Don't Look to the House for Bipartisanship

In the heady days following the November election the Democrats pledged bipartisanship and cooperation with the new GOP minority. So, what has happened since they took control? (from Political Wire):

Democrats Rule with an Iron Fist

Democrats "pledged to bring courtesy to the Capitol when they assumed control of Congress last month," writes the Washington Post. “But from the start, the new majority used its muscle to force through its agenda in the House and sideline Republicans. And after an initial burst of lawmaking, the Democratic juggernaut has kept on rolling."

"Of nine major bills passed by the House since the 110th Congress began, Republicans have been allowed to make amendments to just one, a measure directing federal research into additives to biofuels. In the arcane world of Capitol Hill, where the majority dictates which legislation comes before the House and which dies on a shelf, the ability to offer amendments from the floor is one of the minority's few tools."

To be fair, most of the early bills were part of Nancy Pelosi's grand scheme to raise the minimum wage and other "100 hour" campaign promises, and they weren't about to let the GOP get in the way of those. Even though they passed a number of items, to my knowledge none of them have gone anywhere in the Senate, let along get passed out to the president.

Still, the attitude toward the minority in the House is not representative of what the founders had in mind for the House, and unless the GOP gets some backbone and starts standing up to the Dems, they'll be little more than lapdogs during their stay in the minority. They may not have much real power, but they can certainly make some noise if they choose to.