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December 2, 2008 11:32:22 AM CST

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Dems Finish Frustrating Year in DC

Posted Dec 20, 07 5:45 PM CST in Politics 

(Newser) – Democrats are leaving Washington with a decidedly unsatisfactory taste in their mouths after their first year back in charge of Congress in more than a decade, the LA Times reports. Though they can count successes with the energy bill, the minimum wage, and ethics reforms, they failed to put a timetable on the Iraqi war and conceded on a raft of domestic issues.

“We could have accomplished so much more,” said Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader. He and Nancy Pelosi did raise funding for veterans, student aid, and housing programs, but figures were mostly minimal. They suffered a major defeat on children’s health insurance and broke a pledge not to expand the federal debt. Congressional approval ratings, meanwhile, dropped from 40% to 22% over the year.

Source Los Angeles Times

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President Bush, seated, signs the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007, at the Energy Department in Washington. Standing, from left are, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman,...   (Associated Press)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., left, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D- Calif., look on during a news conference on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2007 in Washington. Congressional...   (Associated Press)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., right, listens as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., left, speaks to reporters after their meeting with President Bush regarding Iraq at the White House in...   (Associated Press)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., left, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., right, and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., center, arrive to speak to reporters after their meeting with President Bush...   (Associated Press)
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