Congress Does Not Comprehend Internal Roadblocks

Voting into office "new" leaders is meaningless when the leaders permit the same roadblocks to get in the way of what they should be doing.

New leaders, new excuses; same distractions and bad habits.

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Whatever got in the way of the DNC to act/do what it ought to have done as a minority power will continue, until reviewed.

The DNC cannot credibly provide "new" leadership, until it looks at itself, not simply chases the President's smokescreens.

Consider the range of most likely reasons the Minority-Ranking members of the committee didn't fully assert their oath, document problems, and request in writing full reviews of the illegal activity as they first surfaced:

- Not aware of options

- Lack of knowledge of the laws

- Excuses for the lack of creativity

- Failing to see the significance of the information

- Unwillingness to file information, evidence with law enforcement for investigation and prosecution

Being a minority or majority party wouldn't get in the way of any of the abuse. The minority party would still have the same access to personnel as they would as the majority.

New leadership is meaningless to talk about unless the new leadership is serious about examining what they failed to do while in the minority.

Waxman offers a useful example for what was possible. The issue going forward for the DNC, before it can credibly conduct oversight, is to honestly answer what got in the way of other members of Congress heeding Waxman's example while they were in the minority.

Giving them more power is the wrong reward: They're convinced they can do more of what didn't work: Pretend something that isn't true. Waxman saw the ruse and did his moral best. The DNC leadership needs to take an honest look at what creativity, experience, and knowledge of the laws it needs to enhance, not simply talk about change.

Arrogant leaders in the GOP decided, given their position of power, that they knew better. The DNC leadership, before getting power, has thrown away its assertions about what should or shouldn't be done, and pretended it will be bipartisan. Before you can have two parties working together, the DNC needs to be a party that understands itself, not goes through the growing pains of being defined by the opposition.

What You Can Do

Challenge your friends to work with Congress to seriously discuss and address the following issues:

___ What roadblocks did the DNC incorrectly believe existed while in the minority party

___ What is the plan for the DNC leadership and DNC Members of Congress to confront what illusory rewards they thought existed to embrace these incorrect beliefs?

___ What is the plan of the DNC leadership in Congress to clarify what got in the way of focused action while a minority party, and removing these obstacles: Lack of information, inadequate legal competence, lack of persistence, lack of resolve, lack of creativity (whatever it is); and remove the roadblocks so they can effectively govern?

___ Will the DNC leadership be willing to listen to other views on the problems, or treat any and all feedback as partisanship?

___ Is there a plan in the DNC to face the issues which led to inaction; and ensure these problems/flaws are removed, addressed, and managed?

___ What kind of oversight plan does the DNC leadership have in Congress to review these issues, develop a plan, and communicate to We the People it is aware of the problem, has a plan, and is on course to addressing the issue?

___ How will the lessons of Iraq -- the problems with flawed planning -- be put to use in developing this plan for the DNC leadership: Open debates, respect for other reviews, and an approach to solving the problem, not asserting an agenda without looking in the mirror?

___ Is the DNC leadership willing to use the feedback from anyone to better prepare in December 2006 for their responsibilities as they take power in January 2007?

___ How will the DNC responsiveness (or lack of responsiveness) of these issues put them in a better or worse position than the viable alternatives?

___ Are members of Congress willing to have an open discussion, hearing, and debate on this issue as they might have wished the RNC had done when it was in power?

Recommendation

I would like to see a committee hearing on this issue: What the DNC could have done; and what the DNC will do to learn the lessons of what failed 1994-2006 to better do what the GOP refused to do: Listen, adjust, and govern.