How many Democrats does it take to screw in a lightbulb?

After the Massachusetts special election results came in, the airwaves were filled with talk about the impact. None of the talk was encouraging to the Democrats. Losing this one vote was apparently the death knell for health care reform. If some are to be believed it also means that Obama should not get too comfy because it is clearly a sign that he is a one term president.

All of this brings two questions to mind.

1) Why is it that Obama barely gets 1 year to fix what Bush needed 8 years to break?

As it is, the economy is much better than it was last year. Nowhere near where it needs to be, but clearly turning.

We hear all of this talk about how Obama was a Socialist and a Facist. Tea-baggers rallied in Washington to protest his policies. But at the same time people are upset because he has not undone many of Bush's policies. Gitmo is still open. The government seems as closed-off as it always was. Gays still have to keep quiet in the military.

He's too radical, but yet not radical enough.

If you ask my opinion, he has lots of great ideas and would help this country a lot if not for the issue raised in question 2.


2) Why is that Democrats easily control both houses of Congress, but seem unable to get anything done?

Even after losing Ted Kennedy's seat, the Democrats still have a 9 seat majority in the Senate. They have a 78 seat majority in the House. But despite those majorities we still have trouble passing anything. The Republicans are not offering anything other than roadblocks and they are succeeding. If they make substantial gains in November, it will not be because they have anything great to offer, but rather because they were successful at making the Democrats appear ineffective.

This all gives me deja vu to 1993. Bill Clinton had a health care reform bill. He made grand speeches about it. The Democrats controlled congress. The Republicans wanted none of it. They blocked it at every turn. It failed to pass and the Republicans took over both houses of Congress in 1994 largely on the platform that the Democrats were ineffective.

Those who do not learn from their mistakes are condemned to repeat them.

I suggest that every Democrat in Congress wake up. They were elected to bring about change in this country. Rather than pander to a party that has no desire to vote for the bill anyway, pass a bill that you feel needs to be passed.

If you are voted out in November, at least it will be for trying to do what you thought was right and not because you didn't do anything.


How many Democrats does it take to screw in a light bulb? Apparently at least 60, but I am not sure even that would be enough right now.