New Congress, Same Old Story

April 13, 2007 — -- Friday the 13th, for some, marks a day of trepidation. It's bad luck, messy mojo and a horror film favorite. A triskaidekaphobic fears it and supernaturalists study it.

But for congressional Democrats, this Friday the 13th marks 100 days in power, perhaps only increasing the darkness of the day for the Republican majority that was replaced.

So what have the Democrats accomplished in their 14 weeks? Not much if bills becoming laws is the bar.

Democrats spent Thursday touting their accomplishments: They've passed a minimum wage hike, new lobbying rules and implementation of the 9/11 Commission recommendations; there's a new budget without much of the traditional pork spending, a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq and a rollback of stem cell federal funding restrictions.

Alas, despite the Democrats sweat and even some moderate Republican support, none of these measures has become law; none have even reached the president's desk for a veto -- but that didn't stop the celebration.

"In the Senate's first 100 days at work, we have passed legislation that cleans up Washington, gives working Americans a raise, cuts taxes for working families, restores fiscal responsibility and allows federal funding for stem cell research," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on the Senate floor.

"Democrats," the Nevada Democrat continued, "have also made the homeland more secure and continue to hold this administration responsible for its failed policies in Iraq."

The president has pledged he'll veto a number of the bills passed by the Senate but he hasn't gotten the chance. In most cases, the Democrat-controlled House and Senate haven't agreed on one version of the same bill, making for some busy days with few tangible results. They have to reconcile the differences and pass all the bills over again before they can be sent down Pennsylvania Avenue for President Bush's signature.

The Senate has been in session for 54 days, compared to the 41 days during Republican control at this point in 2006. (Granted, 2006 was a midterm election year.) The Democrats have held 128 votes; last year, at the 100-day mark, there had only been 90.