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Majority Democrats' power checked by GOP
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| Contributor | Gerald Farinas |
| Last Edited | Gerald Farinas Dec 22, 2007 05:02pm |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Saturday, December 22, 2007 10:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Democrats running Congress for the first time in more than a decade faltered at key points this year as they grudgingly passed important bills opposed by many, or even most, of their House members. When Republicans were in charge, they generally avoided that fate. Republican solidarity also forced House Democrats to abandon a campaign promise to avoid new deficit spending by paying for new programs with tax increases or budget cuts. In the Senate, Republicans repeatedly used their filibuster powers to block or weaken Democratic proposals. Backed by President Bush's veto threats, the minority party managed to sharply limit the Democrats' influence on a range of issues throughout the year.
Democrats' inability to wind down the Iraq war has mystified and angered their anti-war supporters.
The minority party's influence over legislation this year is due to senate Republicans' liberal use of the filibuster. The obstructionist tactic can be overcome only with 60 votes in the 100-member chamber, where Democrats only hold 51 seats. The current Senate is on pace to shatter the record for filibusters, making the once-rare maneuver virtually an everyday threat. GOP senators used vote-delaying filibusters this year to thwart House and Senate majorities on many of their unsuccessful efforts. |
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