The Lame Duck Shuffle

Whether I approve of the latest flurry of doings on Capitol Hill or not (usually not), the post-midterm election "lame duck session" has proved to be anything but.

From the will-they-or-won't-they suspense to ratifying the common sense START treaty, to the rise, fall and second rise of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell, repeal, and concluding with the Bush-Obama tax cut "compromise," the last six weeks have witnessed more gamesmanship in Congress than we have seen in the 10 months of inertia prior.

I have learned something about myself in this time. I am, apparently, a radical lefty. Who knew? Mind you, I always understood myself to be on the liberal end of mainstream cultural and political beliefs, even as I adopted fiscally conservative and other centrist positions. Time was, when I opposed the President's extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, I sat amongst 66% percent of my fellow citizens who felt the same way. However, by supporting the will of the masses, it is clear that an antiquated notion of government for the people, by the people, puts me out of touch with the current and future status of American bureaucracy as an elite corporate playground.

It has been tough to keep track of the crying (John Boehner), blackmail (Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown who, while pledging support for the repeal of DADT, vowed not to discuss it until he and his rich lawyer friends had their way with the tax structure) and ill-timed votes (Harry Reid), without a scorecard. Even my loyal friends and commentators at CNN seemed to be unable to locate a raison d'etre for Reid's failed introduction of a vote which would have given gay and lesbian soldiers the "right" to serve openly. Momentarily declared dead in the water, another instance of the gay community being used as a wedge issue in the ramp up to a presidential election, the repeal had new life breathed into it this week by a suddenly galvanized House Democratic Caucus.

And while we're at it, though their efforts to stymie President Obama's continuous kowtowing to the Right may ultimately prove a failure, I would like to give the House Democrats kudos for a good old college try. When the group broke ranks, chanting "Just Say No!" in a meeting to discuss the takeup of the Bush era tax cut extension, my heart literally swelled. Though I feel exhausted and beaten by the first two years of Obama's term, these folks give me some hope. Many commentators have long called for an angry, organized Left on the scale of the Right's Tea Party movement, if the Democrats are to even enter the messaging war they have been losing so handily. Maryland Congressman Chris Van Hollen may ultimately prove to be the voice of liberal populist dissension. In discussing the group's rebellion against the President's plan, Van Hollen told CNN's Dana Bash, "In the form that it was negotiated, it is not acceptable to the House Democratic caucus. It's as simple as that...We will continue to try and work with the White House and our Republican colleagues to try and make sure we do something right for the economy and right for jobs."

Ah yes, at least someone remembers the 10% of us unemployed Americans.

No matter how inept this Congress has been at taking serious steps to address the ballooning deficit, no matter how cynical both parties have been in their pledge to "put the safety of the troops first," when asked about the possibility of nullifying DADT, at least we have not been bored. And boredom, after all, is worst pop cultural transgression a politician can make. Has anyone seen or heard from John Kerry lately?

As we barrel toward 2011, the faces and players in both houses of Congress are about to change dramatically, particularly in the newly Red House. I anticipate a mealy mouthed attempt to repeal the Obama Health Care Bill that goes no farther than Stage 1, but what else can we look forward to? I doubt anyone plans to get serious about immigration policy or climate change. Many of the potential sponsors of these controversial bills have Presidential campaigns to think of after all. So in a an increasingly divided and unhappy electorate, what are the no-brainers? Because election cycles tend to bring out the very worst in "safety first" legislative development.
In other words, enjoy the jockeying while it lasts. We are entering our fourth year of the Great Recession, with a brand new $800 billion added to our national debt. I suspect the New Year will bring plenty of bipartisan finger pointing, but not a lot of movement toward fixing our broken democracy.