Posted by olvlzl.
This article is worth keeping a copy of to read whenever things are moving too slowly or in the wrong dirction. I'm going to keep reminding myself of this:
Don’t buy all the crap coming from GOP talking-point memos or the blather from mainstream pundits. The midterm elections do not signal a move to the center. Yes, a few conservative Democrats were elected, but the big gainers were progressives. In particular, the Congressional Progressive Caucus is on the rise.
No longer will Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) be able to grab the gavel and run, as he did at a hearing last year when faced with pointed questions from Congressional Democrats about the PATRIOT Act, Guantanamo and the “war on terror.” During a hearing, Sensenbrenner, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, used his standing to abruptly declare the committee’s public hearing on the PATRIOT Act over. He cut off the microphones of the Democratic half of the panel and smugly shuffled out of the room, thereby avoiding any more frivolous questions about “civil rights.”
Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich), the new chair of the Judiciary Committee, will welcome such questions.
Nick Burt and Joel Bleifuss
The image of Sensenbrenner's arrogant, infantile smirk wiped off will sustain me in the coming troubles.