Our Man in Washington

"I'll be Home for Christmas" is not only a popular holiday song, but also a treat for Rani Ward, Turban Court resident here at Shell Point, and for Democratic Club members who assembled on December 27 to hear Rani's son, Stephen, known popularly as "Our Man in Washington". No, he didn't sing, but he did talk, holding the attention of the audience like no other speaker we have had in all of 2007. Stephen, pictured to the left (he's the tall one in red) is Chief of Staff to Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, and he outlined the achievements of the Democratic 110th Congress despite the obstacles thrown in its path by obstructionist Republicans who are blocking change and endorsing the status quo. Also pictured are Ray Troy, Chairman of Lee County Democrats, dressed appropriately in blue, in honor of the blue state Florida will become in the 2008 election, Betty Bainbridge (right), a broadly smiling founder and past-president of our Club, and our current president, Joan Walton, (left) smiling to be in such august company. Our own private paparazza, Helen Moe, pursued these celebrities relentlessly to make this shot.

Ward's talk was divided into six main topics: Restoring Accountability to Washington, Improving Health Care, Strengthening Our Economy, Enhancing Energy and Environmental Security, Making America More Secure, and Honoring Our Veterans and Troops. He reminded us of the difficulty of getting 60 votes in a 51 Democrat/49 Republican Senate in order to overcome a filibuster within the Senate, and 67 votes to over-ride a presidential veto. Congressional rules also have an impact. In what Stephen calls the tyranny of the majority in the House in which one vote majority is all that is required for passage of a bill, and in the Senate which he labels the tyranny of one when the filibuster rule can allow one senator to hold up bill passage: these two rules, coupled with trying to incorporate party principles in legislation, have caused the legislative procession to become very strained. Passing legislation through both houses and getting it signed by the president has become exceedingly difficult.

Looking at each topic separately, restoring accountability to Washington is perhaps the highest priority in order to change the American public's opinion of the job being done by Congress, whose rating is as low as that of its opinion of the job being done by President Bush. Landmark ethics and lobbying reform is now law as are measures to keep politics out of our justice system. A District of Columbia voting rights bill was blocked in both houses.

Improving health care achieved a few successes but many more defeats. Three bills passed reauthorizing FDA and improved drug safety, blocking a scheduled 11% cut in general practitioner Medicare physician fees, and funding women's health care. The defeats were bitter pills for the Democrats to swallow coming at the hands of special interests and our President's misguided morality. Lower prescription drug costs and Medicare drug price negotiation both were blocked and health insurance for children and stem cell research, which had both passed, were vetoed by Bush.

Ten bills that will strengthen our economy were passed and signed into law. Perhaps the most important of these raised the minimum wage. From September 1, 1997 to July 23, 2007 -a period of nearly ten years-the federal minimum wage remained constant at $5.15 per hour. Other laws passed to keep the U.S. competitive in the global economy, make college education more affordable, expand Head Start, modernize the FHA, and keep the Internet tax-free, among others. The Senate passed seven additional bills including one that finished 2006 appropriations work left by the Republicans.

Far reaching laws enhancing energy and environmental security passed in this session. Raising fuel efficiency standards on our cars to 35mpg (the first raise in standards since 1986) was applauded by drivers in these high cost at the pump times, and even a mundane light bulb is due to achieve notoriety as it changes shape, uses less electricity, and becomes more long lasting. Ambitious standards for renewable fuels grown here were passed, but new standards and tax incentives to produce renewable electricity were blocked, chiefly by southeastern utilities.

Making America more secure has been the Republican mantra since 9/11 and they have played it for all it's worth. But this Democratic Congress has shown that it can enact laws that take measures to increase our security rather than parrot Republican fantasies. This Congress has passed seven laws involving funding for the Defense Dept., Homeland Security, local law enforcement, and terrorism insurance in addition to securing our borders, ports, and transit systems which the Bush administration has virtually ignored. The 9/11 Commission's recommendations were finally passed into law and benchmarks to measure progress in Iraq were enacted.

Honoring our veterans and troops is last on our list but first in our hearts. Six laws to protect our troops and care for our veterans were passed. Funding mine-resistant combat vehicles is crucial; Bush sent our invading forces into Iraq ill-equipped resulting in untold deaths and injuries. Protecting our troops against IEDs (roadside bombs) is now law as is giving the National Guard the equipment it needs. And why should every worker in the U.S. receive a minimum pay raise and exclude the military? We did that too! Every man and woman in the military got a pay raise!

Stephen also spoke about the prospects for increasing the Democratic majority in the Senate, suggesting that the odds were good for at least a 3 seat pickup, and maybe as large as a 5 seat gain. With these additional seats and the ability to cobble together a few moderate Republican votes, key legislation that has been blocked may be possible to move in 2009.

Ward closed his outstanding presentation with a Q & A which was as lively and provocative as his address. Questions about the primaries and elections, both parties included, predominated and answers all seemed to fall into one category. Who knows?

Thanks, Stephen, for countering the media, especially Fox News, with some Democratic facts to set the story straight.