On the recordMay 5, 2014
it is no secret that our Nation faces a number of critical problems. We have a national debt that currently stands at $17.4 trillion. We are in the midst of an entitlement crisis that threatens to balloon our debt and swallow funding for the rest of our government. We have a still-struggling economy, which was once again confirmed last week with the announcement of lackluster growth numbers. These are just some of the problems we are facing. There are numerous others. With all the challenges in front of us, you would think the Senate majority and the President of the United States would be focused on solving at least one or two of these problems. Sadly, that is not the case. In this heightened partisan climate, my friends in the majority are far more often than not focused on two things: shoring up their political base and marginalizing their political critics. In other words, it is all politics all the time. It is pretty easy to find examples of the Democrats' efforts to solidify their progressive base. Indeed, we have seen it in just the last few weeks. Why else do you think we have had show votes on bills such as the so-called Paycheck Fairness Act and minimum wage, especially since we already have laws that say women should be paid fairly? Why else did we have to endure the all-night speech fest on climate change a few weeks back? None of these efforts were rooted in any kind of policy justification.…
