More of the Silly Season
Congress has taken its summer recess. This year the break will be filled with electioneering by both parties in anticipation of the November vote, and each party will be pointing to the other when confronted with the fact that little has been done to solve the major issues facing the country. From the NY Times:
Congress broke for a monthlong recess Friday, allowing the real work to begin.
In the aftermath of a partisan impasse Thursday night over Republican efforts to merge an increase in the minimum wage and a cut in the estate tax into a single piece of legislation, leaders of both parties promised a vigorous effort over August to blame the other guy for that stalemate and gridlock on Capitol Hill.
...[the Democrats] will have help in rebutting the obstruction charge, at least when it comes to the minimum wage vote. Union leaders, who for years have been lobbying for a wage increase, sided with the Democrats in blocking the bill, accusing Republicans of naked opportunism in linking the $2.10-per-hour increase to a multibillion-dollar tax cut for some of the wealthiest families in the nation.
Republicans also made a strategic blunder when they included a provision that would have allowed employers in seven states to begin counting tips toward increases in the minimum wage, possibly lowering the pay of some workers. That provided an out for Democrats like Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, who was under pressure to vote for the bill but could instead point to potential lost income for workers in her state in opposing it.
I give the edge to the Democrats this August. By ramming the minimum wage bill/estate tax cut into the last few days before the break, the Republicans managed to make it a cause celebre for the Democrats. The cynical coupling of the two issues was just too obvious, especially when the provision of counting tips toward the minimum wage is noticed, as it surely will be.
Further, the time wasted on the flag-burning and gay marriage constitutional amendments is a pretty good indication that the Republicans had no intention of dealing with such issues as health care costs, the budget (!), rising fuel costs, and the stagnant economy. Democrats should enjoy pointing that out, especially when speaking to seniors, many of whom have just hit the doughnut hole in the Medicare prescription drug coverage plan.
Hopefully the Democrats will pound hard on the GOP's failure to do any meaningful work in Congress. This is, after all, their last best chance.
Congress broke for a monthlong recess Friday, allowing the real work to begin.
In the aftermath of a partisan impasse Thursday night over Republican efforts to merge an increase in the minimum wage and a cut in the estate tax into a single piece of legislation, leaders of both parties promised a vigorous effort over August to blame the other guy for that stalemate and gridlock on Capitol Hill.
...[the Democrats] will have help in rebutting the obstruction charge, at least when it comes to the minimum wage vote. Union leaders, who for years have been lobbying for a wage increase, sided with the Democrats in blocking the bill, accusing Republicans of naked opportunism in linking the $2.10-per-hour increase to a multibillion-dollar tax cut for some of the wealthiest families in the nation.
Republicans also made a strategic blunder when they included a provision that would have allowed employers in seven states to begin counting tips toward increases in the minimum wage, possibly lowering the pay of some workers. That provided an out for Democrats like Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, who was under pressure to vote for the bill but could instead point to potential lost income for workers in her state in opposing it.
I give the edge to the Democrats this August. By ramming the minimum wage bill/estate tax cut into the last few days before the break, the Republicans managed to make it a cause celebre for the Democrats. The cynical coupling of the two issues was just too obvious, especially when the provision of counting tips toward the minimum wage is noticed, as it surely will be.
Further, the time wasted on the flag-burning and gay marriage constitutional amendments is a pretty good indication that the Republicans had no intention of dealing with such issues as health care costs, the budget (!), rising fuel costs, and the stagnant economy. Democrats should enjoy pointing that out, especially when speaking to seniors, many of whom have just hit the doughnut hole in the Medicare prescription drug coverage plan.
Hopefully the Democrats will pound hard on the GOP's failure to do any meaningful work in Congress. This is, after all, their last best chance.
posted by Diane at 4:55 AM
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