Steny Hoyer: Governing as a national majority

Governing as a national majority
Steny Hoyer


I will never forget how I felt two weeks ago when I watched Barack Obama celebrating with more than a hundred thousand in Chicago, tens of millions across our nation, and millions more around the world. Now, Congress has to ensure that we live up to the possibility of that day, and the promise of this moment in history.

As Democrats, our first job is to remember where our majority came from. We did not just make full-blown ideological converts of the other half of the country. What we did do _ and this in itself was a huge accomplishment _ was convince majority-making independents that we will govern responsibly and effectively at a time of national crisis. The 33 new members of Congress coming to Washington to swell our side of the aisle are pragmatic, not dogmatic. They were elected on promises of bipartisanship and fiscal discipline.

With their help, Democrats are a true national majority party for the first time in decades _ and if we want to stay that way, we must govern like one. Voters have little patience for majorities that pursue narrow, partisan agendas to the exclusion of common-sense accomplishment. As Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said, we must govern from the middle, welcoming debate in our own ranks and reaching out to Republicans, as well. That is what we did in the last Congress, when 70 percent of the major pieces of legislation passed with significant bipartisan support.

Of course, Republicans have to be willing to reach back. Instead, they may choose to pursue a strategy of obstruction, especially when so many conservatives are blaming the media, blaming moderates, blaming everyone but themselves for what happened on Nov. 4. In the immediate future, with no governing responsibility and with the moderate Republican virtually extinct, the other party is likely to move even further away from the centrist and independent voters who sustained its majorities.

But that wouldn't just be bad for Republicans _ it would be damaging for our country. We need a loyal opposition to engage constructively on legislation, to challenge Democratic arguments and hold us to account.

more...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/news/tms/politics/2008/Nov/20/governing_as_a_national_majority.html

they ruined the country. Dogmatic we don't need. Practical we do need. This "center" idea.. No, that means trying to find the middle. In these times, we need govt to work for the people.

the "middle" is now significantly right of center. We need some FDR/LBJ-style liberalism to pull it back and remind people that government is here to prevent the greedy fuckers from stealing their money on Wall Street or send their jobs overseas.

I thought they were elected to undo all the damage the Republicans in Washington have inflicted on this country.

If the country wanted bipartisanship, why the hell didn't we vote that way?

Exactly what part of the Republican agenda did we vote to keep? Is ending the war governing from the middle? Are ending wire-taping, the unitary executive, extraordinary rendition, and torture governing from the middle? Is running almost every Republican politician out of Washington governing from the middle? Get a clue, Steny. Grow a set!

sounds like the reagan and bush 1 and 2 years to me.

take up too much or their aide's time with their annoying requests to hold us accountable. Besides...they just kind of smell funny ....:eyes:

One of the many poster children for term limits in Congress.

He is a poster child for primary challenges. Just look what happened to Al Wynn, he forgot that he represents a district and started thinking he represented lobbyists. Donna Edwards beat him.

Would anyone like to see Waxman term limited out?

All he needs is a primary challenger to beat him and take the seat in the general. It will work wonders on other DINOS.

including the Garn St. Germain Act which led to the Savings & Loan crisis.

The guy never learns- and with his tons of corrupt money, he's entrenched and nearly impossible to get rid of.

MD is my voting residence, but not Steny's district ... fortunately or unfortunately, as the case may be.

But there are certainly some potential challengers like Donna Edwards about, I hope. Steny needs to "get it" the only way that he ever will, by being voted out of office. :spank:

There's that b-word again. Hoyer was elected to go to war with corporatists and ideological extremists, not to make deals with them.

Political mercenaries like Hoyer will just never, ever learn. They're paid too much not to.

that we're not paying him to vote for what HE wants and what will line HIS pockets, but for what is in our best interests.

Blue Dog Dems are not dems.