Re: Telling political fact
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It shows it was more than symbolic. It worked. Like Colburn said, there is a palpable grumble among conservatives that are fed up with the waste.
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After looking into it, I'm not so sure it worked after all. But anyway, as I said before, this is not the point. Of course many people in congress will exert control over the details of various policies, either on the floor or more likely through committee. That is how the system works. But a bridge here or there represents a small drop in the bucket of public spending. To actually make a real difference, you need to change the overall orientation of policy. And my point is that doing so becomes much more difficult when party discipline and cross-branch coordination is tighter than ever before in American history. I'm talking about the big picture here, not some minor example of jockeying on the senate floor.
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I dont think its a minor point. Coburn leading the charge against the highway bill marked a real deviation from the status quo that you correctly pointed out exists right now. I cant remember the name of the Representative that was one of the leaders in the House of fighting the highway bill but he was put under a lot of pressure by Hastert and company and he stuck to his guns. That represents a real difference. Remember, a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
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