ABSOLUTELY RECKLESS, CRAZY STUFF – AT 7:51 A.M. ET:  The term, "the will of the people," has apparently been banished from Democratic Party vocabulary.  These guys are getting nutso.  From The Hill:

Democrats are considering cramming as many as 20 pieces of legislation into the lame-duck session they plan to hold after the Nov. 2 election.

The array of bills competing for floor time shows the sense of urgency among Democratic lawmakers to act before the start of the 112th Congress, when Republicans are expected to control more seats in the Senate and House.

But, given the slow pace of the Senate, it also all but guarantees that Democrats will be hard-pressed to pass even a small part of their lame-duck agenda.

The highest-profile item for November and December is the tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, passed under President George W. Bush, which expire at year’s end...

...Democratic leaders have also prioritized the defense authorization bill, which includes a repeal of the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that bans gays from serving openly in the military...

...Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the chamber’s second-ranking Democrat, has promised to push for a vote on the DREAM Act, which would give the children of illegal immigrants a chance to earn legal residence.

COMMENT:  What you see in this story is the sad spectacle of a party that no longer knows how to do things.  Lyndon Johnson, one of the great legislators of the 20th century, must be turning over in his grave.

There may well be legislation brought up during the lame-duck session that has merit, maybe even great merit.  But the way in which this is being done – allowing all those defeated Congress members the chance to vote on critical bills after their defeat, but before the new Congress takes over, will turn people off.  Can you imagine the spectacle, especially if very liberal legislation is slammed through?

The Dems have had years, at least since 2007, to pass some of their pet legislation, and they've wasted vast amounts of time. 

This looks like a party merely out to prove to key parts of its coalition that it keeps its promises.  It does not look like serious legislating. 

September 28, 2010