Last November, voters across the country elected the Democrats to the majority in both Houses of Congress. Now that all of the swearing-ins have been performed, Democrats officially control the chairmanships of every congressional committee, have authority to subpoena witnesses and call hearings, and most importantly have the votes to control our nation’s fiscal policy. In 1975, Democrats used the latter power to effectively end the Vietnam War by voting to cut off funding.
The Democratic Party’s base has been strongly against this war from the get go and by an overwhelming count, turned out in high numbers to ensure that their party would follow a similar course as their predecessors did thirty-one years ago. However, no one seems to believe that the Democrats will follow such a course of action. While Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid argue that it would be a mistake to send in more troops, not once has the suggestion to cut off funding been raised by the party’s leadership.
If a significant change towards the biggest issue of the 2006 election does not occur with a Democratic Congress, why should they be permitted to retain control after the next congressional election? It is time for the Democrats to respond to the agenda that they were elected to undertake. The President may have the authority to send more troops, but without a congressional funding resolution, those desires will be inoperative.
If the Democrats in Congress don’t seize this opportunity to rebuke Bush’s misguided adventurism in the prosecution of the Iraq War (not forgetting the fraudulent premises used to sell it), then they forfeit the mandate they won by default only.
The performance standard of the Democratic Party as the “opposition” has been so poor the last few political cycles that its legitimacy as anything more than a supine collaborator with the Republican Vandals could rightly be questioned.
How else to explain the craven immobility of the Democratic Party when the neocon pillagers invaded Washington with all the zest of the barbarian hordes sacking Rome?
No responsible Congress, regardless of party affiliation, will throw the baby out with the bath water just to win a popularity contest. If they perceive disengagement to be their mandate, the ultimate decisions that are made will be arrived at with much than just that in mind.
Neither expect them to partner with the electorate in this process, in the full light of day. Government does not operate that way, and never will, even if it came to turning out the two-party system completely.