 60-vote supermajority in the 100-member Senate.

Democrats have trouble mustering 60 votes; they've fallen short 22 times so far this year. That's largely why they haven't been able to deliver on their campaign promises.

When at the time Senate Majority Leader Frist (R) was threatening the "nuclear option" on cloture votes all was good. Now that Democratic party is in charge of the Senate no problemo...

[Lemmy]

By sinking a cloture vote this week, Republicans successfully blocked a Democratic bid to withdraw combat troops from Iraq by April, even though a 52-49 Senate majority voted to end debate.

This year Republicans also have blocked votes on immigration legislation, a no-confidence resolution for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and major legislation dealing with energy, labor rights and prescription drugs.

Nearly 1 in 6 roll-call votes in the Senate this year have been cloture votes. If this pace of blocking legislation continues, this 110th Congress will be on track to roughly triple the previous record number of cloture votes — 58 each in the two Congresses from 1999-2002, according to the Senate Historical Office.


http://www.mcclatchydc.com/226/story/18218.html

[Sgt. O'Rourke]

The libs could always get the Supreme Court Justices to write and pass legislation- they've done it before. By the way, who's Bill boinking these days?