The CQ/Roll Call Guide to the Next Congress (pdf) is out, and it makes for depressing reading. We’ve really elected a group of ideological misfits. It’s a group of rodeo announcers, hog farmers, nursing home owners, car dealers, oilfield equipment CEO’s, derivatives traders, lobbyists, congressional aides, commercial trucking magnates, fumigators, investment bankers, air conditioning and heating company owners, insurance agents, energy company executives, and, of course, lawyers. A very large number of these freshmen have never held any previous elected office. But they almost all agree that our changing climate is not a problem and that we shouldn’t concern ourselves about carbon pricing. They almost all deny that women have any privacy or reproductive rights. They almost all are hostile to any kind of gay rights. None of them, as far as I know, have any interest in helping to resolve the mess down at Guantanamo Bay. They are all for massive tax cuts, especially business tax cuts, and the Estate Tax. They all want to gut entitlements to help pay for those tax cuts. Many of them are stridently anti-Latino. This is a train wreck waiting to happen.
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BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
Perhaps that’s why they’re so vehemently opposed to constructing new rail systems or expanding upon existing ones. No need to facilitate train wrecks.
The really depressing thing is that the Dems will totally fail to make these wackos look like the nut jobs they are. The press, of course, will call their demands the truest desire of the people…
This is a “throw the bums out” response by the simple-minded voters who claim to be sick of politics-as-usual. Unfortunately, by putting unskilled, untested, and unproven ideologues into office, they will likely be wishing they had some of the old timers back.
And stop saying stuff about trains. I just read again today how the new rail system was going to make some really good things happen here in Ohio. Of course, Kasich has shut it down, sending the $400 million dollar program back to DC.
grrrrrr.
A simple majority in the senate is needed. 51 votes. Just like any parliamentary system — simple majority rule. Side by side comparisons of Democratic and Republican plans, and let the people choose. The senate is the elephant in the room, and the reason why Democrats lost big last Tues. Good progressive legislation died in the senate because of the 60 vote filibuster rule.
Democrats should push for filibuster reform. Unless we get rid of the filibuster, we are going to see a more pronounced rightward tilt in legislation coming out of Congress.
How many votes does filibuster reform entail? I’m just wondering because I honestly don’t know.
Right now, 60 votes. On January 19, 50 + 1 when they adopt the rule for the Congress.
I do not believe that they will go for strict majoritarian rule. I do expect a considerable liberalization. I hope that they eliminate the filibuster for Presidential appointments. It is wrong that today, at near the end of 2 years, some of Obama’s appointments are not seated. It’s ridiculous.
I don’t see any point in ending the filibuster. It’s a moot point, really, in the next Congress. Whatever legislation the Democrats get through the Senate is going to be killed in the House anyway. The Republicans might not even go through the motions of a filibuster. I think the one time it would have a practical effect is if there is another Supreme Court nomination in the next Congress.
Meanwhile, there’s an excellent chance the Republicans control the Senate in 2013. I don’t want to do them any favors. I’ll take the filibuster then. It may be the only hope to prevent widespread dismantling of social programs.
The media is discussing the house majority and its new “tea party” members as if they are the same ideologs as the previous experienced Republicans that they ousted in the Republican primaries. These new tea party members of the house are fanatics and have only one mission in their political life and that is STOP THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. The first exposure of these fanatics will come on the vote in the next Congress to RAISE THE NATIONAL DEBT CEILING. I will be shocked if these new Republicans DO NOT oppose raising the National debt ceiling. They have NO intention of attempting to work with the other members of the Republican majority. It will the “tea party” way or the highway. So the House Republican leadership will have its hands full trying to get these new tea party members in line. The Republican leadership has become so accustomed with having all of its members on message and in lockstep together that controlling these new tea party members will be a serious challenge.
Unfortunately the Democrats have made no attempt to exploit this ideological division in the Republican ranks. As a matter of fact the Democrats are echoing the media’s message which states that the Democrats NEED TO start working with the Republican house majority. The angry white voters who voted “tea Party” in the past midterm Congressional elections have absolutely NO IDEA just how bad these new Republicans will behave once they are seated in Congress. If you vote for a fanatic, you should expect fanaticism from these people in their discharge of their responsibilities in the office.
The Republican leadership has become so accustomed with having all of its members on message and in lockstep together that controlling these new tea party members will be a serious challenge.
No, it won’t. They’ll fall in line just like they have done in the past.
I would like the Dems who lost to remain active as shadow congresspersons. When the Repukeliscum fail to create jobs, vote to repeal social security or make abortion punishable by death, let them stand up and state loudly that the voters did not call for this, they called only for jobs, and where are they, anyhow?
I think that many of these turds are one-termers, managed correctly.