It is ironic that the 113th Congress is the most diverse in history, but also the most divisive and partisan in more than a century, which does not bode well for any future cooperation or progress on the important issues facing the nation!
96 women, 42 African Americans, and 31 Hispanics serve in Congress, but the vast majority are Democrats!
Partisan polarization is endemic, however, more than in the past century or more, probably back to the Civil War-Reconstruction period!
Of course, we have never had a Congress, except in the 112th Congress and this one, in which there has been a Republican House of Representatives and a Democratic Senate, and only five other Congresses since 1900 in which there has been a Democratic House of Representatives and a Republican Senate, with those occasions (1911-1913, 1931-1933, 1981-1987) being much more cooperative and accomplished by comparison to the past two and a half years since the beginning of 2011!
Party unity in the House is now 72.8 percent, while in 2006, it was 54.5 percent!
Less than 50 percent of the time do we see Republicans supportive of the President’s agenda, an extremely low level historically!
Regional loyalty to a party is extreme, particularly in the Northeast, New England and Pacific Coast for Democrats, and in the South and Great Plains for Republicans.
The likelihood of any major change in this scenario is gloomy, sadly for the nation’s future!
The Gang of Eight tells us constantly that we have a de facto amnesty for illegal immigrants now.Fine. What’s the urgent need to act immediately, then?
Could not resist sharing this!
“Both Roll Call and PoliticusUSA are reporting that House Republicans, frustrated at the farm bill debacle, have decided to waive the white flag, as it were. They have dropped the food stamps provision of the bill and instead will permit an up and down vote on just the farm-only portion. The food stamp provision, according to a GOP leadership aide, “would be dealt with later.â€
Yeah, much later.
This clusterfuck was brought about when GOP leadership introduced the Southerland amendment, which would’ve meant drastic cuts in nutrition and food stamps. House Democrats balked at the amendment, which prompted House Republicans to accuse them of reneging on their promise to deliver enough votes for passage.
But the real reason the bill went up in flames is that 61 Republicans who voted for the amendment, ended up voting against the bill, thus ensuring its defeat, a fact Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi drove home rather cleverly.
Reportedly, Eric Cantor, in a closed-door meeting, ripped his colleagues a new one. I would’ve loved to have been a fly on a wall in that room. Between John Boehner’s horrendous lack of leadership and the inmates now running the asylum, things are starting to fall apart in GOP land.
If you thought this performance an embarrassment, just wait till the GOP puts forth its immigration bill. I hear “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!†museum will be sending a representative to Washington when that turkey comes up for a vote. That is assuming it even makes it out of committee.
This would be hysterical if it weren’t so sad.”
Link: http://www.politicususa.com/2013/07/09/humiliated-house-republicans-drop-food-stamps-cuts-farm-bill.html