Those Damned Useless Democrats... By A Democrat

Almost one year to the day ago, I wrote the following on my blog.

“Now that the Democrats have the Senate as well as the House, we can expect a tectonic shift in American politics. We can expect oversight of the executive branch - particularly with regard to human rights and civil liberties, which this Administration has thrown to the dogs. We can expect a re-evaluation of our foreign policy.

We can expect a shift in tax priorities to moderate the excessive cuts given to the extremely wealthy. We can expect more money for healthcare and education. More money for police and firefighters. A raise in the minimum wage. A focus on small business rather than Big Oil.”

So what happened? Why have the Democrats failed on almost every count to do anything useful for this country over the last year?

Because the Dems have failed. They’ve failed to do anything about the war. Failed on healthcare. Failed on stem cell research. Failed on foreign policy. In fact, I can’t see much of a success anywhere.

Just look at the litany of discarded (or wallowing in committee) bills:

The Clean Air Act (notice an alternative title, Ending Subsidies for Big Oil Act of 2007’)  is still pending after a year – and it’s bound to lose its bite, since four Democratic Senators oppose it.

The Iraq De-Escalation Act of 2007 has gone nowhere, and in fact we’re funding the war at a higher rate than ever. What a disappointment to the millions whose primary agenda in electing Democrats was to get us the hell out of that hellhole.

The Medicare Price Negotiation Act of 2007 has sat in committee since January and – as expected – seems to be destined to remain there.

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program which Bush vetoed, and which was a huge priority that has failed to garner enough Republican votes to overcome Bush’s objection to looking after disadvantaged kids.

I could go on and on, but you get the point. The Dems have not built any bipartisanship, and have, it seems, been content on the whole to just let things be.

Bush is a lame duck President, and he and his cronies have managed to ensure that the Democrats’ 110th Congress has no legs at all. Sure, it’s easy to blame him – and we should, to some extent – but it’s the Democrats I really blame, for reneging on their promises and allowing the country to continue to flounder in the mess that the Republicans created in the first place.