Broken

I am indeed happy and amazed that we will very soon see the passage of the most progressive piece of legislation of my adult life. But I also hear NPR's Mara Liason say that there is no way Congress is going to take up a cap and trade bill in 2010. The lesson of the health care "debate" is that the Republican party is now imprisoned by its own ideology and "the fringe" hold the keys. That even on issues where you may have seen some senators who may have been willing to negotiate in good faith, like on environmental or health care issues, even "moderate" Republicans will join the obstructionists. Republicans, like the Great John McCain, who only a short time ago supported cap and trade can now be expected to oppose it loudly and mendaciously in order to turn a general good into a ball and chain for Democrats.

After health care it's hard to imagine what Congress can accomplish to address the nation's most pressing problems.