Sheesh – backslapping for the sake of backslapping? I guess that the “Right side of the most august legislative body in the world” didn’t really want to listen to Glenn Reynold’s (of Instapundit fame) maxim:
“Legislate like there’s no tomorrow, because there might not be one. And if they did, the increase in voter enthusiasm could make all the difference in November.”
They didn’t follow it when they started the session, didn’t follow it in mid-stream, and haven’t followed it EVAH! They couldn’t even pass their most vaunted promise – “We’ll repeal Obamacare!”. Sure, they did Tax Reform and they’ve “consented” to Trump’s conservative judicial nominations. But did they, after a few years of having the majority, return to “regular order”? How much and how hard did they really work in getting the GOP Agenda into practice and into law?
The Senate adjourned this week amid self-administered backslaps for “working hard during August” (they worked a grand total of 6.5 days) and donning self-congratulatory laurels as they praised themselves for implementing “major Republican priorities.”
Really, 6.5 days? That’s a lowly 52 hours spread over 31 days – 1.7 hours / day. Sure, that probably doesn’t count for the myriad committee meetings, caucus meetings, and the like. But gosh – I can do that number in a single week without breaking a sweat.
But for anyone paying attention, the Senate’s latest “work” session had all the characteristics of the 115th Congress: wildly exaggerated rhetoric, few actual results, a lot of excuses, and a stunning lack of urgency to accomplish anything they promised voters.
Nope – and yet they think we haven’t seen this? Am betting that they’re thinking “those rubes – we can tell them anything and they’ll STILL vote for us. After all, what’s the alternative – a Democrat?”.
They also forget the third option – sitting on our hands. Sure, a Dem may well beat them but they keep forgetting that politics is still a marketplace – and people want value for their effort and their votes. They have forgotten all of their campaign rhetoric over the years – Give us the House! Give us the Senate! Give us the Oval Office – and THEN STAND BACK AND SEE WHAT WE WILL ACCOMPLISH!”
We stood back – and they just sat on their hands and did nothing.
…Any reasons offered by Senate leaders for not addressing issues the voters care about amount to nothing more than excuses, plain and simple. Voters are weary of being patted on the head and told to respect the judgement of the Washington elite that continues to fail them.
Again, “legislate like there’s no tomorrow”. Guess what – there’s probably won’t be one and that will spill over to the House races as well.
(H/T: American Greatness)
