The Democratic Majority: Promises, Promises

On Thursday, January 4th, Nancy Pelosi the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House, will open the first session of the 110th United States Congress. The Democrats will control a majority in both chambers for the first time since the 103rd Congress in 1993–1995.

Photo Dan Bush, Albany, Missouri

The day after the November 7th mid-term elections, Nancy Pelosi stated, “We pledge to make this the most honest, ethical, and open Congress in history.” This was a lofty promise and within days it was allready beginning to derail. Pelosi’s choice of John Murtha for House Majority Leader was out voted by her own party for Steny Hoyer.

“We pledge to make this the most honest, ethical, and open Congress in history.”

John Murtha has been battling accusations over the years that he has traded federal spending for campaign contributions, that he has abused his post as ranking party member on the Appropriations defense subcommittee, and that he has stood in the way of ethics investigations. Those charges come on top of Murtha’s involvement 26 years ago in the FBI’s Abscam bribery sting.

“We pledge to make this the most honest, ethical, and open Congress in history.”

Then there is Harry Reid the Senate Majority Leader, who has a mountain of ethics issues of his own. Reid’s contacts with clients and lobbying partners of Jack Abramoff resulted in over $60,000 in campaign contributions including about $50,000 from Native American gaming interests who donated money to Reid after Reid’s votes produced favorable results for the tribes. And don’t forget his Vegas land deal where Reid collected over a million dollars from a complicated land swap that violates the Senate rules.

“We pledge to make this the most honest, ethical, and open Congress in history.”

Rep. John Conyers (D) of Michigan has acknowledged “‘a lack of clarity'” in communications with aides about their duties after a congressional ethics committee’s three-year inquiry amid newspaper reports that Conyers assigned congressional staffers to work in Michigan political campaigns.

“We pledge to make this the most honest, ethical, and open Congress in history.”

The F.B.I. accused Representative William J. Jefferson, Democrat of Louisiana, of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from a Kentucky businessman and stashing $90,000 from the scheme in his home freezer in Washington.

But wait there are more promises…..

Nancy Pelosi has promised, “In the first 100 legislative hours, Democrats will get to work immediately to restore civility, integrity, and fiscal responsibility to the House, while increasing prosperity, opportunity, and security for all Americans.”

Included in House Democrats’ first 100 legislative hours are:
• Draining the swamp – break the link between lobbyists and legislation and commit to pay-as-you-go budgeting, no new deficit spending
• Making America more secure – implement the independent 9/11 Commission recommendations
• Giving Americans a raise – increase the minimum wage
• Making college more affordable – cut the interest rate in half on federally subsidized student loans
• Making health care more affordable – negotiate for lower prescription drug prices
• Ending subsidies for Big Oil
• Giving hope to families with devastating diseases – allow stem cell research

Well I promise to keep watch on the Democrats pledge to make this the most honest, ethical, and open Congress in history. Promises, promises.

Posted: 0145PST 01/03/07
autone.wordpress.com