A Do Nothing Congress? Well, A Do Nothing Senate, Compliments Of Moscow Mitch

I didn't go to Thanksgiving dinner last night. I just didn't want to political arguments with friends. Oh, obviously all my friends hate Trump's guts and they all want to see him impeached and removed. The only arguments there would be between those who want to see him in prison and those who want to see him face... well something more final. No, the political arguments I didn't want to face have to do with the primary. Not everyone is a Bernie supporter. I can handle that. But on Wednesday night one told me she is fully backing Bloomberg. That's too much for me. I don't eat turkey anyway and these kinds of holidays are always good times for Chinese, Japanese, Thai or Indian food.

But if you were at a gathering where someone gets all his news from Fox or Hate Talk Radio, you would have needed to be prepared for the inevitable claim that because of impeachment mania the Democrats hadn't accomplished anything in Congress. Trump and his media allies hammer on that fabrication daily and his dull-mind supporters-- remember, 36% of Americans are unaware that Trump is a congenital liar-- have bought into that.

The Democrats have passed scores of bills, some with bipartisan majorities, that have been blocked by Moscow Mitch from even being debated-- let alone voted on-- in the Senate.

Let's start with an important piece of legislation that has widespread public support-- and that even some House Republicans backed: the Equality Act (H.R.5). It passed with a 236-173 majority, every single Democrat plus 8 Republicans voting for it. The Republicans who voted for it:

• Susan Brooks (IN), retiring
• Mario Diaz-Balart (FL), moderate district
• Brian Fitzpatrick (PA), swing district
• Will Hurd (TX), retiring
• John Katko (NY), blue district
• Tom Reed (NY), moderate district
• Elise Stefanik (NY), moderate district
• Greg Walden (OR), moderate district

The bill prohibits employment and housing discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Although some on the far right claim it is their "religious freedom" to oppress the gay community, opposing the bill is akin to a declaration of war against gay and trans men and women and their friends and families. Voting against something like this isn't going to hurt Republicans like Louie Gohmert and Patrick McHenry (ironically, a closet case himself) in backward districts filled with primitive hate-mongers. But there are a number of Republicans who voted against this bill who will be hurt politically in more moderate districts-- Fred Upton in Kalamazoo, Devin Nunes in Fresno, Lee Zeldin in Suffolk County, Ken Calvert in Riverside County, Michael McCaul in Austin, Rodney Davis in Champaign and Springfield, Tom Emmer in St. Cloud and the Minneapolis exurbs, Jaime Herrera Beutler in Vancouver and the Portland exurbs...

The Dream And Promise Act (H.R. 6) was another one that passed the House with a bipartisan majority-- 237-187-- and was then thrown in the garbage by Moscow Mitch with no debate and no vote. Every Democrat and 7 Republicans voted for it. Popular with voters, the bill would provide legal protections to hundreds of thousands of young, undocumented immigrants brought to the country illegally as children.

Jason Butler is the progressive Wake County pastor running for a swing district seat occupied by radical right Republican George Holding who, of course, voted against the Dreamers every time he's had the opportunity to do so. Jason has a very different perspective and he shared it with us this morning: "The Republican party is in the midst of a decade long campaign to punish and exclude children of color. From voting against Dreamers, to border family separation, to cutting life saving assistance programs, to defunding City schools-- all of these serve one purpose: punish children. But yet, the vast majority of Republican voters and politicians flood into conservative Christian churches this time of year and claim to worship the baby Jesus-- a dark skinned immigrant Jewish boy. There is a massive disconnect happening here and it is time for this hypocrisy to be unveiled. In moderate districts all across the country, exactly like NC-02, where high numbers of voters claim a conservative Christian faith, we need to frame these elections as for the future of our children. Politicians, like Holding, who have consistently voted to punish children of color need to be held accountable. We live in a nation where kids in Flint, Michigan have lead poisoning from unsafe drinking water; where over 5,000 kids are homeless in the wealthiest county in North Carolina, Wake county; where Dreamers are pushed out; and where tens of thousands of immigrant children are living in detention centers. And all of this is being driven by Republican politicians who are supported by conservative Christians. It must stop. And it can. I believe that if Democratic candidates in moderate districts frame their progressive policies as providing the brightest future for our children then the Republican position can crumble and those like Holding will see their cruel positions that harm children be their undoing. We must make this happen as we are not only fighting for our own positions-- we are truly in a fight for the future of America's children."

Rosa DeLauro introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act (H.R.7) as soon as the 116th Congress was sworn in. It has 239 co-sponsors, starting with Pelosi, Hoyer and Clyburn. In the end, even the most backward conservative Blue Dogs like Jeff Van Drew, Henry Cuellar, Anthony Brindisi, Tom O'Halleran, Jim Costa, Kendra Horn, Dan Lipinski, Joe Cunningham and Collin Peterson signed on as co-sponsors. This should have been easy for everyone to vote for. Women make, on average, 82 cents for every dollar a man makes doing the same job. DeLauro's bill aims to end that by ending gender wage discrimination in the workplace. The bill would have definitely passed the Senate so, once again, Moscow Mitch just refused to allow a vote. Voting against this is going to cost Republicans like Fred Upton (MI), John Katko (NY), Lee Zeldin (NY), Don Bacon (NE), Roger Williams (TX)...

Kara Eastman, who would have co-sponsored DeLauro's Paycheck Fairness Act is hardly the only woman in Omaha who was unhappy with his vote against it. "Bacon consistently gives excuses as to why he does not support women and equality," she told me this morning. "His voting record on women’s issues has been abysmal and yet he touts himself as 'bipartisan'-- which is completely false since he votes 96% with Trump. For me, this is not about identity politics; it’s about being a fair representative to the women in our district. We should not have to keep fighting against the Republican Party dominance in Nebraska that serves to diminish women’s roles, jobs and service. It’s time for new leadership now."

H.R.8 was another one the Democrats passed with bipartisan support that Moscow Mitch has kept bottled up. This one, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, passed 240-190 last February. Two reactionary Democrats-- Collin Peterson of Minneapolis and Jared Golden of Maine-- were the only Democrats to oppose it, but 8 Republicans voted for it. Suburban district Republicans who voted no, like Lee Zeldin (NY), Ken Calvert (CA), John Carter (TX), Debbie Lesko (AZ), David Joyce (OH), Tim Walberg (MI), Roger Williams (TX), Tom Reed (NY), Michael McCaul (Texas), George Holding (NC), Duncan Hunter (CA)... could have a hard time explaining their votes to wrathful parents next year. This is another one that would pass the Senate if it were not being battled up by Moscow Mitch (and Trump).

Younger voters see the Climate Crisis as the most important topic Congress should be dealing with. They hate Trump because of it and Republicans who backed in by opposing H.R. 9, Kathy Castor's very moderate Climate Action Now Act, made a big mistake. This one passed the House on May 2 with a 231-190 bipartisan majority. It was technically bipartisan; every Democrat voted yes and 3 Republicans joined them. McConnell laughed when it was sent over to him and, as usual, refused a debate or a vote.

Do you want me to keep going? H.R. 397-- the Rehabilitation for Multi-employer Pensions Act-- passed 264 to 169, every Democrat plus 29 Republicans on board. The bill is meant to stabilize a crisis in pension plans covering about 10 million workers, particularly truck drivers and coal miners by creating a federal trust fund providing low-interest government-backed loans. Republicans, most of whom voted to bail out Wall Street banksters, called this a government bailout for private-sector pension plans. In West Virginia, Republican David McKinley was smart enough to vote for his own constituents instead of his party's vicious anti-worker ideology. His fellow Republicans in coal country Carol Miller and Alex Mooney, weren't as smart and both are counting on the DCCC running incompetent candidates against them who don't make the case.

The Raise the Wage Act (H.R. 582) was another important bill the Democrats passed with a bipartisan majority that was shit-canned by Moscow Mitch. The purpose was to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and it passed in July 231-199, just 3 Republicans voting with the Democrats. It's worth mentioning that 6 of the most repulsive anti-worker Blue Dogs voted with the Republicans on this one: Anthony Brindisi (NY), Kurt Schrader (OR), Kendra Horn (OK), Ben McAdams (UT), Xochitl Torres Small (NM) and Joe Cunningham (SC).

Another Moscow Mitch special was to refuse to allow a vote on The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1585), which passed with a huge majority, 263-158, 33 Republicans abandoning their woman-hating party to vote with the Democrats. (One woman-hating Blue Dog Dem, Collin Peterson of Minnesota, voted with the GOP.)

We could spend the whole day doing this. Maybe the DCCC and DSCC should. It would go a long way in helping Americans understand why every single Republican in Congress needs to be defeated-- along with the Blue Dogs-- in 2020. In private, Republicans say they have to vote against the interests of their constituents in order to support the "president." That should be enough reason to vote against them all. Are you looking for a Republican to spare? Brian Fitzpatrick (PA) might not be the best candidate in his race this cycle but he only voted with Trump 36.4% of the time-- the only one who voted against Trump more than with Trump.

Boycott Whole Foods? Not So Fast

Moscow Mitch is probably the second biggest existential threat to our country after Trump. So WholeFoods Magazine decided it would be a smart move to name him 2019 Person of the Year (for championing a hemp in Kentucky). That sparked calls for a boycott, but... By all means, boycott WholeFoods Magazine. But the magazine has nothing to do with the supermarket chain. Better idea: do whatever you can to defeat McConnell's reelection next year.