A Note On The 110th

First the corporate media narrative from The Robertses (here, in a column about Iran, and I would say the right-wing outcry in response to the latest NIE saying they’re not building a bomb has been fairly venomous - another lesson for we in the progressive "blogosphere")…

The Bush Administration, backed by allies in Israel and Europe, is trying hard to spread an unwelcome message: Don’t take the good news about Iran seriously.

They make a compelling case, but a lot of folks don’t want to listen, not at holiday time, not when a weary and dispirited Washington has so much bad news on its plate. Even Republicans can’t wait for Bush to leave town. America’s costly commitment to Iraq seems endless. The housing market is tanking. Congress is useless. Lots of tunnels, not much light.

I can think of at least two columnists who are pretty “useless” also, by the way.

However, I thought this news report on the 110th as they depart was pretty even handed, though; yes, they capitulated on the war, which was the biggest “gut check” – and they failed, and merely delayed enacting a truly odious FISA bill that would have granted telecom immunity – but as the story also notes…

Congress also boosted spending on veterans' needs and overhauled ethics and lobbying rules. Democrats on Wednesday unveiled a proposal to create the first nonpartisan ethics-review panel in House history and passed the most significant gun-control legislation since the early 1990s, by tightening instant background checks.

Beyond that, Democrats secured the biggest overhaul of ethics and lobbying rules since Watergate. And they passed a slew of bills that received little notice, such as money for math and science teachers, tax relief for homeowners in foreclosure, a doubling of basic research funding and reclamation projects for the hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast.

Also, the fact that the Dem majority gives them power over all of the House and Senate committees is something that cannot be overstated in terms of importance. That by itself is a powerful reason to do all we can to preserve that party’s majority and add to it.

I have plenty of disagreements with Sen. Chuck Schumer, but he’s absolutely right when he says, “if you want change, elect more Democrats” (including “more and better” Democrats such as Darcy Burner here).