Lame Duck Blues

So Congress is back in town for a little while before the current members are finished with their term. My fantasy would be to see departing Blue Dogs join with more progressive Democrats to do as much good as possible before their time is up. After all, why should they do any favors to the Republicans who are taking their place? My fear is that most Blue Dogs, and some of the more timid among the rest of the Democrats, will go out of their way to "compromise" with Republicans and prove to the corporate overlords they aren't any sort of threat. While Nancy Pelosi seems primed for a good fight, many wimps in the White House, and both houses of Congress, don't show signs of standing firm beside her. On tax-cuts for billionaires, extension of unemployment, the DISCLOSE Act, and other key issues the choice is clear-- act now or lose credibility with the people. While getting legislation passed out of the Senate is obviously the best outcome, sending popular bills to the Senate is a good thing by itself. The key is to shine the spotlight on those Senators who are so eager to shovel more money to those who already have most of it. Force them to justify the cuts, while insisting that there's no money available for extending unemployment. If the Senate obstructionists win the immediate battle for their billionaire friends, they'll lose a lot of ground in the war for public support.