“One of the biggest changes in politics in my lifetime is that the delusional is no longer marginal. It has come in from the fringe, to sit in the seat of power in the Oval Office and in Congress. For the first time in our history, ideology and theology hold a monopoly of power in Washington.” At a recent awards dinner, Bill Moyers laments the rise of theocratic “End-of-Days” types under Dubya. Meanwhile, with the White House in their collective pocket, religious fundies now look to spread the word through the states.
Tag: Congress
When Good Things Happen From Bad People.
Hmmm…I don’t know quite how to feel about this one. “Without a separate vote or even a debate, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) has managed to deliver to a delighted NASA enough money to forge ahead on a plan that would reshape U.S. space policy for decades to come…DeLay, a self-described ‘space nut,’ told Johnson Space Center employees a few days after the vote that ‘NASA helps America fulfill the dreams of the human heart.’” It probably doesn’t hurt that the Johnson Space Center is now in his district, either…still, this may be one of the only times when I find myself applauding the Exterminator.
Blinding Us From Science.
Well, I guess this what we get for re-electing a President who thinks “the jury’s still out” on evolution. To help offset exploding Dubya deficits, Congress “has cut the budget for the National Science Foundation, an engine for research in science and technology, just two years after endorsing a plan to double the amount given to the agency.” But, don’t fret: “While cutting the budget of the science foundation, Congress found money for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in Birmingham, the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, bathhouses in Hot Springs, Ark., and hundreds of similar projects.” Yep, priorities, people. (Although granted that cutting-edge cancer research probably costs more than Charlie Daniels’ signed guitar.)
Careful what you wish for.
“Intent on using his capital to secure his place in history, Bush may finally pass a right-wing social agenda, an entitlement reform agenda and a neoconservative foreign policy…And by enacting his program, Bush may dash conservatives’ hopes for a lasting Republican majority.” With trouble already brewing among House conservatives, Columbia PhD, former FCC colleague, and Gipper scholar Matthew Dallek contrasts Dubya’s governance with that of Reagan, and finds the former wanting, to say the least.
Hope it’s a Capital One.
Faced with the grim morning-after receipts of Dubya’s feckless splurging and deficit-exploding tax cuts, the Senate is forced raise the debt limit by $800 billion (again) to stop the government from going into default. “Though an increase in the debt ceiling was never in doubt, Republican leaders in both houses of Congress postponed action on it last month, until after the elections, to deprive Democrats of a chance to accuse them of fiscal irresponsibility.”
Spoiling the Spoils.
Even in success, it seems, the Right can’t be relied upon to play by the rules. As the House GOP moves to shield Tom DeLay from the Rostenkowski rule they passed eleven years ago (mandating that an indicted leader step down), Senate Republicans look to the “nuclear option” for ending filibusters of judicial nominees, which would allow said filibusters to be ended with a simple 51-vote majority. Finally, in a dubious display of bipartisanship, the Bushies aim to peel off one more Senate vote by offering Democratic Senator Ben Nelson the Agriculture post.
A Reid in the Wind.
The Dems in the Senate have officially chosen Harry Reid of Nevada to be the new Minority Leader (and Chuck Schumer to run the DSCC.) “‘He has absolutely no fear,’ said Jimmy Ryan, a former Reid aide who now lobbies for Citigroup. ‘He knows when to call a vote, and when to let your members know it’s time to walk the plank…He’s probably the best reader of human beings I’ve ever met.'” Well, let’s hope so.
The Neverending Story.
Only four more years until Election Day 2008, so it must be time for possible contenders to start drumming up some cash. As such, maverick Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska contemplates a 2008 bid for the GOP (He seems a decent, rational fellow, which means he’d undoubtedly have a McCain problem in the primary), while some Dems start thinking about Gov. Mark Warner of Virginia.
Bigmouth Strikes Again.
“Sweetness, I was only joking…” Arlen Specter learns the hard way that it doesn’t pay to get in the way of Dubya’s shiny, new evangelical steamroller, and will now have to prostrate himself before Catkiller Frist and the loony Right to keep his Senate Judiciary Chairmanship. In the inimitable words of Lando Calrissian, this deal’s getting worse all the time…
Aftermath.
“Let’s put our heads together, and start a new country up…” Well, it’s been a week. So now what? Howard Dean says put me in charge (Sure, he can’t be worse than McAuliffe), James Carville says let’s find a new story (and Keep It Simple, Stupid), and John Kerry, well, he’s “fired up” about returning to the Senate (?)…and has started contemplating a 2008 run.