Twas the lame duck session that wasn’t

Before I get too swamped with Christmas gatherings and events, I just thought that I’d take an opportunity to recognize the momentous conclusion of the so-called “lame duck” session of this Congress and its most significant accomplishments and why it’s making some conservatives seeing red (and not just because it’s Christmastime).
• “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell got repealed by Congress and the repeal was signed into law by President Obama this past week, making it perhaps the most significant progressive accomplishment of this session. Rumor has it that there are still bits and pieces of brain matter left all over the Senate floor from where John McCain’s head exploded following final passage.
• A new START treaty was ratified by the Senate ensuring that the US and Russia continue cooperating with each other on reducing and tracking nuclear weapons. As this treaty was initiated under former Republican President Ronald Reagan, the Republican filibustering of it, chiefly by Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) was puzzling to say the least. However, in the end, the momentum became great enough to overcome this quizzical resistance. I mean, who can really be against ensuring “loose nukes” and reducing an already bloated and aging nuclear weapon stockpile that most sane people hope will never need to be used (again).
• A bill providing health care to heroic 9/11 first responders was finally approved after previous filibusters. Once again, Republican resistance to such legislation was rather puzzling, particularly considering how shamelessly the Republicans used the tragic events of 9/11 as a political rallying cry during the Bush II years. I suspect, however, had George W. Bush still been President or had John McCain been elected President, this legislation would not have been filibustered by them in the first place and anybody talking about doing so would’ve been accused of treason and hauled off to political purgatory. Thankfully, the Democrats took the high road on this and worked diligently to end the blockade of this legislation.
• Unemployment benefits got extended for several million Americans under the tax cut deal that Obama and the Democrats in Congress agreed to earlier this month, albeit reluctantly. With the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts at all income/wealth levels, it was a mixed bag to be sure but I consider it to be somewhat of a “win” just because many conservatives were unhappy with the deal as well, albeit for very different reasons.

Continued at: http://www.examiner.com/liberal-in-indianapolis/twas-the-lame-duck-session-that-wasn-t