On the eve of our new DEM Congress - what style do you hope we govern from?

Tomorrow will dawn with new hope for the Democratic party and our country, as the 110th Congress convenes!

House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi and her top lieutenant, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer have created a calender with at least 141 days in session, up more then 40% from the 2006 do-nothing rethug led Congress.

She has spoken of treating the minority party with greater civility and offering room to dialog. This is in contrast to the bully pulpit which essentially excluded House DEMS from many opportunities to participate actively in creating or amending legislation during rethug rule. She also speaks of a mandate from the voters, to pass sweeping legislation during the first 100 hours; this will likely include bills to raise the minimum wage, trash billions of $$$ in subsidies for fat cat oil companies, lowering interest rates on student college loans, and expanding stem cell research.

Many political observers said the GOP ran the most closed Congress in U.S. history. I believe it's way past time for the pendulum to swing the other way for a bit.


So on the eve of our new power, a question to you fine DUers:


How do you wish House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to run Congress?


p.s. I am not a Political Science major, so please excuse my over simplification of governing styles. Just an amateur DU poll after all :)

however; once the remaining Neocon bastards start showing their colors...oh well....there is work to be done and soldiers to get home....The Dems will do it with them or withought them the choice is on the Repugs

Dems who want common ground, have good hearts, but we can never go back there. Even Paul Krugman says that Dems should not try to balance the budget again because the Repubs cannot be trusted.

And then get on with it



Of course I am kidding here.

Assuming that you can negotiate with The Mafia is always foolish.

that they gave to the Democrats in the past decade. x( Now that the repigs out out they can decide how fair that was.

We've waited a long time for this day! :bounce:

full debate within a reasonable time limit. Anything else makes one a hypocrite. Might as well have lost the election. If people want true reform it must start with congress acting both in the best interests of all americans and allowing fair and open debate. This is the chance to change how washington works. We can eliminate heavy lobbiest influence and attempt to take down at least part of the "old boys club".

If I were to introduce a resolution calling for raising the minimum wage to 8 dollars an hour and then pegging it to congressional pay raises, how much you want to bet that somebody on the Repub side will

1. Insert an amendment giving another tax credit to rich people and corporate interests
2. Insert an amendment attempting to strip the congressional pay raise peg from the resolution
3. Insert a 40 billion dollar defense appropriations bill for Iraq or something else totally unrelated
4. Insert an amendment raising the minimum wage to just 6.15 instead of 8.00
5. A combination of all previous four or something similar and then some more shenanigans

You want to take that bet with me?

Within days, or even hours, we will get a good sense if Nancy & Co. plan to play hard ball politics at the very least, during the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress. Until the mandate that put DEMS in power is passed with a majority vote (ideally 60% = veto proof for the full House), we should give no quarter.

Some of my converted friends have test driven the civility concept past me. My reply is.
Should they kick me in the balls, the first thing on the agenda when I get up is not shaking their hands.
That comes later, once I've kicked them in their nads 10 times to discourage such behavior in the future.
Not only should they be frozen out just as they froze us out, the Speaker should open each session with a recital of the Republicons' behavior on the corresponding day of the last congress.
It should be unmistakably clear that screwing us gets you the bottomless schooner of payback.