Franklin Roosevelt had his first hundred days. Oooh, how dramatic.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is thinking 100 hours, time enough, she says, to begin to "drain the swamp" after more than a decade of Republican rule.
She has a "plan".
As in the first 100 hours the House meets after Democrats — in her fondest wish — win control in the Nov. 7 midterm elections and Pelosi takes the gavel as the first Madam Speaker in history.
Wow, you mean she'll give up the bullwhip?
Day One: Put new rules in place to "break the link between lobbyists and legislation."
This evokes a howl of giggles. I'm thinking it means she'll change her phone number.
Day Two: Enact all the recommendations made by the commission that investigated the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Note she doesn't say which "commission", lol.
Time remaining until 100 hours: Raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, maybe in one step. Cut the interest rate on student loans in half. Allow the government to negotiate directly with the pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices for Medicare patients.
Not Big Gov't, nay, we're talking Hufreakinmongous Gov't - and proud of it! Socialism here we come!
Broaden the types of stem cell research allowed with federal funds — "I hope with a veto-proof majority," she added in an Associated Press interview Thursday.
I think it's clear she's not up to speed on the efficacy of stem cell therapies...
All the days after that: "Pay as you go," meaning no increasing the deficit, whether the issue is middle class tax relief, health care or some other priority.
Great Frickin' Lie #1?
To do that, she said, Bush-era tax cuts would have to be rolled back for those above "a certain level." She mentioned annual incomes of $250,000 or $300,000 a year and higher, and said tax rates for those individuals might revert to those of the Clinton era. Details will have to be worked out, she emphasized.
Yep. Are you hard working and successful in life? Then we'll fuck you. Hard. Ayn Rand weeps, spins.
"We believe in the marketplace," Pelosi said of Democrats, then drew a contrast with Republicans. "They have only rewarded wealth, not work."
Except for the marketplace of the voting booth and legitimate registered voters.
"We must share the benefits of our wealth" beyond the privileged few, she added.
And we'll decide who gets it, of course, in a "special" session in William Jefferson's basement.
Pelosi, 66, has been a leader of the House Democrats since 2002. But her political apprenticeship dates to childhood, when her father was mayor of Baltimore.
She's never had a real job. It's a family tradition.
Now, her political base is about as liberal as it gets, San Francisco. It's a fact that Republicans love to emphasize to voters who might want to visit, but not feel comfortable living there.
It's like a whole 'nuther country.
Republicans find her an attractive political target, and recently said she would try to "cut-and-run" from Iraq while "launching bitter partisan investigations" of the Bush administration, possibly including impeachment hearings.
As has been stated by several of the DhimmiDonk "leaders".
A grandmother five times over, Pelosi pops chocolates, shuns coffee and flashes her wit. Asked what offices should would occupy if in the Capitol if she becomes speaker, she laughed. "I'll have any suite I want."
The trappings of power and those who know how to wield it.
She would, too.
Lol. Duh.
"If the election were held today we'd be successful," Pelosi predicted, claiming that her party's prospects are expanding as the campaign enters its final month. "So many other races are emerging right now," she said.
But it won't be today. It will be in a few weeks. We'll see. We may even weep. But not today, Nancy.
Democrats must gain 15 seats to regain the majority they lost in 1994, and have candidates in competitive races for 30 or so Republican-held seats, according to strategists in both parties. By contrast, only about a handful of Democratic-controlled seats appear ripe for possible Republican takeover.
Wait for it - the experts are often wrong (cuz they're often paid "consultants") and the polls are notorious for bias.
Democrats have a pamphlet that lists all their promises and have run through several slogans in the past year or so as they test campaign messages. In recent days, Pelosi said, their prospects have improved by the discovery that former Republican Rep. Mark Foley (news, bio, voting record) of Florida had sent sexually explicit computer messages to teenage male pages.
Kinda like judge shopping, only less sincere.
Not long before sitting down for a lunchtime interview, she turned down a suggestion from Speaker Dennis Hastert that they jointly appoint former FBI Director Louie Freeh to recommend improvements in the page program.
Cooperate? What do you take me for, a citizen?
"That was about protecting their majority" rather than the pages, she said dismissively.
We smell blood in the water...
Instead, she wants to put Hastert and other Republicans under oath and make them say what they knew of Foley's actions, when they learned it and what they did to stop him.
Yet she has refused to go under oath herself.
The potential for political gain is clear to her.
Blood. I smell blood!
"It's an opportunity for growth among women" for the Democrats, she said. "They don't always vote and this could be a motivation."
Issue Shopping.
With married women, in particular, it's a huge issue, she added.
Sale!
Among older voters, too.
"If there's an ethical issue, seniors take a hike" and abandon politicians they blame, she said.
"If we hold onto seniors we win the election."
Yep, seniors are easy, just promise them lots of shit - and let 'em die off while it languishes in committee.