Why Congress Isn't Working

I assume that most intelligent people realize that the current Democratic-led Congress isn't getting many things done for a reason. The reason is two simple words...Republicans & Senate. Remember that filibuster that Republican Senators were complaining about so much when they were in power just a year ago. Turns out that the filibuster works pretty well for them.

You remember that filibuster. The one that Trent Lott complained about:

“Filibustering is wrong. It’s not supportable under the Constitution. And if they insist on persisting with these filibusters, I’m perfectly prepared to blow the place up.”

or the one that Mitch McConnell disliked so much:

"The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail … and so far it’s working for us."

The filibuster is good for G.W. Bush. Bills with majority Democratic support (even bipartisan support) never even get to him. Thus, he doesn't have to use his veto power. This absolves Bush of any responsibility which is ironic because Bush was never big on responsibility throughout his pre-presidential life.

Take this example reported in the Washington Post a couple days ago.

In fact, the Senate Republicans are so accustomed to blocking measures that when the Democrats finally agreed last week to their demands on a bill to repair the alternative minimum tax, the Republicans still objected, briefly blocking the version of the bill that they wanted before scrambling to approve it later.

[my emphasis]

Senate Republicans are so quick to filibuster that they are now filibustering legislation that they agree with.

Republicans in the Senate have blocked the energy bill. Apparently they don't think oil companies should be taxed. I wish they could explain that to car owners given the current climate of rising gas prices and oil company profits.

Unfortunately, the "liberal mainstream media" doesn't really seem to get it either. Or they get it but just don't want to lay responsibility where it belongs - at the feet of the Republicans.