The do-something CongressFrom NBC's Mark Murray
With an approval rating in the teens, Congress right now is about as popular as Julian Assange at the State Department's Christmas Party -- or Sarah Palin at The Nation's editorial meeting, or President Obama at a Federalist Society convention.

And, politically, the Democratic-controlled Congress took a beating from voters in November, as Republicans won back control of the House and picked up seats in the Senate.

But lost in the poll numbers and the voters' message in November is this one unmistakable fact: This Congress, which likely will come to a close this week, accomplished more, legislatively, than any other Congress since the 1960s (the Great Society) or the 1930s (the New Deal).

In the past two years, it has:
-- expanded the safety net with the health-care law;

-- invested billions in the nation's roadways, airports, schools, and green technologies with the stimulus;

-- reformed the nation's financial system with financial reform;

-- passed billions in tax cuts for Americans with the stimulus and the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts

-- expanded civil rights with the repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don't Tell."

And in its final piece of business, the Senate is currently working on one of the White House's top foreign-policy goals: ratification of the New START treaty with Russia. Then throw in all of the other legislation enacted this Congress, like credit-card reform and the Lilly Ledbetter anti-pay-discrimination act.

"I would probably rank the New Deal [Congress] first," congressional scholar Norm Ornstein told First Read. "I think this one edges the Great Society. It is at least on par with the Great Society."

"For all the dysfunction, it was just astonishing what they were able to get done," Ornstein added.

Many can take credit for these accomplishments. President Obama (who spent his political capital on these legislative items, especially health care). Democratic leaders (who had to placate everyone in their party from Bernie Sanders on the left to Ben Nelson on the right). Democratic members of Congress (many of whom cast tough votes). And, at least on the tax-cut deal, congressional Republicans (who bucked growing conservative resistance to the legislation).

What's more, these accomplishments will likely have staying power. While Republicans campaigned, at least in part, on rolling back the agenda passed these past two years, they won’t find doing so easy as long as Democrats remain in the majority in the Senate and the president wields veto power. (However, it appears that the U.S. Supreme Court will have the final say about whether one of the key components of the health-care law is constitutional.)

Of course, the Democratic-controlled Congress biggest failure was losing 63 House seats -- the most since the 1940s -- and control of that chamber, as well as losing six Senate seats.

Yet as we -- and others -- have pointed out before, political power in Congress comes and goes. What truly matters is what you do with it when you have it.


http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/12/21/5689395-the-do-something-congress


Go Obama!

Yep, we can always count on the National leftist Extremist blogspot to put us straight.

Thanks for the early morning joke.

What also is being neglected is that lame duck session are illegal and everything that has been passed is technically unconstitutional based on an amendment making lame duck sessions illegal......and if anyone were to actually care about what has been passed in the lame duck session and appealed based on the amendment making lame duck session illegal they technically could be unconstitutional and negated

Really?

What makes it illegal?
(Put up the proof or stop talking BS)



In the past two years, it has:
-- expanded the safety net with the health-care law;

(Not Lame duck.)

-- invested billions in the nation's roadways, airports, schools, and green technologies with the stimulus;

(Not lame duck)

-- reformed the nation's financial system with financial reform;

(Not lame duck)

-- passed billions in tax cuts for Americans with the stimulus and the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts

(Lame duck, sorta. Obama cut a deal to stop Repubs from stalling America's recovery, cutting Unemployment benefits to millions and stopping Obama from fulfilling a promise to cut hard working American's taxes, just to help their rich friends keep their tax-cuts.)

-- expanded civil rights with the repeal of "Don’t Ask, Don't Tell."

(lame duck, but they'd been working on this for years. Plus, it took both parties.)

MSNBC blog is reeeeal proof.

What in the article isn't true?

Calling mandatory, for the peons, obamacare a safety net.
Reformed banks or, just made it possible to give the CEOs big bonuses.
Where's the proof more money has been spent on the infrastructure than before?

Was just talking about what was approved during the lame duck session.....Tax and DADT.....can tchnically be undone

Calling mandatory, for the peons, obamacare a safety net.

(Obviously you are ill-informed. Let me quess, You watch FOX News)

Reformed banks or, just made it possible to give the CEOs big bonuses.

(Reformed Banks and saved the country from 25% unemployment.)


Where's the proof more money has been spent on the infrastructure than before?

( Right outside my door.)

Surprise!!!!

Just because the unemployment records say 10% employment, unemployment is at 25% already.

You mean IMAGINE!

The reason the Democratic congress lost 63 seats is because so many Americans recognize that much of what Congress did was wrong.

Duh!

Liberal spin at it's worst! History may record them as the cause of the US bankruptcy.

If everything in congress was so rosy and going so well, why did the dems lose 63 seats? Seems to me if it was all going as well as that article boasts, there wouldn't have been changes.

All Amendment XX did was change the date that Congress convenes. This amendment was created to shorten the time between the election date and the instatement of the newly elected. By shortening the term it was hoped that major legislation, like a declaration of war could be avoided. The problem was seen as that of on-going responsibility.

In other words, if on the last day of the current session, major legislation is enacted, those who enact will have no responsibility for what happen afterward.
But moving the dates, only shortened the ‘lame duck’ session, it did not disqualify or make actions taken during that period illegal.

Considering that more than half of the country is ill informed. They are believing Fox New Network to their and our peril.

People were miserable and they had to blame someone for it. The real culprits for the crimes are out of their reach and no longer in power.

Also there was a big push for deficit control which approving the Bush tax cuts did not do but it was approved by the idiots who supposedly were going to curb spending.

They voted based on lies. So who can we blame for their uninformed state of mind?

They were the innocent heads that had to roll for the people's misery.

It didn't matter that they were more helpful then hurtful.

Obama is merely tooting his own horn. Everything he says that was accomplished is 100% debatable, and is not true, or believable.

The reason the Dems lost 63 seats was because most Dem voters didn't go to the polls.

True but very unlikely.

How many did the Repubs lose?