Calm Before the Storm

Lawmakers are often a raucous bunch when they’re together, but Capitol Hill remains unusually quiet after the Labor Day holiday. Most members of Congress are still back in their home districts this week.

Look for the quiet to end abruptly when the Senate and House are gaveled back in session next week.

While every representative in the House and one-third of our senators are intensely focused on their own individual reelection campaigns, Congress faces a whopping agenda for such a short period before the November elections. On tap for lawmakers to tackle are the enactment of the U.S. federal government’s next budget; several competing measures to fashion a jobs-creation bill; extension (or not) of the Bush tax cuts; enactment of a small business tax-incentive package; and passage of the ICBA-supported $30 billion Small Business Lending Fund.

All these measures have enormous campaign repercussions. And these are just the big items!!

The formal congressional schedule has the Senate and House adjourning in early October—that is probably optimistic. Look for both chambers to be wrestling with legislation after the election in a “lame duck” session at least until Thanksgiving—and probably beyond. Between now and the election lawmakers are likely to bounce back and forth between Washington and campaign events in their home districts.

Washington’s summer quiet season is nearly over. Get ready for another historic and contentious legislative session and campaign season.

Real Facts, and Beer

Lots of Washington, D.C., “pundits” and some association executives are sending out messages and summaries opining on the Dodd/Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act signed by the president last week. Each of these opinions is written more like an op-ed expressing each author’s point of view and particular biases. This blizzard of opinions is the ultimate “spin zone” (O’Reilly is going crazy).

Those messages and summaries that express dark, foreboding predictions of ultimate doom typically are written by those who lobbied on behalf of certain financial services constituencies that did not do so well in the bill. Therefore, someone or something must be blamed (rule one in Washington is that it is never the advocate’s fault). Those messages that express a brighter view are typically issued by those who lobbied on behalf of constituencies that did better than expected in the bill. And so the beat goes on. Is there a “no spin zone” for this bill? Eventually, when the raw emotion and posturing subsides, there will be; and then just plain old boring facts will come out—both good and bad.

In the meantime, I tend to endorse old honest Abe, our 16th president, who made what is to me the ultimate no-spin-zone statement.

“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts, and beer. “
A. Lincoln