Letter: Democrats lack power in Congress

Thursday, Sept. 6, 2007 | 7:22 a.m.

Letter writer Don Shirley was correct in taking to task Craig Norton's knee-jerk accusation of the Democrats as deserving of blame instead of President Bush. Bush and the self-righteous cabal he protectively gathered around himself have outdone the Nixon administration in lying and secrecy, the Harding gang in corruption and flouting of our laws, and Jimmy Carter in lack of leadership and general ineptitude.

But, in trying to be fair by criticizing the do-nothing Democratic Congress, Shirley neglects one important point: The Democrats are almost powerless. Although they won a scant majority in the House and a faux majority in the Senate, the Republicans are strong enough to filibuster, or threaten a filibuster, on any bill or subject and, even if moderates were to present and pass a bipartisan bill, the divider-not-a- uniter in the White House has veto power.

The only power the Democrats won in 2006 was the power to investigate past egregious behavior by the Republicans and to stop future assaults on our Constitution and our rights.

Actual power to put Democratic ideas to work will take larger Democrat majorities in Congress and a Democratic president in 2008.

Alan Koss, Henderson