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What Have They Done for You Lately?
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11/02/07 07:10 AM ET
When I was then-Speaker Dennis Hastert’s (R-Ill.) press secretary, I used to always dread the so-called “accomplishments rallies” that we did to remind voters of the legislation that Congress passed before we left for an extended work period.
Hastert didn’t really love doing them, because he was usually busy trying to do real work. He used to call these events “putting tinsel on the tree.” It was always a process of negotiation to get him to participate, a task I usually left to my colleague Paige Ralston, who was always better at that kind of thing.
But the rallies served their purpose, because we usually had some legislation that we had just passed that was about to be sent to the president and get signed into law.
So it was fascinating to watch House Democrats stage their own “accomplishments rally” earlier this week.
With approval ratings hovering somewhere between 11 percent and 28 percent, depending on the poll, House Democrats really don’t have much to brag about.
But there they were, alternately talking up their own accomplishments while blaming the Republicans for “do-nothingism.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said at the rally, “We come here today with great confidence and pride in what we have achieved and what remains for us to be done.” But later she killed her own message when she confided to a reporter that even she doesn’t approve of the job the Congress she leads is doing.
What was most fascinating is that the Democrats haven’t done anything lately. They aren’t getting ready to leave for a break. They haven’t finished any of their appropriations bills. They haven’t finished the energy bill. They marked up a tax increase that will die in the Senate. They haven’t passed funding for the troops or for veterans or for intelligence agencies to keep the nation safe.
They haven’t done anything.
If I had told Denny Hastert to do an “accomplishments rally” where we didn’t have any new accomplishments to talk about, he would have kicked me out of his office and slammed the door behind me.
You can’t remind voters of your accomplishments when you haven’t done anything.
Hastert didn’t really love doing them, because he was usually busy trying to do real work. He used to call these events “putting tinsel on the tree.” It was always a process of negotiation to get him to participate, a task I usually left to my colleague Paige Ralston, who was always better at that kind of thing.
But the rallies served their purpose, because we usually had some legislation that we had just passed that was about to be sent to the president and get signed into law.
So it was fascinating to watch House Democrats stage their own “accomplishments rally” earlier this week.
With approval ratings hovering somewhere between 11 percent and 28 percent, depending on the poll, House Democrats really don’t have much to brag about.
But there they were, alternately talking up their own accomplishments while blaming the Republicans for “do-nothingism.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said at the rally, “We come here today with great confidence and pride in what we have achieved and what remains for us to be done.” But later she killed her own message when she confided to a reporter that even she doesn’t approve of the job the Congress she leads is doing.
What was most fascinating is that the Democrats haven’t done anything lately. They aren’t getting ready to leave for a break. They haven’t finished any of their appropriations bills. They haven’t finished the energy bill. They marked up a tax increase that will die in the Senate. They haven’t passed funding for the troops or for veterans or for intelligence agencies to keep the nation safe.
They haven’t done anything.
If I had told Denny Hastert to do an “accomplishments rally” where we didn’t have any new accomplishments to talk about, he would have kicked me out of his office and slammed the door behind me.
You can’t remind voters of your accomplishments when you haven’t done anything.
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