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Blame Founding Fathers for Paralysis on Climate Change

Minority's outsize power prevents real change: Tomasky

By Jason Farago,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 29, 2009 10:27 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Barack Obama's narrow victory last week, when the House passed the climate change bill by just 7 votes, raises the question of why it's so tough to get change enacted even when the president is popular and his party has majorities in both houses of Congress. The problem Democrats face is a structural flaw in Congress, writes Michael Tomasky in the Guardian, which keeps "the most progressive president in decades" from passing big legislation. The founders wanted a system of divided government, but now Congress is "checking and balancing to the point of paralysis."

Waxman-Markey was already "defanged" by House Democrats terrified of the bill's supposed interventionism; in the Senate, where the minority's power is "riotously out of proportion," it will be watered down even further. The long term lesson of the climate change fight, writes Tomasky, is that our government can't handle pressing issues that require decisive action: "It's exactly the kind of problem a system of government like ours was built to put off."

House Ways and Means ranking Republican Rep. Dave Camp holds up a copy of the Waxman-Markey climate change legislation during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, June 19, 2009.
House Ways and Means ranking Republican Rep. Dave Camp holds up a copy of the Waxman-Markey climate change legislation during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, June 19, 2009.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Capitol Hill. To her left are Reps. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif, lead sponsors of the climate change bill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Capitol Hill. To her left are Reps. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif, lead sponsors of the climate change bill.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
President Barack Obama speaks about the passing of the Clean Energy Act, in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, Friday, June 26, 2009 in Washington.
President Barack Obama speaks about the passing of the Clean Energy Act, in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, Friday, June 26, 2009 in Washington.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
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The GOP may be a laughing stock nationally, the last redoubt of mistress-shaggers and witless pit bulls with lipstick. But Congress was designed so that minorities can wield power well out of proportion to their number if they stick together. -

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 8 comments
Snowleopard
Jun 30, 2009 4:19 AM CDT
some of the democrats that voted against the bill did so because it wouldn't limit greenhouse gases enough. others did so because they favored a carbon tax. other's have been paid off by oil & gas lobbyists.
Snowleopard
Jun 30, 2009 4:17 AM CDT
saying "agenda" driven legislation is like saying "priority" driven legislation. it's retarded to demonize a neutral word.
Derni
Jun 29, 2009 8:41 AM CDT
As ther US and other countries see their land disappear and other expereince other negative climatic changes tell me what a great job our Congress has done in facing a problem head on when they were told years ago to get aggressive in tackling the problem.

After a narrow House victory, an uphill Senate battle
Bloomberg

Compromises aside, it's a big victory
Financial Times (UK)

Thank God for the Republicans who voted in favor
Examiner

 
climate change • Barack Obama • Congress • Senate • US Constitution • Michael Tomasky • House Democrats • separation of powers • Waxman-Markey

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