People are fixated on Iraq and are frustrated that even though Democrats now control Congress and 2/3 of Americans want to get out of Iraq, we are still mired in the quagmire and, in fact, the McCain/Bush/Lieberman escalation is getting us mired DEEPER in the quagmire.
Well, I believe I predicted that the fact that the Senate is evenly divided between Dems (counting Sanders) and Reps. (counting Lieberman), that there was no way we can get out of Iraq unless some Republicans start defecting. And, keep in mind, divisions among Democrats don't help. For example, Murtha and Nadler were competing to be the ones to have the best formula for getting out.
So people are frustrated because of this one issue. And given that the war in Iraq has almost completely failed, that it costs us trillions of dollars, that it costs us the lives of our brave soldiers, and it has completely ruined our war against al-Qaeda, I don't blame people for this frustration. Our government, despite the dramatic and hopeful change in control of the House, STILL is failing to get us out of the Republican war based on lies.
But I am afraid that lots of really important changes are getting ignored. The Iraq quagmire is a prime priority, but it is not our only priority. The economy under Bush has been awful, and Republican led policies have been making things worse and worse for working class Americans. We all have felt the malaise of this economy, unless you work for Halliburton, Bechtel or Exxon or the like. In this, the change in Congress has been a BIG help thanks to Democratic policies. When it comes to this, even the Senate has been improved since some moderate Republicans and Lieberman realize that the right wing extremism of Bush and most Republicans has been hurting America.
I want to use this opportunity to pass on something sent to me by the Democratic Party of Iowa that highlights the changes that I had been hoping for (and predicting) when the Democrats took control of Congress. The bottom line is that to the best of their ability (given the half-half split in the Senate) and far more than politicians mostly do, the Congressional Democrats have been keeping the promises they were elected on. From the Iowa Democratic Party:
This year's Fourth of July recess marked six months of strong leadership from Iowa's Democratic Congressional delegation. Senator Tom Harkin and Representatives Bruce Braley, Leonard Boswell and Dave Loebsack have done more to advance the agenda of America's working families than President Bush and Republicans did in the last six years.
Despite constant obstructionism from Republicans, Democrats have worked hard to keep their promises to the American people. Both houses of Congress have passed energy legislation that strengthens our economy and national security by reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Democrats have made our communities safer by passing the 9/11 Commission recommendations, and provided the American people with honest leadership and accountability by passing the toughest, most sweeping ethics reform in a generation.
The Democratic Congress also raised the minimum wage for the first time in a decade, passed a balanced budget that includes tax cuts for the middle class, and kept our promises to the brave men and women who have served our country by passing the largest increase in veteran's health care in more than 80 years. Our congressional delegation is also ensuring Iowa's children have health insurance by fighting to reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
In the Senate, Tom Harkin has also focused his efforts on leading the fight to lift President Bush's arbitrary restrictions on stem cell research and provide thousands of Iowans hope for new cures. He has worked everyday to set a timetable for re-deploying our brave soldiers out of Iraq and introduced legislation to close the military prison at Guantanamo Bay that is ruining American's reputation abroad.
"Democrats have accomplished more in the last six months than Republicans did in six years," said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Scott Brennan. "Senator Harkin and Representatives Braley, Boswell and Loebsack are keeping their promises to Iowa's working families and making our communities safer and stronger in the process. While Republicans continue to stand in the way, Democrats are working to make America safer and stronger, expand access to health care, fight for a new direction in Iraq and end the culture of corruption that Republicans brought to Washington. On the heels of this Independence Day recess, Iowa's working families can be proud that they finally have a Democratic Congress that is independent of the Bush Republicans and their special interest friends."
This statement can be expanded to include many other states that sent new faces to Congress and have reason to be proud of those new Congressional Reps. and Senators. Since I often focus on Iowa, I am particularly happy with Iowa's delegation. But the freshmen Congressmen elected in 2006 have been particularly dedicated to keeping their promises and to serving their communities. I am no fan of term limits (since I believe the will of the people should dominate in voting in each election, not arbitrary legal term limits) but this does show the value of new blood, in large quantities, for keeping Congress active and honest.
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