My Senator rules!

[yesthattom]

Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) introduced an amendment to rename the FY2006 budget bill the "Moral Disaster of Monumental Proportion" Act.

Yes, it looks like the Dems are getting it. Here's a list printed in The Washington Monthly.

Reminds me to link to this 2002 article about, "Why the myth of Republican competence persists, despite all the evidence to the contrary.

With their trademark bravado, the Bush administration recast warmed-over or failed initiatives as sure bets. And for a while, the media, the public, and even some Democrats bought in. Today, however, its signature domestic accomplishment--the 2001 tax cut--seems destined to yield dividends of deficits and political fallout for years to come. When you look past the promises and the tough talk and the spin, you see an administration whose major policy initiatives are stalled or postponed to some unspecified point in the future. Until now, the Bush administration has been trading on the promise that all of these things would work out. But that leaves them in the position of a company that borrows against future profits (Enron, for instance) or an overextended investor who is buying stock on margin. When the bubble bursts, they will have a long way to fall.

Comments

[la-directora.livejournal.com]

Man, does the idea of a Democrat-version of the '94 "Contract with America" make me giddy. It really does seem that the pieces are falling into place. And the article you linked to helped me feel less nervous about the possibility of the Democrats dropping the ball on the opportunity. It never occurred to me that the "prevailing wisdom" that they were scattered and ineffectual was more about media coverage than fact. Dandy. But knowing that things were about the same for the Republicans at this time 12 years ago gives me a LOT of hope.

Thanks for posting that. I needed that. Badly. Now if we could just get to election day, and hopefully some BIG changes...

[ckd]

Another point on the deficits: call it what it is, the "Birth Tax".

If the "we won't raise the exemption, we'll only get rid of it completely" estate tax can be called the "death tax", let's be honest about what the borrow-and-spend Grand Old Party is generating for the hangover on the day after....

[etler.livejournal.com]

For those playing along at home, this is SA 2393 amending S. 1932 (152 CR S12276) submitted 11/2/2005.

[saavedra77.livejournal.com]

I love the name the "Moral Disaster of Monumental Proportion" Act; you know, if you listen to conservative political rhetoric, you'll notice that ridicule is one of their favorite defense mechanisms, and it's generally worked like a charm for them. Liberals and Democrats are, by contrast, far too serious and far too respectful when confronted with GOP absurdities. So I applaud Lautenberg (who used to be my senator, when I lived in Jersey) for calling this budget what it is--a "moral disaster of monumental proportion."