Least effective members of Congress

[TheSanityAnnex]

http://members-of-congress.insidegov.com/stories/5278/least-effective-members-congress?utm_medium=cm&utm_source=outbrain&utm_campaign=ao.cm.ob.dt.5278&utm_content=5396235


worthless shits

[spurraider21]

how can you be in congress for more than a decade and never sponsor a bill that passed the committee :lol...

[TheSanityAnnex]

Site was bogging down and I only made it to #10. Who was the least effective? Seemed to be an overwhelming majority of democrats made the list and a lot were from my state of CA.

[rmt]

10 Republicans, 1 Independent, the rest of the 35 - Democrats. And that Castro guy, some think will make a good running mate for Hillary, is on the list, lol.

[CosmicCowboy]

LOL Joaquin Castro made the list.

what a surprise

[CosmicCowboy]

10 Republicans, 1 Independent, the rest of the 35 Democrats. And that Castro guy some think will make a good running mate for Hillary is on the list, lol.

actually it's his brother on the short list

[rmt]

actually it's his brother on the short list

My bad, then.

[Blake]

actually it's his brother on the short list

How do we know it's not his brother pretending to be him

[Nbadan]

:rollleyes

Of course the least effective are going to be democrats....the GOP elite aren't even gonna consider a bill that doesn't help their constituency....the rich...

[spurraider21]

Site was bogging down and I only made it to #10. Who was the least effective? Seemed to be an overwhelming majority of democrats made the list and a lot were from my state of CA.
https://i.gyazo.com/94d383628bd7ca68a9f8550dec3cefd0.png

[hater]

:rollleyes

Of course the least effective are going to be democrats....the GOP elite aren't even gonna consider a bill that doesn't help their constituency....the rich...

Have to agree. What a stupid article. It's a GOP controlled house where tea partiers rule :lol

To be least effective there is actually a good thing :lol


Dumb dumb dumb

[TheSanityAnnex]

Have to agree. What a stupid article. It's a GOP controlled house where tea partiers rule :lol

To be least effective there is actually a good thing :lol


Dumb dumb dumbYou obviously didn't see how long some of the members have been sitting in congress.

[boutons_deux]

McConnell boasts of an ‘incredibly productive’ session

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared on (http://www.hughhewitt.com/senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-2016-course-scotus/) Hugh Hewitt’s conservative talk-radio show yesterday, and assured the audience that “there will be no hearings and no votes” on Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.

Moments later, however, the Republican leader was eager to boast (http://www.hughhewitt.com/senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-2016-course-scotus/) about all of the things he and his Senate GOP majority have been able to accomplish.

“[Y]ou know, this has been an incredibly productive new Senate majority. :lol

The American people, even though they chose divided government by having a Democrat in the White House and Republican House and Senate, we’re not saying they didn’t want us to do anything. :lol

They were saying, ‘Why don’t you look for things you can agree on and do those?’”


As proof of the Republican Congress’ “incredible” productivity, McConnell quickly pointed to the Keystone XL pipeline, which was vetoed by President Obama. :lol

The Senate Majority Leader immediately added, “We put the repeal of Obamacare on his desk. :lol

We put defund Planned Parenthood on his desk*.” :lol

Neither became law.

It’s occasionally hard to know whether McConnell actually listens to his own talking points. The Kentucky Republican had just said that Congress has been getting things done because voters urged GOP lawmakers “to look for things you can agree on and do those.”

In his next breath, McConnell pointed to deeply divisive proposals that policymakers didn’t agree on and which weren’t signed into law.

In fairness, McConnell eventually pointed to some notable bills that actually succeeded, including a highway bill, and bill related to opioid abuse that’s stuck in the Republican-led House.

But the senator’s boasts got me thinking: has Congress been incredibly productive? Perhaps now is a good time to update an old chart.

http://www.msnbc.com/sites/msnbc/files/styles/embedded_image/public/4.6.16.2.jpg?itok=66K4IGjg

The 112th Congress (2011-2012) broke the record for passing the fewest bills into law since clerks started keeping track several generations ago, and the 113th Congress (2013-2014) came close.

The current 114th Congress (2015-2016) has fared even worse, though there’s still time for the Republican House and Senate to narrow the gap.

That said, there’s not that much time – Congress still plans to take several months off this year, and many GOP House members are pushing to scrap the post-election, lame-duck session altogether.

In other words, there’s still a chance this Congress will be the least productive in modern history, and even if it manages to avoid the record, it’s on track to be among the worst.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/mcconnell-boasts-incredibly-productive-session?cid=sm_fb_maddow

TSA? :lol

[boutons_deux]

McConnell boasts, ‘There is no dysfunction in the Senate anymore’


MCCONNELL: We have done a lot more than you think we have. And the reason for that is everybody is angry about their own situation in life.

They’re blaming the government which is understandable. But there is no dysfunction in the Senate anymore.

And I’ve just given you a whole list…

Consider the judicial confirmation process, for example. McConnell and his GOP brethren have imposed the first-ever blockade on any Supreme Court nominee regardless of merit.

Pressed for a defense, the Majority Leader and other Senate Republicans have presented a series of weak talking points burdened by varying degrees of incoherence.

And it’s not just the high court, either:

district and appellate court vacancies languish (http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/fixgov/posts/2016/05/25-thurmond-rule-senate-confirmations-wheeler?cid=00900015020089101US0001-052701) as the GOP majority generally refuses to consider one of its most basic governmental responsibilities.

And it’s not just judges.

It took the Senate 11 months to confirm (http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/do-nothing-senate-gives-itself-another-week) an uncontroversial U.S. Ambassador to Mexico nominee.

An uncontroversial Army Secretary nominee faced an unnecessary wait that was nearly as long (http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/new-army-secretary-emblematic-obama-era-progress) as part of an unrelated partisan tantrum.

In the meantime, the Senate can’t pass its own bipartisan criminal-justice reform bill, hasn’t passed a budget,

is taking its sweet time in addressing the Zika virus threat,

still requires supermajorities on practically every vote of any consequence, and

is on track to give itself more time off this year than any Senate in six decades.

If McConnell is proud of what the chamber has become, perhaps he’s not paying close enough attention.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/mcconnell-boasts-there-no-dysfunction-the-senate-anymore?cid=sm_fb_maddow

If a Repug's lips are moving, the shit's lying.

[RandomGuy]

http://members-of-congress.insidegov.com/stories/5278/least-effective-members-congress?utm_medium=cm&utm_source=outbrain&utm_campaign=ao.cm.ob.dt.5278&utm_content=5396235


worthless shits

Hmm.

Let's put on our critical thinking hats.

How does the author base his ranking?

[RandomGuy]

what, nothing?

TheSanityAnnex I hope my question wasn't too off base. I was trying to consider your OP, and determine for myself what to think, I was just wanting to see what you thought/understood.

[TheSanityAnnex]

they are worthless shits, was pretty clear.

[boutons_deux]

they are worthless shits, was pretty clear.

... thanks to you and your ilk who keep re-electing the "strict obstructionist" Repugs, as proposed and financed by VRWC.

Donny Trash is direct result of VRWC/BigCorp selecting, financing extremist assholes, and primarying anybody who is not an extremist asshole, while telling the base that government sucks, is too big (... for the 99%, it's too small for the 1%), can't be trusted, and must be defunded, destroyed. Guess what? The base believed them! :lol

[RandomGuy]

they are worthless shits, was pretty clear.

You have given some evidence as to why you think that.

I am merely trying to evaluate that evidence, as I might find it sufficient to affect my opinion, which differs somewhat from yours.

I would hope you read that piece and asked yourself some basic questions about what you read.

Did you?

[RandomGuy]

:rollleyes

Of course the least effective are going to be democrats....the GOP elite aren't even gonna consider a bill that doesn't help their constituency....the rich...

I guess you got it too.

That Democrats, the minority party, are going to have low scores in a GOP-controlled hysterically right-wing congress is kind of "DUH".


I started with Bob Casey, and compiled, from his website a list of committees he sits on. I then went to each and every one of the ones that can pass bills on, and noted the party of the Chairman of that committee, and which party controlled the simple majority. Here is the result:



Robert P. Casey,. Jr. (D)


Bob's Committees
Senate Committee on Finance »
Chairman-(R)
Majority-(R)



Ranking Member- Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions »
Chairman - (R)
Majority - (R)



Ranking Member- Subcommittee on Children and Families
Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry »
Chairman - (R)
Majority - (R)



Ranking Member- Subcommittee on Nutrition, Specialty Crops and Agriculture
Joint Economic Committee »
Chairman - (R)
Majority - (R)

That Democrats have low effectiveness ratings based on bills passed out of committees, when the committees they serve on are completely controlled by Republicans, is not surprising.


What it does demonstrate though, is how little the GOP appears willing to work with Democrats.

More "DUH".

[RandomGuy]

Personally, the cuase of the do-nothingness is rather clear. Tea-party right wing activists.

The GOP has controlled, at the state level, the drawing of congressional districts, and used that power to draw them for comfortable GOP seats.

That means that there are no competitive elections for many seats, and that the most right wing motherfuckers possible are the ones making it through the GOP primaries to sail right into Congress effectively unopposed.

Fucking no shit the Congress ain't doing shit.

Republicans have created a vast shift to the right, at the same time the Dems have shifted to the left.

The only real solution is to take the drawing of districts away from the GOP and put that into some non-partisan committees.

The modern GOP is ONLY concerned about ideological purity, and that is costing the country dearly.

(edit)

the whole drive for ideological purity has IT'S base in the right-wing media movement.

You want Congress to get off its ass, conservatives?

Burn Fox News to the ground, and quit living in some stupid information bubble, where the only information you read is shit that affirms your beliefs.

[RandomGuy]

It’s occasionally hard to know whether McConnell actually listens to his own talking points. The Kentucky Republican had just said that Congress has been getting things done because voters urged GOP lawmakers “to look for things you can agree on and do those.”

In his next breath, McConnell pointed to deeply divisive proposals that policymakers didn’t agree on and which weren’t signed into law.


...and that is the fucking bubble that the GOP members of Congress live in.

I think they have begun to buy their own bullshit. THAT is scary.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Asking TSA to look at something complex is a waste of time. Their level is limited and they will just dissemble into common troll spam if they think they're being proven wrong.

[TeyshaBlue]

...and that is the fucking bubble that the GOP members of Congress live in.

I think they have begun to buy their own bullshit. THAT is scary.

Quoting boutons quoting Maddow while making a point about information bubbles. I have exceeded my recommended daily intake of Vitamin I.

[boutons_deux]

"Tea-party right wing activists"

the Hastert? rule, nothing will pass without a majority of Repugs. A minority of Repugs are not allowed to pass legislation where enough Dems vote with the Repugs.

[RandomGuy]

Quoting boutons quoting Maddow while making a point about information bubbles. I have exceeded my recommended daily intake of Vitamin I.

Ironic or not,what do you make of McConnel's statements?

[TeyshaBlue]

Oh, it's ironic. :lol
There are 4 statements. The rest is op ed. Considering it's a Maddow piece, I'll wait for something approaching cogent analysis.

[Th'Pusher]

Oh, it's ironic. :lol
There are 4 statements. The rest is op ed. Considering it's a Maddow piece, I'll wait for something approaching cogent analysis.

Why not do your own analysis?

[TeyshaBlue]

Because I havent seen nor read the full transcript. Since I travel daily and put in about 60 hr/wk, its not likely Im going to find the time for a detailed search.
Im certainly not taking Maddow's views seriously.

[boutons_deux]

Because I havent seen nor read the full transcript. Since I travel daily and put in about 60 hr/wk, its not likely Im going to find the time for a detailed search.
Im certainly not taking Maddow's views seriously.

Maddows "views" most often flow directly, logically from what Repugs say or do. It ain't just made up shit to trash Repugs, who trash themselves every time they speak or act.

[TheSanityAnnex]

Maddows "views" most often flow directly, logically from what Repugs say or do. It ain't just made up shit to trash Repugs, who trash themselves every time they speak or act.
Says Ohio budget item later signed into law by Gov. John Kasich requires women seeking an abortion to undergo a "mandatory vaginal probe."
— Rachel Maddow on Friday, June 28th, 2013 in On “The Rachel Maddow Show,” broadcast on MSNBC

[CosmicCowboy]

Says Ohio budget item later signed into law by Gov. John Kasich requires women seeking an abortion to undergo a "mandatory vaginal probe."
— Rachel Maddow on Friday, June 28th, 2013 in On “The Rachel Maddow Show,” broadcast on MSNBC

:lol. Politifact called maddog a "pants on fire" liar for that one.

[boutons_deux]

Says Ohio budget item later signed into law by Gov. John Kasich requires women seeking an abortion to undergo a "mandatory vaginal probe."
— Rachel Maddow on Friday, June 28th, 2013 in On “The Rachel Maddow Show,” broadcast on MSNBC

I said "mostly", and I've heard RM apologize several times for getting something wrong.

Do Fox, Rush, Savage, etc, etc. EVERY apologize for their lies?

[TeyshaBlue]

Maddow is a partisan hack just like Rush et al. Deal with it.

[RandomGuy]

Maddow is a partisan hack just like Rush et al. Deal with it.

"just like"?

Ever watch her shows?

[DarrinS]

"just like"?

Ever watch her shows?


I have. She's a partisan hack.

[TeyshaBlue]

"just like"?

Ever watch her shows?
Not for awhile. Wasnt impressed when I had time to waste on cable news.
Rush is a hack. Maddow is a hack. Hack=Hack.