Positive AP Article: "A productive Congress gets no respect from voters"

[Sparkly]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_prolific_congress

WASHINGTON – The public panned it. Republicans obstructed it. Many Democrats fled from it. Even so, the session of Congress now drawing to a close was the most productive in nearly half a century.

Not since the explosive years of the civil rights movement and the hard-fought debut of government-supported health care for the elderly and poor have so many big things — love them or hate them — been done so quickly.

(snip)

But in taking on issues for the history books, Democrats have failed on some matters close to the hearts of allies whose energy is vital in an election. Legislation making it easier to unionize workplaces is stalled, Hispanics are still pressing for an overhaul of the immigration system and environmental groups want action on climate change.

Democratic leaders put off action for nearly two years on preventing a massive tax increase come Jan. 1, when the Bush-era tax cuts run out. And they couldn't even put a budget together this year. But it's not what Congress didn't accomplish the past two years, it's what it did do that seems to have voters most riled.

They cite again Congress' low approval rating, but Congress always has a low approval rating because it includes both parties. We disapprove of the Republicans, they disapprove of the Democrats, and sometimes we disapprove of our own parties.

The biggest presumption, I think, is what's said in the last sentence -- that voters are upset that Congress did so much. The rightwing doesn't even understand what they did, and many Democrats are upset that they didn't do more, especially on key issues (not just the ones listed in the article, actually). Somehow it's only the rightwing view that is visible, no matter how irrational and misinformed. It would be good to see a fair representation of the other side.

The article does list accomplishments, and gives them props as historically significant. It is good to read a positive analysis of the past two years in the "librul media" for a change.

[babylonsister]

1. Oh my goodness, a positive article, from the AP? Thanks for

bringing this to our attention.

[blondeatlast]

2. Congress is damned if they do, we're damned if they don't.

That's a very insightful article; I'm passing it on.

k/r

[bvar22]

3. "the most productive in nearly half a century"

The question is, "For Whom"?