First Session, 112th Congress sets new record for non-achievement

January 16, 2012 | Filed under Congress | Posted by

Gridlock in Government is neither unusual, unexpected, nor unintended.

Even so, the 112th Congress (and especially the Democrat controlled Senate) have set new low records for achievement.

Congress logs most futile legislative year on record

Outlook for House, Senate also shows scant accomplishment for ‘12 session

By Stephen Dinan – The Washington Times

It’s official: Congress ended its least-productive year in modern history after passing 80 bills — fewer than during any other session since year-end records began being kept in 1947.

Furthermore, an analysis by The Washington Times of the scope of such activities as time spent in debate, number of conference reports produced and votes taken on the House and Senate floors found that Congress set a record for legislative futility by accomplishing less in 2011 than any other year in history.

The Senate’s record was weakest by a huge margin, according to the futility index, and the House had its 10th-worst session on record.

Then again, considering what the 111th Congress “accomplished” (including Obamacare, but not including a budget for either session), such a seminal lack of accomplishment begins to look better all the time.

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Posted by on January 16, 2012.
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  • jim_m

    Who needs Congress to act?  obama has already shown his position is that Congress is entirely unnecessary to the running of the government and that he plans to act regardless of constitutional authority and the will of Congress.  It’s only a matter of time before he decides that the SCOTUS is out of order too and moves to overrule it.

    • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/EU5DQWQTTHTPO4A4ZYSL3AAV2U Adjoran

      That’s his second term agenda.

      But many conservatives will sit out in protest because the nominee isn’t pure enough for them, even though the process was open and democratic – the most democratic selection process in the entire world of major economies.  We don’t even reserve 20% of our convention seats for officeholders and party bosses like the Democrats do.

      If you lose a fair and open contest, of course the mature thing to do is take your toys and run home to cry into Mommy’s skirt.  At least that seems to be the plan of some conservatives.

      • herddog505

        While you have a point, I suggest an alternative: people who didn’t get their way believe that the winner will be a total disaster no worse than Barry and don’t want to – even grudgingly – give their approval to that.

        • http://twitter.com/hrtgt RDM

          THen those people are completely disconnected from all sense of reality.

      • Sheik Yur Bouty

        I held my nose and voted for McCain, even though he was dead last among anyone I would have voted for in the primary last time.  I felt the same way about Dole.  Neither stood a chance in the general, but the stupid party put them out there anyway.

        You can call it whatever you want, but I won’t do it again.  Oh, I’ll still vote.  I just won’t vote the Pres line if the stupid party sees fit to put in another “it’s his turn” candidate.

        You can comfort yourself in the knowledge that I live in Texas.  So, my vote/non-vote won’t affect the outcome with regard to Obama in Texas because the syphilitic camel really could beat The Won here.

  • http://otisthehand.blogspot.com/ OTIS the hand

    “First Session, 112th Congress sets new record for non-achievement.”

    Thank God! Though they did manage to praise King Obama for undermining their authority.

  • GarandFan

    It’s good to be The King.  Especially with the help of that senile old fool, Harry Reid.

    Thanks Nevada!  When the tables are turned, you deserve to be turned into a nuclear waste dump.

  • retired.military

    In Nov I will be voting ABO.  Anyone but Obama
    In the primaries I will be voting ABR. Anyone but Romney.

    If Romney wins the nomination when it comes your turn to vote in the primary I highly suggest you write ABR on the ballot. Send a message to the lackeys in DC that we arent happy with their candidate.

  • ackwired

    At least they didn’t carry out their threat to default on our debt.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_EJGOSD7BRBBY4ZQQEUCFQU4GHU W

    There is something wise with the old saying “First do no harm”There is something wise with the old saying “First do no harm”The problem with legislature is they think being successful means passing a large amount of legislation. Whatever is in that legislation is irrelevant in their eyes as long as it has a nice title and they can count it as a success for it simply passing.  Their focus should be in protecting the people, the people’s rights, the people’s freedoms,  and set up a environment for prosperity.  To be successful in those areas, sometimes it is as important in what the legislators doesn’t pass as what they do Problem is the MSM and many of the population are not wise enough to know that and fall for the “it is the volume of legislation passed” not the quality of the legislation.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_425GVKQCLFZMQYYENR7CJBRDVA jb

    I sense some interesting schizophrenia in the article and the comments.

    If it’s bad that nothing much got done, it’s because of the Democrats.

    If it’s good that nothing much got done, it’s because of the Republicans.

    Well, whose responsibility is it that nothing much got done? The Democrats or the Republicans?