Wash. Times gave anonymity to "senior Republican aide" repeating Cornyn's on-the-record Franken statement
July 02, 2009 10:41 am ET by Media Matters staff
From a July 2 Washington Times article, headlined "Democrats' supermajority may be illusory":
"The problem Democrats will run into now is that they can no longer blame 'obstruction' by Republicans for delaying their agenda," one senior Republican aide said. "There's nothing stopping them from moving anything they want, as long as they're all willing to accept responsibility for the consequences of passing a national energy tax, government takeover of health care, more bailouts and running the auto industry."
From NRSC chairman John Cornyn's (R-TX) June 30 statement on Senator-elect Al Franken's (D-MN) election victory:
The implications of this Senate race are particularly significant because the Democrats will now have 60 votes in the Senate. With their supermajority, the era of excuses and finger-pointing is now over. With just 59 votes, Senate Democrats in recent months have passed trillion-dollar spending bills, driven up America's debt, made every American taxpayer a shareholder in the auto industry and now want Washington to takeover America's health care system. It's troubling to think about what they might now accomplish with 60 votes.
Running with a bad crowd
The Pentagon shooter, insurrectionism, and right-wing bloggers
Media Matters: Bush-nesia strikes again in smear against Obama, DOJ
1) Reform healthcare in such a way that HMO's only exist for the purposes of purchasing supplementary health insurance and health care providers can't get away with charging $2,000.00 a night for hospital patients and $15,000.00 for a helicopter flight!
2) Roll back the ridiculous tax cuts in capital gains and in the highest income bracket that have occurred over the last 29 years that has crippled the country and drives it ever deeper into debt!
3) Have an energy policy that resembles sanity so that consumers won't be so inclined to roll down main street in an M1 tank!
None of these things will get done despite the fact that the vast majority of Americans think that it should done.
Look, I understand the idea that one needs to build a base of power, but I cannot imagine it getting much better than 60-40 in the Senate and 257 (?) in the House. In other words, if you're not going to make REAL change now, then when? Getting power (and maintaining it) is only worthwhile if you do something with it. Make a real (not incremental) change in health care, a real (not incremental) change in energy policy and the environment, a real (not incremental) change in Don't Ask Don't Tell and DOMA.
To paraphrase Bill Maher, this is not what I voted for!