Democrats Shirking Social Support Mission for Anti-Trumpism

The Republicans are failing to take criticisms into account and propose programs that can improve society without offending their critics.

https://able2know.org/topic/491227-1

livinglava wrote:
I've been watching the politics for years and how the Democrats twist and pervert everything to shift blame to the GOP. Believe me I am not a person who shies from constructive discussion but after seeing how the Democrats put together packages of ideas and policies that are designed to defy constructive discussion and compromise before they even are on the table, I have come to understand why what seems to be obstructionist behavior on the part of the GOP is really just them refusing to play into the manipulation games of the Democrats.


Real Music wrote to livinglava
1. I seem to remember immediately after Obama was elected president, the GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell stating that his number one priority was making sure president Obama’s a one-term president.

2. I also seem to remember the Tea Party House republicans voting over 50 separate times to repeal Obamacare. It might have been 60 times.

3. Let's not forget about our current despicable president, Donald Trump. Donald Trump is going out of his way to undo or eliminate anything that has Obama's name on it. Purely out of spite.

Livinglava is a simple minded fascist, and you've got better things to do with your time than waste it on someone who can't even understand your replies, let alone formulate an articulate response.

Who is shirking their responsibilities? Certainly not the Democrats.

House Democrats have passed nearly 400 bills. Trump and Republicans are ignoring them.
Legislative paralysis gripped Capitol Hill well before impeachment started.

By Ella [email protected] Nov 29, 2019, 7:00am EST

There’s a pervasive sense of legislative paralysis gripping Capitol Hill. And it’s been there long before the impeachment inquiry began.

For months, President Donald Trump has fired off tweet missives accusing House Democrats of “getting nothing done in Congress,” and being consumed with impeachment.

Trump may want to look to the Republican-controlled Senate instead. Democrats in the House have been passing bills at a rapid clip; as of November 15, the House has passed nearly 400 bills, not including resolutions. But the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee estimates 80 percent of those bill have hit a snag in the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is prioritizing confirming judges over passing bills.

Congress has passed just 70 bills into law this year. Granted, it still has one more year in its term, but the number pales in comparison to recent past sessions of Congress, which typically see 300-500 bills passed in two years (and that is even a diminished number from the 700-800 bills passed in the 1970s and 1980s).

Ten of those 70 bills this year have been renaming federal post offices or Veterans Affairs facilities, and many others are related to appropriations or extending programs like the National Flood Insurance Program or the 9/11 victim compensation fund.

This has led to House Democrats decrying McConnell’s so-called “legislative graveyard,” a moniker the Senate majority leader has proudly adopted. McConnell calls himself the “grim reaper” of Democratic legislation he derides as socialist, but many of the bills that never see the Senate floor are bipartisan issues, like a universal background check bill, net neutrality, and reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act.

“From raising the minimum wage to ensuring equal pay, we have passed legislation to raise wages. And we have passed legislation to protect and expand health coverage and bring down prescription drug prices,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said in a statement to Vox. “We continue to urge Senator McConnell to take up our bills, many of which are bipartisan.”

McConnell is focused on transforming the federal judiciary instead, with the Senate confirming over 150 of Trump’s nominees to the federal bench. And he has refused to bring Democratic bills to the Senate floor in part to protect vulnerable Republican senators from having to take tough votes that could divide the GOP ahead of the 2020 election. Still, some Senate Republicans fear inaction could make them just as vulnerable.

“I’m very eager to turn from nominations to legislation,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) recently told the New York Times’s Carl Hulse. “There are important issues that are pending, and I think we could produce some terrific bills that would be signed into law.”

Trump is accusing Democrats of doing nothing as he refuses to work with them
Lately, Republicans and Trump are accusing Democrats of single-mindedly pursuing impeachment at the detriment of passing bills.

Again, the more accurate picture is that Democrats have been passing a lot of bills in addition to investigating the president. But split control of government and Trump’s fury at being investigated by Democratic committees paralyzed Washington’s legislative functions well before impeachment proceedings began in the fall.

Back in May, Trump was blasting Democrats for not making enough progress on infrastructure, health care, and veterans issues. His complaints intensified after an explosive White House meeting on infrastructure between Trump and Democrats the day before, which the president walked out of.

“Their heart is not into Infrastructure, lower drug prices, pre-existing conditions and our great Vets,” Trump tweeted. “All they are geared up to do, six committees, is squander time, day after day, trying to find anything which will be bad for me.”

Months later, the president’s complaints remain the same. He recently tweeted, “Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, AOC and the rest of the Democrats are not getting important legislation done, hence, the Do Nothing Democrats.”

Trump isn’t the only one with a perception that very little is happening in Congress. Congress’s approval rating is a dismal 24 percent, with 72 percent disapproval, according to Gallup.

During the Republican-controlled Congress in 2017 and 2018, the two major legislative accomplishments of McConnell, Trump, and House Speaker Paul Ryan were a massive GOP tax cut and a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill in 2018. The very end of Ryan’s time as speaker also saw Trump drive a government shutdown that continued into Pelosi’s tenure in 2019.

Since Democrats took control of the House, the few things they’ve been able to agree with Senate Republicans on include a bill to reopen the federal government after a three-week shutdown, a resolution to end US involvement in the war in Yemen (which was vetoed by Trump), and a disaster aid agreement. But other big-ticket items Democrats hoped to achieve, like an infrastructure package and a prescription drug bill, have yet to be passed.

As we near the end of the year, much of the media focus will continue to be on impeachment. House Democrats will also be focused on a vote on a major bill to lower prescription drug costs (something Trump has said is a priority for him), the Voting Rights Advancement Act, and the National Defense Authorization Act.

Just because impeachment is the main story in Washington doesn’t mean policy work isn’t happening. It just means it isn’t getting talked about as much, and that the president — a figure who could apply pressure on McConnell to take up some of the bipartisan legislation currently gathering dust — has other priorities.

Given the Senate could soon be consumed by an impeachment trial, the remaining weeks of 2019 could be the final opportunity for lawmakers in the upper chamber to advance legislation. However, there are no signals that Republican Senate leaders will seize that opportunity.

Here’s a list of major bills the House has passed since January
House Democrats have passed a wide range of bills since they came to power in January, ranging from a sweeping anti-corruption and pro-democracy reform known as H.R.1, to bills to save net neutrality, pass universal background checks for guns, and reenter the United States into the Paris climate accords.

They have also put a large emphasis on health care, a defining issue of the 2018 election after Trump and Senate Republicans attempted to pass a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Democrats have focused on bills to lower prescription drug costs, protect preexisting conditions, and condemning the Trump administration’s legal battle to strike down the ACA in the courts. And although Medicare-for-all is driving the conversation in the 2020 presidential primary, it has not gotten a vote in the House.

Much of this agenda is sitting in the Senate. There have been a few things House Democrats and Senate Republicans have agreed on: disaster relief aid, reopening the government after the shutdown, the resolution to end US involvement in the Yemen war, a bill to protect public lands, and a resolution disapproving of Trump’s use of emergency powers.

But on major policy issues — like health care and infrastructure, or even bipartisan ones like net neutrality, the Equal Pay Act, or even a simple reauthorization of the longstanding Violence Against Women Act — Democrats’ bills are continuing to languish in the Senate. House Democrats are expecting to take up House Resolution 3, a major health care bill to lower the cost of prescription drugs, before the Christmas break. Although we’re not going to list all 400 bills for brevity’s sake, here’s a list of major bills and resolutions the House has passed so far.

Health care
House Resolution 259 — Medicaid Extenders Act of 2019
H.R. 271 — Condemning the Trump Administration’s Legal Campaign to Take Away Americans’ Health Care
H.R. 986 — Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019
H.R. 987 — Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act
H.R. 1520, the Purple Book Continuity Act (bill aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs)
H.R. 1503, the Orange Book Transparency Act of 2019 (bill aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs)
Civil rights
H.R. 1 — For the People Act of 2019
H.R. 5 — Equality Act
H.R. 6 — American Dream and Promise Act
H.R. 7 — Paycheck Fairness Act
H.R. 124 — Expressing opposition to banning service in the Armed Forces by openly transgender individuals
Gun control
H.R. 8 — Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019
H.R. 1112 — Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2019
Environment
H.R. 9 — Climate Action Now Act
H.R. 1331 — Local Water Protection Act
S. 47 — National Resources Management Act
H.R. 2578 — National Flood Insurance Program Extension Act of 2019
H.R. 205, 1146, 1941 — Banning Offshore Drilling on Atlantic, Pacific, Eastern Gulf and ANWR Coasts
Military/foreign affairs
H.R. 840 — Veterans’ Access to Child Care Act
H.J. Res. 37 — Directing the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress
S.J. Res. 7 — To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress
H.R. 31 — Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019
H.J. Res. 30 — Disapproving the President’s proposal to take an action relating to the application of certain sanctions with respect to the Russian Federation
H.R. 4695 — Protect Against Conflict by Turkey Act
H.R. 676 — NATO Support Act
H.R. 549 — Venezuela TPS Act
Mueller report
H. Con. Res. 24 — Expressing the sense of Congress that the report of Special Counsel Mueller should be made available to the public and to Congress
Other major legislation
H.R. 1585 — Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019
H.R. 987 — Raise the Wage Act
H.R. 1500 — Consumers First Act
H.R. 1994 — SECURE Act/Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act
H.R. 2722 — Securing America’s Federal Elections (SAFE) Act
H.R. 4617 — Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act
H.R. 1644 — Save the Internet Act of 2019
H.R. 2157 — Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2019
H.R. 397 — Rehabilitation for Multiemployer Pensions Act (The Butch Lewis Act)
H.R. 2513 — The Corporate Transparency Act
H.R. 269 — Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2019
H.R. 251 — Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program Extension Act
S.24 — Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019
H.R. 430 — TANF Extension Act of 2019
Concurring in the Senate Amendments to HR 251 — Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standard Program Extension Act
H.R. 790 — Federal Civilian Workforce Pay Raise Fairness Act of 2019
HJ Res. 46 — Relating to a national emergency declared by the President on February 15, 2019
H Res. 183 — Condemning anti-Semitism as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values and aspirations that define the people of the United States and condemning anti-Muslim discrimination and bigotry against minorities as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contrary to the values and aspirations of the United States, as amended
H Res. 194 — Rule Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1644 and H.R. 2021
H.R. 2480 — Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
H.R. 375 — To amend the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 to reaffirm the authority of the Secretary of the Interior to take land into trust for Indian Tribes (also known as the “Carcieri Fix”)

They are not making bills designed to achieve consensus. Rather, they are making bills that advance their partisan interests, which they know will not appeal to Republicans, so that they can claim that it's the Republicans obstructing/shirking and not them.

It would be like trying to avoid eating with someone who is a vegetarian by offering lots of choices involving meat and then blaming the vegetarian for rejecting all the offers.

DPCC Chairs: Americans Deserve Action on 275+ Bipartisan Bills Awaiting Action in the Senate.


Published December 17, 2019


https://dpcc.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/dpcc-chairs-americans-deserve-action-on-275-bipartisan-bills-awaiting

Once again, the logic here is that if a majority 'overwhelms' a minority or an individual, the minority/individual should capitulate and go along with the 'overwhelming majority.'

That is not democracy. Democracy respects dissent.

The question should be, if McConnell or anyone else is resisting something, why and what can be done besides pressuring the individual/minority to assuage dissent and achieve consensus.

Democracy involves parties with different perspectives and interests working together. When there is dissent, it's something to listen to and learn from; not overwhelm with supermajorities, bipartisan or otherwise.

Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find common ground through compromise.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipartisanship

Bipartisanship can be used as ammunition against dissent, in which case it becomes a weapon against democracy.

Why can't you grasp the basic problem of trying to 'overwhelm' dissenting minorities/individuals into capitulation is not democracy?

Democracy respects dissent and pursues consensus by listening to differing points of view, not seeking ways to overpower them and/or remove obstructions to goals.

You're being disingenuous. Calling out Democrats without calling out the same in Republicans proves your intent is only to **** disturb, not a fair conversation.

Worrying about fairness over concern for ensuring basic welfare is disingenuous.

And that's what those bills are intending to do, IF McConnell starts doing his J-O-B. McConnell isn't worried about basic welfare yet you called out Democrats.

As I said in the OP, the Republican party isn't traditionally the party that is concerned with structural governmental regulation of the economy. That is the Democrats.

The Republican party came into existence to abolish slavery. The belief was that free people would take the liberty to cooperate freely to sustain an economy that was both sufficient for everyone to support their own welfare and to ensure sustainability for future generations. They may not have used the word 'sustainability' back then, but it was assumed that people wouldn't waste and destroy resources to the detriment of future generations.

The Democrats, on the other hand, are the party of FDR's New Deal, which initiated socialistic regulations and policies designed to ensure basic welfare. Republicans criticized the New Deal as a 'nanny state,' and indeed the New Deal programs put people to work and kept them working in ways that went beyond the free market, but doing so was arguably necessary in the economic climate of the Great Depression.

Since the Democrats' New Deal social economics have gained popularity and momentum as part of US governance, it is important to subject such socialistic policies to critique within a paradigm of democracy. In other words, Democrats should not seek to push agendas by removing Republican obstruction but rather to listen to and honor Republican dissent regarding the use of government to control the economy.

Democrats are right to be concerned about the health and well-being of all people, but pushing for economic equality/equity and 'social justice' against the dissent of Republicans and others who don't share their perspective is anti-democratic.

Democrats should be making a case for how to support basic health and well-being while honoring Republican critiques and concerns about things like government waste, government dependency, stimulus-driven inflation, crime, etc.

People need food and housing. They also need freedom from crime and drugs and exploitation. They also need freedom of speech and the right to dissent. They also need freedom from inflation and debt-pressure, freedom from economic dependencies, etc.

Nice history lesson - although incomplete and boring.

Right now, this very minute, there are about FOUR HUNDRED bills sitting at the Senate, waiting to even be looked at. That's what you're ignoring, not caring about or even focusing on.

Tell Mitch McConnell to DO HIS JOB. His Republicanism is getting in the way of helping the American people. That should be you're number one concern. But it isn't. Why?


What a joke!!

This response is a waste of my time. I didn't post what I posted to entertain you. I was making a point. If you refuse to understand it and respect it enough to respond to what I was saying, there's no need to reply.


I already explained that the Democrats are offering a menu of meat choices to vegans and then blaming the vegans for not making a choice.

What part of that analogy don't you understand?


Democrats need to do their job of respecting dissent within a multiparty democracy. Stop trying to overwhelm dissent with majoritiarianism and start listening and respecting different points of view.

And exactly what point are you trying to make? Because it seems to me that you want to blame the Democratic House members for doing their job and giving a pass to the Republican Senate for not doing theirs.

You want cake then eat the cake and then complain that you only get cake. And then eat donuts, cookies and some more cake and complain about your own diet. Try eating fruits, vegetables and some meat and see you how feel.

And you are exemplifying my point that Democrats are more concerned with issues of blame (and status/income equality) than on coming up with commonly-acceptable ideas for how to alleviate poverty and solve social problems.

With all of your bravado, you want to blame Democrats without seeing the good that could come out of Social policies designed for the Greater Good.

That, in itself, shows you have absolutely no interest in solving any problem, only perpetuate poverty and misery.

See what I mean? More blaming and status talk on your part.

The bottom line is that if Democrats would seek to come up with social welfare policies that pass conservative filters, they probably could. They would just have to respect conservative concerns such as those I mentioned in earlier posts.

They don't want to do that, though, because then they couldn't go on obstructing government and blaming Republicans for the fallout.


I want everyone to have access to basic food, shelter, and other necessities. I also want people to have freedom from drugs, crime, prostitution, and other forms of exploitation. I also want there to be sustainability and no threat of inheriting a degenerating planet/biosphere/lithosphere for future generations.

I am also concerned about issues of equality, discrimination, and social justice; but I don't believe those are solved by seeking equal status and/or income equality within capitalism that is being abused in various ways that make it inherently exploitative and unsustainable.

But the bottom line is Democrats could probably come up with basic welfare programs such as food-assistance, housing-assistance, etc. if they would respect concerns such as those regarding drugs/crime, sexploitation/abortion, etc.

E.g. why can't food-assistance programs and debt-relief be tied to things like drug-testing and sustainability, e.g. transportation reform. So, for example, if people submit to drug testing and use transit, they qualify for food assistance. Why would Democrats say it is unethical to require that people behave morally and sustainably in order to qualify for assistance?

Or, whenever Republicans try to require healthy nutritional choices and reduce food waste, Democrats complain that doing so undermines the dignity of people choosing their own food and doing whatever they want with it, e.g. wasting it? Why can't they just say, "ok, that makes sense because people should eat healthy and not waste food," and then have food assistance for people who need it instead of arguing about the prerogative to eat junk food and waste food?