Yesterday, I took issue with a column by William Galston claiming that the president's ambitious agenda would hurt his ability to govern effectively. Today, congressional expert Norm Ornstein examines whether Congress is up to the task of passing an enormous legislative package, concluding, "When we look back at the 111th Congress years from now, I believe there is a real chance we'll recall its truly impressive record of major legislative action and see that it rivaled the Congresses that ushered in both the New Deal and the Great Society."
Read the piece to understand the structural advantages that come from a historically strong Democratic majority and the atmosphere of crisis, and just how smart the president has been in divvying up policy responsibilities among different committees and packaging reforms in the budget to allow for the threat of reconciliation. Ornstein is a classic congressional curmudgeon, always ready to bemoan the institution's inefficiencies and failings. If he thinks it's possible for Congress to handle the presidential agenda, that should count for something.
-- Tim Fernholz
