Tom Mulcair confronted Prime Minister Stephen Harper during a Senate meeting about Harper's avoidance of direct answers to questions surrounding Nigel Wright and Senate reform. When asked if the Prime Minister's Office was under investigation, Harper claimed "To my knowledge" it was not, which Mulcair said was a classic political weasel word. A recent poll showed only 18% of Canadians believe Harper has been truthful about the Senate scandal. The discussion then turned to Justin Trudeau's decision to expel Liberal senators, which Harper disagreed with, saying Canadians want an elected Senate instead. Mulcair continues advocating for abolishing the Senate, which recent polls suggest is the will of many Canadians.
An election is coming and you need to know about the most significant bills that have affected Canada (opinion) and who voted for them. All information is sourced from news websites and there are links on each page to read more.
Although it's our birthday, you're the one getting the gift of the best Indiana political gossip, rumor, and blatant innuendo a guy can give. Happy reading.
A vote to advance the massive coronavirus stimulus bill failed on Sunday night in the Senate as negotiations had yet to produce a deal on the more than $1 trillion aid package. A second vote has now been scheduled for Monday shortly after 12:00 p.m. ET.
SARAH BINDER is Professor of Political Science at George Washi.docxtodd331
SARAH BINDER is Professor of Political Science at George Washington University and a
Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. She is a co-author, with Mark Spindel, of The
Myth of Independence: How Congress Governs the Federal Reserve.
78 f o r e i g n a f f a i r s
How to Waste a
Congressional Majority
Trump and the Republican Congress
Sarah Binder
Governing is always hard in polarized times, but it has been especially hard during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first year in office. Undisciplined and unpopular, Trump has been
largely unable to advance his agenda on Capitol Hill despite Repub-
lican control of both houses of Congress. With his political capital
shrinking as his public approval falls, Trump will no doubt struggle to
deliver on his campaign promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act,
reform the tax code, build a wall along the southern border, and repair
the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
It is tempting to blame Trump’s legislative failures on his lack of
government experience, his indifference to the details of policy, and
his tempestuous personality. But focusing only on personal character-
istics misses the political and institutional dynamics at play. The two
parties are deeply polarized, Republicans hold only a slim Senate
majority, and Republican conferences in both chambers cannot agree
on key issues. A more disciplined and popular president might have
managed to bring Republicans together. But huge obstacles would
still have remained. As it stands, Trump is heading into his second
year in office with little to show in terms of legislative victories—and
few reasons to believe his agenda will fare any better in the future.
STUCK IN NEUTRAL
Judging legislative accomplishments so early in a president’s term is
risky. Congressional Republicans won’t face voters until November
JF18_book.indb 78 11/16/17 6:14 PM
How to Waste a Congressional Majority
Ja n u a r y / Fe b r u a r y 2 0 18 79
2018, and Trump won’t for two more years after that. But so far, Trump’s
record pales beside those of other modern presidents. Ever since
Franklin Roosevelt’s extraordinary first 100 days, during which he
persuaded Congress to pass a raft of major laws to combat the Great
Depression, that mark has become a checkpoint in assessing presidential
performance. In their first 100 days, most presidents exploit their elec-
toral victory to push through major proposals. Even with Bill Clinton’s
rocky start in 1993, Democrats swiftly enacted the nation’s first family-
leave law, which had been vetoed by George H. W. Bush. In 2001,
George W. Bush made quick progress on a multitrillion-dollar tax cut, as
well as on landmark education reform. Within a month of taking office
in 2009, Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress had delivered the
largest fiscal stimulus since World War II, along with pay-equity and
children’s health-care reforms that Bush had vetoed.
Trump came into office with a litany.
An election is coming and you need to know about the most significant bills that have affected Canada (opinion) and who voted for them. All information is sourced from news websites and there are links on each page to read more.
Although it's our birthday, you're the one getting the gift of the best Indiana political gossip, rumor, and blatant innuendo a guy can give. Happy reading.
A vote to advance the massive coronavirus stimulus bill failed on Sunday night in the Senate as negotiations had yet to produce a deal on the more than $1 trillion aid package. A second vote has now been scheduled for Monday shortly after 12:00 p.m. ET.
SARAH BINDER is Professor of Political Science at George Washi.docxtodd331
SARAH BINDER is Professor of Political Science at George Washington University and a
Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. She is a co-author, with Mark Spindel, of The
Myth of Independence: How Congress Governs the Federal Reserve.
78 f o r e i g n a f f a i r s
How to Waste a
Congressional Majority
Trump and the Republican Congress
Sarah Binder
Governing is always hard in polarized times, but it has been especially hard during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first year in office. Undisciplined and unpopular, Trump has been
largely unable to advance his agenda on Capitol Hill despite Repub-
lican control of both houses of Congress. With his political capital
shrinking as his public approval falls, Trump will no doubt struggle to
deliver on his campaign promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act,
reform the tax code, build a wall along the southern border, and repair
the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
It is tempting to blame Trump’s legislative failures on his lack of
government experience, his indifference to the details of policy, and
his tempestuous personality. But focusing only on personal character-
istics misses the political and institutional dynamics at play. The two
parties are deeply polarized, Republicans hold only a slim Senate
majority, and Republican conferences in both chambers cannot agree
on key issues. A more disciplined and popular president might have
managed to bring Republicans together. But huge obstacles would
still have remained. As it stands, Trump is heading into his second
year in office with little to show in terms of legislative victories—and
few reasons to believe his agenda will fare any better in the future.
STUCK IN NEUTRAL
Judging legislative accomplishments so early in a president’s term is
risky. Congressional Republicans won’t face voters until November
JF18_book.indb 78 11/16/17 6:14 PM
How to Waste a Congressional Majority
Ja n u a r y / Fe b r u a r y 2 0 18 79
2018, and Trump won’t for two more years after that. But so far, Trump’s
record pales beside those of other modern presidents. Ever since
Franklin Roosevelt’s extraordinary first 100 days, during which he
persuaded Congress to pass a raft of major laws to combat the Great
Depression, that mark has become a checkpoint in assessing presidential
performance. In their first 100 days, most presidents exploit their elec-
toral victory to push through major proposals. Even with Bill Clinton’s
rocky start in 1993, Democrats swiftly enacted the nation’s first family-
leave law, which had been vetoed by George H. W. Bush. In 2001,
George W. Bush made quick progress on a multitrillion-dollar tax cut, as
well as on landmark education reform. Within a month of taking office
in 2009, Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress had delivered the
largest fiscal stimulus since World War II, along with pay-equity and
children’s health-care reforms that Bush had vetoed.
Trump came into office with a litany.
SARAH BINDER is Professor of Political Science at George Washi.docx
Sample press release
1. DEPUTY DIRECTOR OFMEDIA RELATIONS
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 7, 2014
Tom Mulcair Confronts Stephen Harper on Questions Surrounding Nigel Wright and
Senate Reform
Tom Mulcair, leader of the New Democratic Party, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper faced off
again during today’s Senate meeting.
Mulcair confronted Harper and challenged that the Prime Minister has consistently avoided
direct answers to questions about both the Senate scandal and Nigel Wright for months and is
destroying his government.
Harper’s response was the usual, confirming Mulcair’s accusation. He was kept in the dark
concerning the payoff deal and that everyone conspired around him.
When asked if the Prime Minister’s Office was being investigated, Harper said, “To my
knowledge, the Prime Minister’s Office is not being investigated. The RCMP has not said any
such thing.”
“Now there is a classic, Mr. Speaker: ‘To my knowledge.’ That is a new one. It is in the top 10
of weasel words,” said Mulcair.
When asked again whether he knew about Senator Duffy’s illegitimate expenses being paid off
by his former Chief of Staff, Nigel Wright, Harper repeated his claims that he had instructed
Duffy to pay them from with his own money.
“Is that the PM’s code of ethics, the criminal code?” Mulcair replied. “In other words, if you’re
not under criminal investigation by the RCMP, no matter how reprehensible, it’s not really
wrong? Is that the standard that he’s holding his government to? What’s the ethical difference
between a $90,000 cheque from Nigel Wright and a $32,000 cheque from the Conservative
Party? Ethical difference. A hint: the answer is not $58,000.”
A recent Ekos poll revealed that only 18% of Canadian respondents believe that Harper is being
truthful about events surrounding the Senate Scandal.
The topic was then steered towards its intended course and revolved around Justin Trudeau’s
recent decision to expel Liberal senators on Wednesday, January 29. The Prime Minister stated
that he and the Canadian people disagree with this course of action.
2. DEPUTY DIRECTOR OFMEDIA RELATIONS
NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY
“What the Liberal Party doesn’t understand is that Canadians are not looking for a better
unelected Senate,” Harper said. “Canadians believe that for the Senate to be meaningful in the
21st century it must be elected.”
Mulcair’s opinion on Senate reform is well known. He toured the country beginning in August
to spread the NDP’s message that the Senate is full of unelected party hacks who have no
business writing Canada's laws and should be abolished. "It's hard to be a place of sober second
thought when you are drunk with entitlement and power," he said about the Senate at that time.
His opinion has been driven home in the minds of many Canadians by recent Senate
developments. It underlines all of Mulcair’s points on the issue and backs up his previous
statement that the Senate does not function as it should and is a waste of taxpayers’ money.
An exclusive Nanos Research poll for CBC News Network's Power & Politics showed that 41 %
of Canadians polled want the Senate abolished. Combine that fact with the results of a recent
Ekos poll, and you get a clear understanding about the will of the Canadian people. Of the
people questioned, 50% of respondents said that they approved of the way Mulcair is doing his
job. A full 69% of those respondents disapproved of the way Harper is doing his job, this says a
lot about which direction the government should be going in.
MediaContact: Sheryl Doiron
DeputyDirectorof MediaRelations
NewDemocraticParty
House of CommonsOttawa,ON,KIA 0A6
Telephone:613-995-7224
.
