House Democrats Off To A Good Start

House Democrats got off to a good start yesterday. First they elected the first female Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi [D-California]. Then they got down to business by making House ethics rules tougher.

Of course, the Republicans whined that they were being ignored, and their amendments were not given a chance. After the heavy-handed way they treated the minority when they were in power, I doubt too many people will feel sorry for them -- I certainly don't. And with their recent record on House ethics, such as they way they neutered the ethics committee when they controlled it, not to mention DeLay, Ney, Cunningham, Abramoff , etc., I think it was probably better they didn't have a say in new ethics rules.

The Democrats banned all lobbyist-paid gifts and meals. This is something that has needed to be done for a long time. They also banned House members accepting free rides on corporate jets. Personally, I think they should have banned professional paid lobbyists altogether, but I can live with the new rules.

Today, they will be voting to prohibit the secret "earmarking" of funds that allowed members to insert "pork" into bills without a vote or accountability. They will also vote to prohibit votes being held open past the time limit so leaders can round up votes. Both of these measures need to be passed.

While Democrats have made a good start, there is still much to be done. Once they have the new ethics rules in place, they need to start actions to raise the minimum wage. This is another area in which no Republican amendments should be considered. Republicans should not be allowed to water the minimum wage bill down by exempting large numbers of employers or restricting overtime provisions.

Democrats have a golden opportunity to win back the hearts of most Americans. Now they must follow through on their campaign promises. It they do, the 2008 election could be a lot of fun for progressives.