Barack Obama quietly got a lot of stuff thing done in Congress during his first two years: 2009 and 2010. According to the Associated Press, the 111th Congress is “the most productive in nearly half a century.” What did he get done? He passed an $814B economic stimulus package that averted the U.S. from a complete economic disaster; a health care reform bill that would make healthcare affordable for most Americans; a Wall Street bill that would help us avoid another financial crisis; and auto bailout that not only rescued the U.S. auto industry, but also catapulted General Motors to the top of the market.
For that, what did Obama get as a reward? Democrats lost the House to the Republicans because the public, still feeling the ill-effects of the recession, resented the bailouts and didn’t much care for health care overhaul. John Boehner, a Republican, replaced Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, as the Speaker of the House.
It’s not fair, but the public rewarded the Republicans, whose previous administration was the root cause of the continued high unemployment rate then.
Since the Republicans gained control of the House in late 2010, how did Congress do? They lay a big, smelly egg. The 112th Congress is “one of the least productive in recent memory.” Even Harry Truman’s “do-nothing Congress” of 1948 passed more laws, approved more nominees, or taken more votes.
How did the House Republicans occupy their time? They do busy work that accomplishes absolutely nothing, like trying to repeal Affordable Care Act not once, not twice, but 33 times. Yes, 33 times when they knew that it wouldn’t make it pass the Senate.
They also voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in Contempt of Congress for not turning in documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal after Obama claimed executive privilege. Another time-waster that doesn’t lead to anything because they can’t prosecute him.
I guess, in the end, we only have ourselves to blame, because we voted enough Republicans into Congress to give them control of the House of Representatives.
Still, when a lawmaker engages in something as useless as trying to repeal the healthcare law 33 times, we should just not pay them for those days.
Even better, we should vote them out of Congress.
