House Democrats Punished for Senate's Failure - HuffPo

[WillyT]

House Democrats Punished for Senate's Failures
Paul Abrams - Physician, Biotechnology consultant
Posted: November 4, 2010 08:51 AM

<snip>

...

But, at its most simplistic, the Democrats lost the House, and Nancy Pelosi the Speaker's gavel, because of the Senate's dysfunction. Many, if not most, I would wager, of the 400+ bills passed by the House had simple majorities in the Senate.

Enter, stage right, the filibuster. The Republicans abused it. Had there been no, or a quite different, filibuster rule, or had the Republicans behaved normally as a loyal opposition, many of those bills would have improved the economy, provided aid or addressed social problems that would have contained the anger stirred and then propelled by FOX and Republican hit groups from spreading as widely through the populace as it did.

Moreover, a larger stimulus package with more infrastructure jobs could have passed and would have repaired our decaying roads, bridges and built high-speed rail, and so forth. The jobs would have reduced unemployment. Moreover, all these are good investments to lay the foundation for a future economy.

Tax credits for investments in small business would have been passed 6 months earlier and had a chance to provide a positive impact for the economy. A law would be in place disallowing tax deductions for costs of offshoring US jobs. Tax haven abuses would have been closed.

The President's appointees would have been in place, working at their jobs to help the government function. At the time of the failed Xmas crotch-bomber, 11 months into Obama's Presidency, Republicans had blocked a Director for Transportation Safety who was superbly qualified.

The process of passing the Affordable Health Care Act would not have been as long, tedious, and required as much horse-trading. The Republicans derisively call it "Obamacare", but the negative taint it carries arises much more from the long, drawn-out process than from its specific provisions, most of which are so popular that Republicans pledge to re-pass them after repealing the current Act! (Sure, they will). Moreover, the Republicans lied and continue to lie about healthcare reform, but its approval rating--those that approve + those who believe it should have gone further--is nearly 60%, and most of the good stuff has yet to be implemented.

...

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Much More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/house-democrats-punished_b_778770.html

:shrug:

[Mass]

1. Half of those who lost in the House were blue dogs, many of whom did not even

want to commit to voting for Nancy Pelosi.

As much as it is true the Senate was a blockage, I am not sure this is the reason for people voting against the Healthcare bill to be kicked out.

[catgirl]

3. The reason is people are clueless in this country

They have no idea how much the house accomplished and what could have been passed if the Senate
didn't fck it up. The first thing of order after the last elections should have been to fix the fillibuster
mess. We'd be in a much better place right now if this had happened.

[catgirl]

2. This should have been the dem campaign message

Rather than playing defense and resorting to pointing out the obvious teabagger looniness. The
truth about the party of NO! which resulted in making people's lives worse, would have gotten
voters out. It perhaps would have made some republicans stay home, as well.

What's done is done, but it's not too late for some with integrity in the media, to actually talk
about this. It's a shame that the Huffington Post and Rachel Maddow are the only ones to
share the realities of the situation.

[laughingliberal]

4. There's no doubt. If the Senate had passed all the legislation the House did, we' have blown the...

roof off the midterms and would be sitting here with greater majorities.

[glitch]

7. Yes. nt

[Bitwit1234]

5. BECAUSE the listened to fox and they do not KNOW

the working of congress. If the HOUSE had had proper representation in the press this wouldn't have happened. but all the public got was fox --fox...Democrats bad-- bad --bad

[ramapo]

6. That is the truth

Champions of dysfunction say that the Senate acted as it was designed, to slow down the House, to debate, and even obstruct. Of course, the filibuster and the rules are not in the design of the Senate.

Now in the should've, could've, would,ve catagory, Obama should have gone out on the stump and campaigned for people to pressure their Senator to consider and pass legislation sent up from the House. Opportunity missed and gone for a long time.

Now the House will pass a lot of stuff which we will want the Senate to ignore.

Funny how it works.