But... But..... I Thought .....

..... the Dems said you're not supposed to treat the 'minority party' like well ... you know.... a minority party. The Repubs didn't let the Dems have a say in things on the Hill; they claimed. This was all supposed to change. We were now going to be in an era of bipartisanship, they said. They weren't just pulling the wool over our eyes, were they?

Democrats To Start Without GOP Input - washingtonpost.com: "As they prepare to take control of Congress this week and face up to campaign pledges to restore bipartisanship and openness, Democrats are planning to largely sideline Republicans from the first burst of lawmaking.

House Democrats intend to pass a raft of popular measures as part of their well-publicized plan for the first 100 hours. They include tightening ethics rules for lawmakers, raising the minimum wage, allowing more research on stem cells and cutting interest rates on student loans.

But instead of allowing Republicans to fully participate in deliberations, as promised after the Democratic victory in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, Democrats now say they will use House rules to prevent the opposition from offering alternative measures, assuring speedy passage of the bills and allowing their party to trumpet early victories." Full article.