This should be required reading for every posting DU'er

[pnwmom]

Rolling Stone's article: The Worst Congress Ever

Okay, let's skip the fights about "required" -- I was just hoping people would open the link. This is a truly important article. It's worth your time.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/12055360/cover_story_time_to_go_inside_the_worst_congress_ever/1


SNIP

But the 109th Congress is no mild departure from the norm, no slight deviation in an already-underwhelming history. No, this is nothing less than a historic shift in how our democracy is run. The Republicans who control this Congress are revolutionaries, and they have brought their revolutionary vision for the House and Senate quite unpleasantly to fruition. In the past six years they have castrated the political minority, abdicated their oversight responsibilities mandated by the Constitution, enacted a conscious policy of massive borrowing and unrestrained spending, and installed a host of semipermanent mechanisms for transferring legislative power to commercial interests. They aimed far lower than any other Congress has ever aimed, and they nailed their target.

"The 109th Congress is so bad that it makes you wonder if democracy is a failed experiment," says Jonathan Turley, a noted constitutional scholar and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington Law School. "I think that if the Framers went to Capitol Hill today, it would shake their confidence in the system they created. Congress has become an exercise of raw power with no principles -- and in that environment corruption has flourished. The Republicans in Congress decided from the outset that their future would be inextricably tied to George Bush and his policies. It has become this sad session of members sitting down and drinking Kool-Aid delivered by Karl Rove. Congress became a mere extension of the White House."

The end result is a Congress that has hijacked the national treasury, frantically ceded power to the executive, and sold off the federal government in a private auction. It all happened before our very eyes. In case you missed it, here's how they did it -- in five easy steps:

SNIP

[NoAmericanTaliban]

1. They had another headliner about Worst President ever - *

a while back. Both well written & researched articles and above all both are correct.

The Dems mantra should be that the GOP = Incompetence

[pnwmom]

3. I'm afraid it goes way beyond incompetence.

They are extremely successful at the work they are trying to do. This is purposeful and malevolant.

[FormerDittoHead]

11. Exactly. Crediting incompetency would be giving them a 'pass'...

They have accomplished **everything** they wanted, and shamelessly ignored those things which they didn't care about (Katrina).

They have gone hog-wild with passing out the candy to their friends and shutting out the most needy.

This Congress has carefully gotten away with everything they thought they could. They did it without regard for long term effects because, it's clear to me, they realized that the realities of their failed domestic, economic and foreign policies would soon come back to haunt them, so they took what they could get and ran with it.

One thing I DON'T like about Democratic politicians - it's their forgiving nature...

[Burma Jones]

2. There's a lot of work to do

but it will get cleaned up.

[fooj]

4. All in PLAIN SIGHT.

[Lasher]

5. Kick and recommend (EOM)

[OnionPatch]

6. I already knew they were by far the worst, but

I'll pick up a copy of Rolling Stone anyway. Gotta support those who speak out against this pack of thieves and liars.

[Lasher]

7. You can subscribe online at the site furnished in the OP

I don't know if you want a year's worth, but that would save you some time so that you can chat more here with friends like me. :hi:

[pnwmom]

8. Has Rolling Stone always been this good?

And this political?

We only started getting it this year when my son asked for it. Now I'm wondering what we've been missing.

[Lasher]

9. I tuned out in the 80s and back in 2 years ago.

I think they have always been pretty political but I know they have been pretty involved over the past 2 years. Good stuff, now I don't miss an issue. But these I think it's too late for me to see my smilin' face on the...

[AtomicKitten]

10. read it and I hope America takes note

We subscribe to Rolling Stone and this year in particular it has not failed us in the provocative coverage of politics.