There's No Crying In Congress

In the lame duck session of Congress, our elected officials are scrambling to get most of the key legislative work done before they have to turn the keys over to a new crop that was voted in last November.  The main event is the fight over whether or not to keep the Bush tax cuts, intended to cover everyone from the poorest to the richest, from expiring at the end of the year.

Just when you thought compromise was a four-letter word in Washington, President Barack Obama made a deal with Republican leaders to keep the tax cuts for two more years in addition to funding thirteen months worth of unemployment benefits.  Perhaps the President realized that, thanks to the election results, he now has to work with the GOP instead of ignoring them.

Liberal Democrats are up in arms over this deal because they believe the President has sold out.  They want to renew the tax cuts too, but only for the middle class.  It's nice to see the Democrats grow a spine for a change, after giving up whatever advantage they had to the GOP.  But this is the wrong issue to take a stand on, considering the economy.  If the bill doesn't pass, everybody's taxes will go up and the unemployed (up around ten percent, last we checked) won't get a thing.  Got a better idea, guys?

Otherwise, it's business as usual.  Democrats propose.  Republicans reject.  Rinse.  Lather.  Repeat.  That means the chances of immigration reform and the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" this session (and probably the next) aren't good.

When the new Congress convenes next month, Republicans will have control of the House and increase their presence in the Senate.  The new Speaker of the House will be John Boehner of Ohio.  Since the election, we've gotten to know a lot more about him.  More than we really wanted to know, actually.

Boehner's an emotional guy, whether he's shouting "Hell no, you can't!" in the House chambers, or blubbering at the drop of the hat in a CBS "60 Minutes" interview.  Now he's in a position to help pass laws that might make others cry.  Boehner is such an embarrassment to the country that somewhere, Osama bin Laden must be laughing his head off.

This is the Republican Party you sent to Congress, America.  A who's who of crackpots, criers and curmudgeons riding a wave of anti-incumbent fever.  And they're about to destroy the country in order to save it.