» Please view "The Weekly Whip" for the week of September 20, 2004 [1]
Once again Republicans have announced a schedule for next week that is short on substance and long on trying to score political points.
Since the Floor Schedule continues to offer few opportunities for a real discussion of the issues, it is important to persist in talking about what Republicans have failed to accomplish:
- a budget
- a transportation bill
- an energy bill
- 12 appropriations bills, including homeland security
- a Defense Reauthorization bill
- legislation to end $4 billion in European Union sanctions on American manufacturers
In addition to specific legislative failures, there are broad policy failures, such as a failure to create jobs, rein in health care costs, and craft a successful policy in Iraq.
Please see the following document, which contrasts Republicans' claims of success against the reality of their failures in major issue areas including jobs, wages, health care, education, deficits and Iraq: