Washington, D.C.

Congress returns to Washington for a “lame duck” session on Monday, November 15th. The session is scheduled to last through the week of the 15th and is set to resume again after Thanksgiving for the week of the 29th. Previous “lame ducks” have been unpredictable, with some lasting for the full schedule and others coming to a rapid close in just one or two days.
The name of the session stems from the fact that it falls after the November election, and that Representatives and Senators who were defeated in the election, or who have voluntarily retired or otherwise not sought re-election will still be eligible to vote as “lame ducks.” The new incoming 112th Congress will not convene until the New Year, in late January of 2011.

What is on the agenda for the Congressional session? Several items loom large; a possible renewal of some or all of the Bush-era tax cuts; funding for most federal agencies which must be addressed by December 3rd; a possible vote to extend unemployment compensation for the many millions of long-term jobless; action on the DREAM Act to begin to address the immigration reform logjam; as well as possible moves to repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” military policy and Senate ratification of a nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia. Owing to the political earthquake of the November 2nd election results the probable flow and outcome of the session is difficult to predict. Democrats find themselves in a shambles, having lost control of the House of Representatives and remaining just barely in control of the Senate. Rejuvenated and emboldened Republicans are still sorting-out their plan of attack during both the lame duck session as well as when the new Congress convenes in just 2 months. Many of the most extreme anti-worker elements are eager to begin attacks on working people immediately, while many incumbent Republican lawmakers desire a more methodical assault.

What should working people be watching for in this brief Congressional session? Overall, it will be important to watch just how the outgoing Democrats conduct themselves during the battles on the tax cuts, unemployment extension, federal agency appropriations, for starters. But more specifically, This session will be the first test of whether Democrats have learned anything at all from their electoral drubbing. House Democrats paid an enormous price on Election Day for the total failure of Senate Democrats appeasement strategy, with the loss of their majority control as a result. Will the two groups unify and begin to resist the Republican attacks? Or, will they further humiliate themselves – and abandon working people – by seeking new and impossible compromises with Republican lawmakers?

While the issues to be taken up during the lame duck session certainly matter, the larger issue of whether or not the Democrats have set a new and sober course in staunch defense of working people is far more critical. In just two months the new Congress will convene; if the Democrats remain on their failed course of begging Republicans for non-existent bipartisan deals during the lame duck session then it will be obvious that working people should anticipate a far more dangerous Congressional environment going into 2011. President Obama has so far offered no help whatsoever to Democrats as they prepare for the lame duck session, choosing to exit the country for his Asian whirlwind tour just moments after the election results caved-in on his party. His several preposterous statements while on the Asia tour regarding the trade and jobs situation in the United States are early indications that President Obama may be preparing for further retreat in the face of the coming Republican attacks. Such was the course taken by President Clinton in the wake of the Democrats electoral fiasco of 1994, which condemned working people to nearly a decade of non-stop attacks from a Republican Congressional delegation happy to press their advantage.

For updates on the lame duck session it is recommended to visit the web pages of several reliable political allies of working people; Senator Bernie Sanders [1] (I-VT), Representative Dennis Kucinich [2] (D-OH) and outgoing House Labor Committee Chair George Miller [3] (D-CA) among others.

Jobs with Justice [4] will provide updates, as will the Campaign for America's Future [5]. The political insider web page Fire Dog Lake [6] also offers great detail on Congressional happenings from a progressive perspective.