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Accountability

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Elections 2006
Posted on Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 02:03:41 PM EST
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As Jeralyn writes, our current Congress is the worst in a long time. A bad combination with the worst President and worst Media. This, it is quite strange that Kevin Drum would pooh pooh the importance of a Democratic Congress:

So what happens if Democrats win control of Congress in November? Conservative Bruce Bartlett says, nothing much. At the Washington Post, liberal Harold Meyerson mostly agrees. He says the Democratic agenda will be pretty much what you'd expect:
It includes raising the minimum wage, repealing the Medicare legislation that forbids the government from negotiating with drug companies for lower prices, replenishing student loan programs, funding stem cell research and implementing those recommendations of the Sept. 11 commission that have thus far languished.

That ain't chopped liver. Moreover, it is impossible to overestimate the importance of this:

Democrats will have considerably more oversight power, even if Republicans did gut the oversight staff when they took over a decade ago. And not a moment too soon.

This is by far the most important result of a Democratic Congress and for Kevin to note it in passing as "nothing much" is, well, not sharp.

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    Accountability | 5 comments (5 topical)
    Re: Accountability (none / 0) (#1)
    by cpinva on Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 02:16:14 PM EST
    no, gosh, that isn't much at all. they should be able to do that in the first week, with their hands tied behind their backs.

    then, they can set about figuring out how to get us out of the morass that is iraq & afghanistan, without having both countries combust into an unstoppable conflagration. that should keep them busy between rounds of golf and "shrimp & dip" parties. this should keep them busy for the rest of the first month as the majority party.

    in their spare time, they can ponder what to do about the national debt horrorshow, the looming social security problem, and the "issue which dares not speak its name", lack of medical services/insurance for the 40 million of our countrymen currently deprived. additionally, they can take a few moments to inquire within as to the obscene growth in said medical costs.

    this should be sufficient to keep them off the streets for a month or two.

    Re: Accountability (none / 0) (#2)
    by orionATL on Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 07:58:03 PM EST
    kevin drum's "political animal" is on my short list of web logs i read, but i don't read it that much anymore.

    why?

    because, though kevin brings me interesting subjects, he seems  

    fey.

    i don't know if he is just personally unable to feel comfortable with an opinion that is both emotional and intellectual

    or if he is constrained or controlled by his editors - most journalists are.

    but i wonder if he just does not have enough of the right kind of intelligence for the job he is doing.

    in saying this, i'm not knocking his smarts, i'm saying that an accountant's mentality in an editorialist job is not a good match.

    neither is the mentality of a self-conscious contrarian.

    i get, from reading kevin's work, a sense that his greatest concern is

    kevin.

    an old tune comes to mind:

    [i'm a dodger,

    a well-know dodger

    just dodging my way thru the world.]

    Re: Accountability (none / 0) (#3)
    by Jeralyn on Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 08:04:16 PM EST
    One of the biggest differences I see is that the Democrats will control what bills are heard and Republicans will have to compromise and agree not to oppose many of them just to get theirs on the agenda.

    Re: Accountability (none / 0) (#4)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 08:33:52 PM EST
    Good point

    Parent
    Re: Accountability (none / 0) (#5)
    by cpinva on Wed Oct 18, 2006 at 09:01:11 PM EST
    if the dems are the majority, who cares what the repubs do or don't oppose? that is the way the game is played, correct?

    especially if the dems are a big enough majority, bush becomes in fact, the complete non-entity he's always been.

    whether this is good or bad remains to be seen.

    frankly, i don't believe mr. drum possesses the intellectual heft necessary to provide worthwhile analysis, of anything really. he's always struck me as pretty much of a lightweight.

    Accountability | 5 comments (5 topical)