So, do you want to wait another 3-4 years for things to turn around?
As far as I can tell, that's what happens if we don't get things done in this lame duck session.
I'm not saying which way we should go, or which way I personally want to go. But I want to be clear about the stakes.
We stand to miss out on opportunities, during this lame duck session, to make some progress, stimulate the economy, and move the country forward.
The window of opportunity is closing fast. I just want to make sure we think clearly about what's at stake.
If we allow the Senate Republicans to effectively shut down Congress during this lame duck session (and it's already been made clear that we can expect that to happen), then we not only lose out on middle class tax relief, unemployment benefits extension, and all that other economic stimulus stuff.
We also lose the window of opportunity to pass...
- The DREAM Act. This bill is not comprehensive immigration reform, which is what is really needed in this country. But it is a significant step forward.
- Repeal of Don't Ask Don't Tell. The Defense Authorization bill was already passed through the House but, like hundreds of other bills, it's delayed in the Senate.
- The 9/11 responders healthcare bill, which has also passed the House but is stalled in the Senate.
There are other opportunities, although those remain the big three.
Am I saying that we should concede? No. I just want us all to be clear about what's at stake.
I hear a lot of folks who are willing to kill all legislative progress in the Senate rather than to give into the hostage-taking demands of the Republicans, who say they'll block all bills until there is a vote on tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. But I have yet to hear how this decision is going to lead to anything other than gridlock, frustration, pain, heartache, and ultimately, a 112th Congress that opens with a Republican Speaker of the House, Republican committee chairs in the House, and a divided Senate that will include Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE), and Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), all of whom are centrists/moderates/sellouts and all of whom are up for re-election in 2012.
It's not going to get better in 2011.
So, we are a reality-based community. Let's focus on reality, for a moment. If we delay, if we don't get to vote on tax relief in 2010, then what happens in 2011? What do we do when Republicans in the House push repeal of healthcare reform, promote endless ethics investigations that are little more than witch hunts, and do absolutely nothing to help the middle class, the unemployed, immigrants, the LGBT community, organized labor, etc.?
I am still grieving the losses in 2010, and feeling the pain of a "purified" House that includes a new group of extremist Republicans, a smaller Democratic caucus, and Speaker John Boehner. I am saddened by the outcomes and as I wrote on election night, I am lamenting the effects of Citizens United on the electoral outcomes. Citizens United is still a reality and what happened last month on Election Day is still a done deal. I can deny that reality, express my outrage, weep, mourn, etc., but ultimately, I need to accept that this is real and live in light of that reality.
We all need to accept what happened.
And now, we have to move on.
So, how does this end well for us? What is the best possible outcome?