Do you think Congress is doing the job that we elected them to do?

[howaboutme]

To be honest I'm disgusted, cynical and I'm weary of a Congress that we elected to push our agendas and instead they acquiesce and refrain from pushing for votes. They do nothing instead of attempting to move forward and do their job and stand upon principles.

Instead they fret about their reelections. They whined when they said we can't impeach Bush, or we can't pass single payer, or card check, or we can't go against the corporations or Wall Street or Republicans, and more often that not it is because they say they don't have 60 votes.

Well if you don't have 60 votes then make the other side show their cards and sacrifice and follow the Senate rules and speak to the Chamber continuously as a real filibuster. After a week of a real filibuster it might change minds. What won't change minds is not acting and not pushing a vote.

Will a Republican Congress be worse? Yes it will be far worse but there is frustration because of the inaction by Democrats on calling for votes and it reduces enthusiasm.

[elleng]

1. No, they're playing games to enhance each member's own agenda.

[NYC_SKP]

2. Not just No, but Hell No. And not for, well, decades.

Seems to have been downhill since around Reagan.

x(

[The Magistrate]

3. No, Sir, They Are Not

It is a serious problem....

[BzaDem]

4. The Senate rules do not require continuous talking at all, or even continuous presence of a group.

They just require ONE Republican to stand around in the chamber asking for a quorum call every 15-30 minutes (with a motion interspersed). And they only have to do this while 50 or more Democrats are present. As soon as 49 or fewer Democrats are present, the quorum call will fail and the Senate will adjourn for the rest of the day.

So the best we can do is have 50 Democrats to stay on the floor 24/7 to force ONE REPUBLICAN to occasionally ask for a quorum call.

[femmocrat]

5. I'm more dissatisfied with the Senate than the House.

I think overall, Pelosi has done a decent job and the House is getting bills passed. The Senate is the great roadblock though. We seriously need some procedural reforms in the Senate.

[AndyA]

6. No, Congress is not doing the job we elected them to do.

The problem is, how do we get them to do it?

If we don't support Democrats, a bunch of Republicons get in and screw things up even worse. But, if we support Dems and get them elected, they don't feel enough "heat" from us to do what they promised they'd do.

So, how do we send the message to them that we aren't happy?

It's like, the Dems know they aren't as bad and will get support anyway, so there's no real incentive for them to keep their promises. They'd prefer to take the heat from us and then do what they want to do, which is leaning to the right lately.

We've got to break the cycle of corporate control via lobbyists, but it will take Congress to do it, and they're the ones benefiting from the corruption. :shrug:

[howaboutme]

7. Corporate control is the problem

If Americans, and I'm speaking of Democrats, Tea Party and Republicans of average means would just see the light and come together on this, that the problem is not so much about liberalism or conservatism, it is the corporate plutocracy that controls Congress for their own benefit and the benefit is not about the USA. It is about more profits for a corporation that has no allegiance or interest in the USA except as a market. The US Supreme Court gave these international multi-national bastards undue control over our elections.

The real wealthy the ones who George Carlin describes and who own us, don't care one iota about politics of conservatism or liberalism. They want policy and votes from both Democrats and Republicans so that they get more $$$$ and tax relief and more profits, often at the expense of US jobs and average Americans. NAFTA and GATT are examples.

[TheCowsCameHome]

8. No way.

[AlinPA]

9. No. Never.

[Skittles]

10. absolutely not

not even close

[stray cat]

11. You have one vote just like everyone else in the country and they are not all your clone