Lame Duck Senate Session Starts Today

[Bob Geiger]

It's only going to last a couple of weeks between now and the new year, but the Senate opens for business again today with a decidedly different scenario in place than when it went on recess in October for the midterm elections. As everyone knows, the do-nothing Republican Congress was sent an abundantly clear message on November 7, when voters elected a significant Democratic majority to the House of Representatives and voted Democrats into six new seats in the Senate, giving them control of that body as well.

While Republicans will still be the majority party when the Senate reconvenes today -- thus, giving them a last chance to do absolutely nothing but George W. Bush's bidding -- they do so with the other side of the aisle knowing that a filibuster will work on everything and that anything Democrats don’t want, isn’t going to happen.

So what will get discussed during this abbreviated lame-duck session?

Well, on Thursday, Bush sent the nomination of John Bolton to be the top U.S. diplomat at the United Nations back to the Senate for reconsideration. At the same time, he has also called on the Congress to validate his illegal domestic spying program before Democrats take over in January.

Dick Durbin (D-IL), the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, reinforced my belief that the chances are better that I will become Britney Spears' next temporary husband, than they are that these two things will go through.

"For a Republican Congress to have gone forward for two years and produced so little, and then for the president to come up with a huge agenda for the next two weeks, you have to ask him, 'Why didn't you use some of the time you spent arguing on some less important issues before?'" said Durbin.

And Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), who will become the next chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said last week that he opposes the Bolton nomination, saying "I see no point in considering Mr. Bolton's nomination again."

Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), said his agenda for the next few weeks includes completion of the nuclear agreement with India, renewing selected tax breaks, bioterrorism and offshore drilling legislation, and generally deciding how to fund the government for the next year.

So, in addition to beginning his search for a new, obnoxious bully to represent us on the U.N. world stage, Bush may want to also consider how he's going to continue spying on Americans now that a new team is taking over in Congress. The once-secret program for wiretapping without warrants is getting a huge thumbs down already from at least one key Democrat.

"We have been asked to make sweeping and fundamental changes in law for reasons that we do not know and in order to legalize secret, unlawful actions that the administration has refused to fully divulge," said Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the next Judiciary Committee chairman. "If legislation is needed for judicial review, then we should write that legislation together, in a bipartisan and thoughtful way."

Boy, things are looking up already, aren't they?

You can read more from Bob at BobGeiger.com.

[Nimrod2005]

1. Lol...nt

[trogdor]

2. Makes you wonder why they're even bothering coming in.

The 109th Congress is done. Stick a fork in it. I'll be surprised if they even get the must-pass (before the Democrats start re-writing it) spending bills done.

[heinz]

3. Carpe Diem

Lets seize the day! Now that we have a majority we need to come up with a new direction for the Dems if we want to keep it. I think we should make a pact with the voters. I think it should be a simple 5 point plan that will absolute guarantee us victory next election.

1: Stop the war right now! Cut the military budget to only 10% of what it is right now. Bring all the troops home!

2: First we should apologize for raising taxes on the working class, and make a guarantee that we will cut taxes in half for all working joes. Mostly people making under 50k a year. Those are the people hit hardest by tax increases.

3: Repeal the patriot act!

4: Stop all corporate welfare. All the tariffs that were bought and paid for like 100% tariffs on Japanese cars, and 500% tariffs on imported lumber from Canada, and 300% tariffs on brooms from Mexico. The corporate giveaways to American Companies have robbed all the working class while stuffing plenty of money in Ford's motor companies and all other American multi-nationals greedy hands! Just think if the Dems cut the price of cars in half. The Dems would be guaranteed to win over and over.

5: Impeach Bush and put him in the Hague on trail for War crimes.

Its only when we start helping the working poor and put money back in their pockets and give them actual results that they can see, will we ever truly be on the side of the poor.

[ACES]

8. ONE MORE THING

:toast: We must do all we can to fix the electoral process:
1.  No more robocalls.
2.  No more racist ads.
3.  Make the voting process easier and more inclusive, get rid
of electronic voting, ensure that there is sufficient amount
of poll workers to move the voting lines faster.

[newyawker99]

9. Hi ACES!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[SydneyBristow]

4. I'm just glad...

the dems aren't giving up their ground so easily. Don't let these loser shmucks push ya around!

[newyawker99]

10. Hi SydneyBristow!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Lasher]

5. I think they're just coming in to clean out their desks.

They have to move out of those enormous office suites that are reserved for committee chairs of the majority party. They're probably going to have to have yard sales because they won't be able to move all their stuff into the little crappy offices they'll get in January. They'll also need to fire most of their enormous staffs and decide which person they're going to keep on to answer the phone.

I wonder if Lord Vader has started moving out of his office complex in the House of Representatives yet?

Too bad, so sad. :nopity:

[IWantAChange]

6. GWB does not have enough fingers to fill all the holes in the dam

now that we've seen behind the curtain can you imagine how terrified he is of America now getting not just a peek but full-blown access to what is under the tent?

[civildisoBDence]

7. Those who got re-elected will figure out soon enough that those who LOST

are the lucky ones.

There will be hell to pay, especially for DUHbya and the WH, but also for those who carried water for them.

Newsprism

[Gregorian]

11. Does this mean Durbin thinks Britney is HOT?

Quack! Quackity quack quack. Yay for lame duck repubs! I'm still in a happy haze. I isn't going away easily.

[Control-Z]

12. I'm just lovin' the hell out of this. n/t

[classysassy]

13. Fly away

I'll bet my last peso,those lame ducks will be flying to Paris,Rome,Amsterdam and other neat places to gather information for their lame constituency.Boo,Boo you ducks or should that be lame fucks?.