WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Democrats' Job Performance

“So far, the only laws enacted this year have been the naming of several buildings and the mostly routine extension of federal spending. And Pelosi and other Democrats were on shaky ground with their continuing claims that they are running the House with what she termed ‘great openness and transparency.’ … [B]efore Democrats stake their claims for charting a ‘new direction,’ they should deliver on some of their earlier rhetorical boasts.”
- “Majority Ruling,” CongressDaily PM, March 30, 2007

“But when it comes to how many of their top legislative priorities have become law, a different number stands out: zero. None of the six bills that House Democrats passed in their initial legislative juggernaut has made it to the president’s desk. A new poll gives Democrats mixed reviews, with nearly six in 10 respondents unable to name anything important the new Congress has done.”
- “Boasts, Barbs as Democrats Approach Their First 100 Days in the Majority,” Los Angeles Times, April 7, 2007

“None of the elements of the newly minted Democrats’ congressional agenda have made it to President Bush’s desk, and the prospects of signature bills such as federal funding for stem-cell research or homeland-security improvements becoming law any time soon are doubtful.”
- “Democrats 0 for 6 in Congress,” Washington Times, March, 21, 2007

“On legislation, however, the party’s batting average is zero. House leaders trumpeted their six big wins in the first 100 hours, but the Senate passed only one of those bills...a minimum wage hike... and that’s hung up over disagreements on accompanying tax cuts.”
- “Are We Watching Another Do-Nothing Congress in the Making?” The Kiplinger Letter, March 23, 2007

“Some Democrats were frustrated with her [Pelosi’s] decision not to give Republicans a chance to offer even one amendment on the six bills that passed in the initial spate. Pelosi promised the Republicans that they will have more input on other matters, but some Democrats say she has unnecessarily ceded the moral high ground. Some rank-and-file members see bias toward “bicoastal liberals” in Pelosi’s inner circle -- particularly Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) -- and short shrift given to the views of Midwesterners and more conservative Southern Democrats.”
- “Emerging Grievances Within Party Likely to Test Pelosi,” Washington Post, January 22, 2007

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is discovering the cold truth about governing with a slim majority: It’s much easier to promise behavioral change for Congress than to deliver it.”
- “Pelosi Falls Short on Election Promises,” Politico, February 26, 2007

“Now that Republicans have shown they can use new House rules against the new Democratic majority that wrote them, the Democrats want new rules.”
- “House Democrats Will Move to Curb GOP’s Use of Motions to Recommit,” CQ Today, March 27, 2007

“The new Democratic House majority has an ambitious plan for its first 100 hours in power, from increasing the minimum wage to strengthening ethics rules to having the federal government negotiate prescription drug prices. Unfortunately, its plans don’t include getting those provisions passed in the democratic fashion that the Democrats promised to adhere to once in the majority.

“Democrats say that they’ll adhere to their previous promises once their first flurry of business is finished. We look forward to that. But if they don’t reconsider, they will set an unfortunate precedent that fairness will be offered on sufferance, when the majority finds it convenient, and not as a matter of principle. That would not be a good start for the 110th Congress.”
- “A Fairer House; But Not Quite Yet,” Washington Post Editorial, January 3, 2007

“It would be laughable if it weren’t so sad. House Democrats, having chafed and screamed for years about being frozen out of decision making by Republicans, are starting out their rule by ... freezing out Republicans.”
- “The Wrong Start,” Roll Call Editorial, January 4, 2007

“There are also certain to be tensions with the Democratic House, where the rules give Speaker Pelosi far more power. In private, Senate sources say, Reid has been critical of the Speaker for what he believes was unnecessary roughness in ramming through her first-100-hours agenda, refusing to allow Republicans to propose amendments and breaking her campaign promise to open up the lawmaking process.”
- “The Democrats’ Inside Man,” Time Magazine, January 12, 2007

“But few of the House-passed bills have become law, and signature issues such as raising the minimum wage and cutting student-loan rates are adrift. The Iraq war debate consumes time and energy, and if the year only produces Senate stalemate and White House veto fights, it will seem a very “Old Direction” to independent voters who helped Democrats win control in the 2006 elections and put a priority on bipartisan results.”
- “Democrats Reach Critical Stage,” Wall Street Journal, April 2, 2007

“The Democratic leadership in Congress has been in office only a few months and already appears drunk on its own power.”
- “Pelosi’s Diplomacy,” New Hampshire Union Leader Editorial, April 8, 2007