Hapless Harry Rides the Ranch

I got my television fix while out in Ohio. I pity everyone who watches on a regular basis. The only positive is that old black and white movies look spectacular on new televisions.

But you will have noticed that the new GOP sank to more depraved depths in this lame duck session. Remember this was the political party who impeached Bill Clinton in a lame duck session. With troops fighting in two known wars and a couple other ones on a 24/7 basis, we saw Lindsey Graham,John Kyle and Tom Coburn moan about working around--near--in the proximity to the Christmas holidays and on at least two occasions I saw these senators moan about missing dinner at a time when Americans are lucky to have dinner.

Then we were treated to the serial lying, which drives me up the wall. Every one of the bills debated had already been through committee hearings and had been debated on the floor over the last year. It's not like the Senators hadn't seen them before or heard about them. I guess the good news in all this was that it's obvious that the new GOP doesn't like to work. I still believe the tax cut for the wealthy was their way of getting a bonus because they felt the 111th Session worked them too hard.

With absolutely zero expectations for this lame duck session, it was an amazing success. Besides the tax cut deal, we saw the repeal of DADT, despite the on-screen tantrums of Country Last McCain, the ratification of the New SALT Treaty,the unbelieveable passage of the 9/11 responders bill by consensus and the largest Food Safety Bill since the Depression.

For all this, I still think Harry Reid deserves the Time Man of the Year.

A little late in the day but the Beltway pundits are finally saying that the 111th Congress has surpassed in accomplishments almost every Congress since the 1960s and rivals some under FDR. Norm Ornstein of AEI comments that given that this Congress existed in the most dysfunctional political environment ever, the 111th was one of the tope three most produtive Congresses snce 1900. As he said, "Making sense of all of that can make your head burst."

Howard Fineman of Huffington Post acknowledged the achievements of the last two years but warns that without significant improvements in the economy this might not turn to the Democrats' benefit. In fact, one of the most bizarre events was the rebellion of the middle class against the very Congress which was trying to strengthen it.

But the Harry Reid's and President Obama's victory laps may be short-lived as the new Republican House will come in with a radically different agenda. Republican observers claim that the GOP will try to dismantle the achievements of the last two years by de-funding President Obama's signature achievements and by embarking on sharp cuts in government funding just at the point the economy still needs some stimulus.

We'll wait to see the train wreck of next year. But let's give Harry his due.