Obstructionism

Floor Speech

OBSTRUCTIONISM -- (Senate - May 13, 2008)

Mr. REID. Mr. President, we have talked now for several months about the number of filibusters. Today, this will be raised to 71. Comments have been made by Republican leaders that it doesn't matter; we are just doing the people's business; we are only getting done what is important.

The American people know what is going on. It is obstructionism at its zenith, at its best. The American people are beginning clearly to see this issue. A story in newspapers all around the country today, based on an article by Jon Cowen and Dan Balz in the Washington Post, indicates that the American people are seeing what is going on.

In polling done by the Post, along with others, the political party in America best able to deal with the country's problems: Democrats, by a 21-point advantage. It is obvious why. We are trying to do something about the problems facing America today. We are trying to do something about the intractable civil war we are engaged in in Iraq. We have a situation where we have 50 million people with no health insurance. We have the Earth's temperature rising every day. Our Earth has a fever. We need to do something legislatively to try to bring down that fever. We have an education system that is in crumbles. We want to do something about educating the troops coming back from Iraq. We believe these troops are just as gallant and heroic as the troops who fought in World War II. When the World War II troops came home, they had the ability to go to school and were educated, and it happened. It changed America forever. We think America could be changed forever again in the new paradigm we now face with these men and women coming back by the tens of thousands and not being able to afford to go to school.

We know that the Presidential candidate of the Republicans, Senator McCain, says it is too generous. Well, this piece of legislation, written by JIM WEBB, is generous, but it should be because these troops returning from Iraq deserve our generosity.

The Democratic advantage is going to be pronounced come election time. We have tried to work on a cooperative basis and have been denied that time after time after time. We know that Bush's disapproval rating in some polls is around 70 percent. Think about that. We have had a number of stories written in just the last 10 days that the lowest approval rating of any President in history is the President we are now dealing with, a person who is a divider, not a uniter. The American people see this. Eighty-two percent of the American people feel our country is headed in the wrong direction. I would hope that during the next few months we have left in this legislative session, we can stop the increase in this number here and work to try to accomplish good results for the American people. We have so much that needs to be done. We want to work to get this done. If we are able to accomplish things, there is credit to go around for everyone, Democrats and Republicans. But, of course, the obstructionism we face has made it so that there is no credit to go around, period. The American people have identified this, and rightfully so.

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