One Hundred Hours Down the Drain

Reason Online ^ | 08 Jan 07 | Brian Doherty

[rellimpank]

The First Hundred Hours have begun. (Lest anyone wonder why they aren’t already over, new Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi meant congressional working hours, not real hours.) We’ve seen Pelosi show exactly how much her own wonderfulness needs to be celebrated—and her grandiose tendency to think of herself as Mangog-like living embodiment of all the glories and splendors of her entire gender.

But what of the Democrat’s 100 Hours agenda, past celebrating Pelosi-hood? It's not worth the cannoli with which it was launched.

The ethics reform stuff deserves at least a half-hearted cheer, if only because it’s nice to see bipartisanship work at its best: not in allowing government to act more swiftly, but in generating internal tensions that drive congressmen to act against their general interest as politicians in favor of their particular interests as party members.

[GoLightly]

Yer talkin a cannoli, t'would be a high standard indeed.

[vetsvette]

"We’ve seen Pelosi show exactly how much her own wonderfulness needs to be celebrated"

Surely you don't mean that she's not just wonderful!

[areafiftyone]

Thanks to curmudgeonlyskeptical

[xcamel]

100 "working hours"... that should take around 150 days, right?

[Caesar Soze]

"Mangog." I had to look that one up.

[50sDad]

I watched her parade a group of children like a meatshow to prove how much the New, Improved Democratic Congress CARRRRREEESSS! Do you think this blantent, surreal photo-op event would be called that...if it had been done by Republicans?

[D-Chivas]

And earmark transparency—I suppose to certain policy and politics geeks it would be great to have an easy way to learn who is responsible for earmarks. But given a combination of voter ignorance and apathy (few voters have a deep and detailed knowledge of their representatives stances and actions, and really, why should they?) and the principle that bringing home the bacon for local interests (to the extent the voter is aware of it) is generally thought to help candidates, that “reform” sounds suspiciously like a briar patch—or at best an irrelevance.

Gee whiz, I think the earmark-outings is a victory for fiscal conservatives. It's something the spineless era of Denny Hastert and Bill Frist never would have liked.

[VRWCTexan]

"Magog" would also be a good fit...

[Enterprise]

Yeah, that's the Democrats all right. Shoulder to the wheel, nose to the grindstone, etc. Uh, we can't work just yet, there's a football game on. We'll get to work after the game, ok?

[Wormwood]

Gee whiz, I think the earmark-outings is a victory for fiscal conservatives.

It is. Even such a modest movement toward openness and public accountability is a welcome step in the right direction.

If it takes a Democrat congress to give us oversight, then so be it.

"Divided government" are two of my favorite words.

[I see my hands]

Leave the ____ (rhymes with gun, kinda), take the cannolis.

[Gritty]

[Argus]

Is "Mangog" anything like ManBearPig?

[Marie2]

100 hours down, 17,352 to go.

[OldFriend]

At least the Senate is working hard. Salazar of CO asking for legislation to allow the naming of a post office in Vail for Gerald R. Ford.

[rellimpank]

--ah--priority--

[CFC__VRWC]

Gee whiz, I think the earmark-outings is a victory for fiscal conservatives.

Before we break out the champagne, maybe we should wait and see just how Nancy and her DBM cheerleaders define "earmarks."

[KarlInOhio]

Well at least the Republic is safe for one more day.

Delay of Congress Called for BCS Game

WASHINGTON — It's only the first week of the 110th Congress, but Democrats have already called a time-out so lawmakers can enjoy a very important event — the BCS championship football game between University of Florida and the Ohio State University.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer on Friday handed out this week's schedule. It noted that House legislative actions would not begin on Monday, but would be postponed until Tuesday.

So where can I go to work where I have to put in three "full" days celebrating my new job and then take a three day weekend because of a football game?

[CFC__VRWC]

(Lest anyone wonder why they aren’t already over, new Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi meant congressional working hours, not real hours.)

It worked so well for Will Pitt and truthout.org over Fitzy's "Sealed vs. Sealed" indictment of Karl Rove, why shouldn't it work for Pelosi?