Do-Nothing Democrats?

If there's one thing that Trump's good at (other than shameless self-promotion) it's sticking insulting nicknames on people. It may sound childish, and it is, but when you're dealing with followers with such a low average IQ, then you'd better keep it simple. One of his recurring insults is to refer to the Democrats as the "Do-Nothing Democrats". This is demonstrably false.  The legislation passed by either house of Congress is public record. There have been hundreds of bills passed by the House of Representatives and sent over to the Senate this year. Most of them are moldering in Mitch McConnell's office, likely never to see a Senate vote. The Senate under McConnell, especially now that the opposition party holds a majority in the House, is nothing but a confirmation mill, existing primarily to fill the over one hundred judicial vacancies left over from the Obama presidency. Vacancies that existed because McConnell's plan as Senate Majority Leader  was very simple: obstruct Obama.

During the impeachment inquiry, the term "Do-Nothing Democrats" got a lot more use. The Democrats were accused of abandoning their job, governing, instead focusing exclusively on impeachment. Even McConnell, who wouldn't recognize hypocrisy if it were tattooed on his face, threw the slur around regularly. 

But impeachment wasn't the only thing the House was doing. Legislation continued to be drafted and voted on. Committees continued to meet. Negotiations with the Republicans and with the White House on various matters didn't stop. In fact, two omnibus spending bills, which required months of behind-the-scenes horse trading, were voted on and passed by both the House and the Senate. Also passed was NAFTA 2.0, which Trump likes to call USMCA, as if it's a completely different trade agreement. Trump had been harping about this for months, accusing Speaker Pelosi of sitting on it because she hated American workers, all the while knowing that she and the House leadership were negotiating with his trade representatives about revisions. 

Then, when the House passed it, with the changes that they asked for, Trump couldn't bear to give them any credit, suggesting that Pelosi didn't understand the agreement and only passed it to make it look like they were getting something done. What's sad is not that he pulls these maneuvers, but that so many people fall for it.

Make no mistake about it, the Democrats can walk and chew gum at the same time