Krauthammer: Beware of the Lame Ducks

Instead of reining in spending policies, Barack Obama continues blaming Republicans for the state of the economy while the President and the Democrats keep producing record deficits and debt by their own fruition---(White House Predicts Record $1.47 Trillion Deficit) Expectations that the mainstream media will report this economic disaster fell further last week as “journalist” like Kathleen Parker at the Washington Post attempted to marginalize Tucker Carlson’s journolist story, calling it "a destructive gotcha mentality".

In a attempt to show the public that her Congress is the most ethical ever, Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats are finally getting around to throwing Charlie Rangel under the bus. The only problem is, Rangel’s bus has been in neutral for years while House Democrats, (and others), have looked the other way. Add this to the show trial in Chicago where former Governor Rod Blagojevich may have took ethics violations to a new level, and there’s hardly a case that Democrats have cleaned up the corruption in government.

Election Status

With runaway spending policies by this administration and the Democratic controlled Congress, (along with a sluggish economy and dismal unemployment figures), conservatives and independents are poised to make changes of their own in November. RealClearPolitics suggest House Democrats could lose their strong majority, while Senate Republicans could pick up as many as ten net seats, leaving Democrats assumedly powerless to move their liberal agenda forward. In this case, assumedly may be a dangerous position. We all know the old adage about assuming things---some one ends up looking like an ass.

Enter: The Lame Duck Session

Charles Krauthammer wrote a piece on Friday, (7/23), warning all of us that assumptions may also have “extensions”. There’s this little period between November 3rd and January 20th when “the losers” are still in power. Most critically, this upcoming lame duck session may show the American electorate how little their voices were heard, and how desperate the liberals are to shove their agenda down our throats:

“Barack Obama's considerable political capital, earned on Election Day 2008, is spent. Well spent, mind you, on the enactment of a highly ideological agenda of Obamacare, financial reform and a near-trillion-dollar stimulus that will significantly transform the country. But spent nonetheless. There's nothing left with which to complete his social-democratic ambitions. This would have to await the renewed mandate that would come with a second inaugural.

That's why, as I suggested last week, nothing of major legislative consequence is likely to occur for the next 2 1/2 years. Except, as columnist Irwin Stelzer points out, for one constitutional loophole: a lame-duck Congress called back into session between the elections this November and the swearing-in of the 112th Congress next January…..

…….But assuming the elections go as currently projected, Obama's follow-on reforms are dead. Except for the fact that a lame-duck session, freezing in place the lopsided Democratic majorities of November 2008, would be populated by dozens of Democratic members who had lost reelection (in addition to those retiring). They could then vote for anything -- including measures they today shun as the midterms approach and their seats are threatened-- because they would have nothing to lose. They would be unemployed. And playing along with Obama might even brighten the prospects for, say, an ambassadorship to a sunny Caribbean isle.” LINK

Krauthammer suggest the Democrats make a pledge to promising to adhere to the will of the electorate:

“How then to prevent a runaway lame-duck Congress? Bring the issue up now -- applying the check-and-balance of the people's will before it disappears the morning after Election Day. Every current member should be publicly asked: In the event you lose in November -- a remote and deeply deplorable eventuality, but still not inconceivable -- do you pledge to adhere to the will of the electorate and, in any lame-duck session of Congress, refuse to approve anything but the most routine legislation required to keep the government functioning?”

Don’t hold you breath waiting for this to happen.