House Republicans have spent the last year and a half running out the clock on the economy and pursuing policies that are dangerous to a thriving middle class.
According to CNN, in the 112th Congress just 132 laws have been passed and “about one-fifth of those measures were to approve official names for post offices.” Or as Thomas Mann, noted congressional scholar, put it: “The Republican majority in the House, it has been one of the least productive in modern history…” [6/19]
So what makes the lazy days of summer different? In a word: Nothing. From the Los Angeles Times:
Barely a week goes by without House Speaker John A. Boehner reaching into his suit-jacket pocket to pull out a long maroon card printed with the 15 “jobs” bills that passed the Republican-led House but stalled in the Senate. On Thursday, the Ohio Republican said his party is “relentlessly focused” on its jobs agenda…
…most of the bills on the table would not substantially change the immediate jobs outlook…
President Obama has offered a to-do list of tax credits for companies that hire employees and other proposals. But the GOP and its presumed presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, have little interest in White House programs to pay for more public employees, such as teachers or firefighters. [6/22]
Instead of focusing on jobs for the middle class and strengthening small businesses, House Republicans continued their three-ring circus of a political witch hunt. The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson, GOP witch hunt for Eric Holder reflects bigger problem:
… The House wants to go fishing in a vast sea of documents, some of which relate to ongoing investigations. As a believer in sunshine and disclosure, I don’t much care for questionable claims of executive privilege. But I like the politically motivated sideshow the GOP is staging even less…
The problem is that Issa isn’t interested in the truth. He just wants to score political points… [6/22]
And the House GOP has found time to meet with their main tax break message guru, Grover Norquist. The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank, Grover Norquist delivers the GOP’s marching orders:
All hail Grover Norquist!…
Prostrate yourselves, House Republicans. On Thursday, a day after Republican senators hosted Norquist on their side of the Capitol, GOP House members opened up the Ways and Means Committee room so that he could counsel them on The Pledge, an anti-tax edict written by Norquist and signed by all but four House Republicans, most Republican senators and Mitt Romney…
The tax-pledge effort he began a quarter-century ago is now the defining mantra of the party: no tax increases, no how, no way, no matter the consequences. With the possible exception of Newt Gingrich, Norquist has done more than anybody to bring about Washington’s political dysfunction. [6/22]
Or as Rob Rogers, editorial cartoonist with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette puts it:
