"We are working on an agenda that the minority would not or could not do, and we're fulfilling our promise to the American people....And all the whining you can do, all of it you can produce will not deter us from it."
- Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Rules Committee to John Boehner and other GOP crybabies
We've heard a lot of bullshit Republican slogans since they decided to kick off a 21st century crusade, but the heart of their argument is that they are pro-American and anyone who doesn't agree with them is a stinking traitor.
You know I'm not making this up so don't try arguing the point.
So, after lying to get over 3,000 soldiers killed and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians killed (apparently you have to kill them to free them), Tom DeLay breaking ethics rules left and right and pocketing money all the way, Mark Foley being aided and abetted when trying to molest children, and Tom Tancredo doing everything but putting on a white robe and burning a cross in the Capitol building, I've got a good idea of what the Republicans stand for.
That and shooting their friends in the face with a shotgun. But I digress....
So, how are the Democrats doing? The answer: not so damn bad.
The NYT covers the House's First Hundred Hours. The major highlights?
- Increased the minimum wage
- Passing many anti-terror recommendations from the Iraq study group, unlike the Magic 8 Ball method used by Bush
- Pro-stem cell research legislation, unlike Bush and the Mordor gang
- A bill mandating prescription drug price negotiation, another this Bush and his pharmaceutical company pals oppose
- Student loan interest rate relief, which is a damn sight more in the interests of Americans than cutting Pell Grants like the GOP did
- And, oh yeah, doing away with tax breaks to the record-profit-earning oil company scumbags
How has the Senate reacted?
- Stripping convicted senators of their pensions - this would include such friendly idiots as Traficant, Cunningham, and hopefully DeLay at the top of the list
- Ethics reform legislation, which is being challenged by conservative shills like the Family Research Council and even the ACLU. If groups that disparate agree this is the wrong thing to do, you should probably go ahead and pass the law
It's of course too early to tell if the Dems can keep cohesion, momentum, and sanity in place to get doing the good work required to restore this country to pre-Bush era safety, sanity, and honestly. But I like what I've seen so far.
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