The Democratic Agenda
Michael Barone notes that it will be difficult for the Democrats to force through any truly "progressive" legisation -- certainly true, given the relatively narrow margins by which they hold both houses of Congress and the existence of a Republican president.
Given the problems with implementing any positive agenda, though, it seems likely that the Dems will turn to investigations of the Administration, instead -- it gives them something to talk about with the '08 elections coming up, in the absence of any meaningful legislative achievement. And that's where Henry Waxman comes in: He's the chairman of the House Government Reform Committee.
Obviously, he's in a position to make life difficult for some Republicans (although it must be noted that no Time magazine articles carrying the whiff of faint praise -- like the one issued above -- came out in the wake of the '94 Republican takeover of Congress during the Clinton Administration). What will be interesting, however, is whether this liberal Californian from a safe district uses his power to overplay his hand.
It's funny -- we're hearing so much less from the MSM about how Americans just want everyone to get along and get things done . . . the specter of investgations seems to titillate, more than disturb, these days. But the underlying fact remains that Americans won't welcome a bunch of cheap political grandstanding, whether it comes from the left or the right.
It will be interesting to see if Waxman has the finesse and the self control to avoid sliding over the left-liberal edge as he goes after the Administration.
Given the problems with implementing any positive agenda, though, it seems likely that the Dems will turn to investigations of the Administration, instead -- it gives them something to talk about with the '08 elections coming up, in the absence of any meaningful legislative achievement. And that's where Henry Waxman comes in: He's the chairman of the House Government Reform Committee.
Obviously, he's in a position to make life difficult for some Republicans (although it must be noted that no Time magazine articles carrying the whiff of faint praise -- like the one issued above -- came out in the wake of the '94 Republican takeover of Congress during the Clinton Administration). What will be interesting, however, is whether this liberal Californian from a safe district uses his power to overplay his hand.
It's funny -- we're hearing so much less from the MSM about how Americans just want everyone to get along and get things done . . . the specter of investgations seems to titillate, more than disturb, these days. But the underlying fact remains that Americans won't welcome a bunch of cheap political grandstanding, whether it comes from the left or the right.
It will be interesting to see if Waxman has the finesse and the self control to avoid sliding over the left-liberal edge as he goes after the Administration.
posted by LadybugUSA at 6:34 PM
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