Review of the Transition of Power: Democratic Missteps

I've been a little slow in talking about some of the issues that have come up since the Dems took back the House last month. A good indicator of how things will go is what issues come up before they actually take power. It looks like the extreme left of the party sees the writing on the wall - that they might be left out of the fun, and some of their ideas will fall by the wayside. Let's review some of them, and not to pick on them, but more so to show that no party is "Unified 100%", and that there is a kook fringe also.

Hoyer v. Murtha. Nancy Pelosi's choice didn't make it, and a lot of the members, Jim Clyburn included, refused to say who they voted for. In the end, the right guy got the job - Murtha has a nice military background, but there is a history of quid pro quo in his decisions, and he doesn't seem to have the right temperament for this job.

Minimum Wage. Did anyone else have a good laugh seeing Trust Fund baby Ted Kennedy with all the DC kids, asking to raise the minimum wage $2.00 an hour? Yes, it is time to give the minimum wage a little boost, even though most of the market has long since past it. However two things concern me: for some businesses, jacking the wage up $2.00 will raise their salary expense up 40%, and turn their business from a profit maker to a loser, then they close, and everyone loses, or they raise prices, and everyone loses. Now, if we go back to last year, the issue did come up, and the Democrats voted against raising the wage. Uh.........

The Draft? Add this to #3 on my list of Signs that The End is Near. Charles Rangel says that maybe we should institute the draft, the reasoning being that politicians would be less apt to go to war if THEIR kids had to go....Maybe Joe Wilson could answer that question. The worm certainly has turned when a Democrat with a 93 Liberal rating asks to draft our kids. A military full of men and women who do not want to be there is a bad idea. Everyone else has been mum on the idea, so that tells you on it's chances.

Intelligence Chair. This is the scary one. Going back to last year, there has been speculation that Pelosi wants to replace Jane Harmon with Alcee Hastings. Hastings problems before he even got to DC are well documented, but more importantly, I've seen Harmon a few times, and she is the one to have the job. Her knowledge is is thorough, and she doesn't appear to be motivated by politics to the extent that others have. There will be considerable pressure from the CBC to name Hastings, but that will be a bad move. Can you hear "and Hasty, you doing a hell of a job" at some point?? Inteligence in this day is too important to not put your best man, or woman in this case, in the post.

In NASCAR, it's easy to catch a car, but hard to pass him. In politics, it's easier to say what to do, but harder to do it. If the Dems ignore the kook fringe, they may do okay - but it might be tough when the Speaker pnders to that fringemore than her party. Good Luck !!