Shelley's Last Week In Congress

According to the Washington Post, I am right that Congress is going to shut down early without dealing with the approprations bills that are needed to pass the federal budget. They may shut things down this week, making Shelley's time as our TX-22 congressswoman, what, two weeks total?

And, why are the Republicans jumping off the Hill Ship so fast? From the WP:

"There is a lot of battle fatigue among members, probably on both sides of the aisle," said Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), usually a reliable conservative firebrand. "Contrary to popular belief, members of Congress are human beings. They have a certain shelf life and a certain amount of energy to be drawn on. We're tired."

Well, I learned something new there. Members of Congress are human beings. Huh. I had no idea.

"Do nothing" is a term that has been applied to this Congress over and over. Also, I like "cut and run." This Congress has been in session for the least amount of time of any Congress in 50 years.

All they've done in the lame duck session is elect new leaders, make committee assignments and move offices. They have to pass a measure to keep the government open until February since they are abandoning their responsibility to pass the federal budget before the end of the year.

They have some dumb stuff on the schedule for this week, including a fetal pain bill. Won't pass. I don't see a Shelley Sekula-Gibbs immigration bill on the schedule.

What is Shelley going to run on in 08? "I was in Congress for two weeks and my biggest accomplishment was that I ran off my staff on Day 2"? or "I earned over $27,000 for my two weeks in Congress. Sweet!"

Oh, and I found this piss-offed-ness about decreased office space for the lame ducks pretty hilarious:

Much of the problem is as prosaic as office space, GOP aides said. Lawmakers were forced to vacate their offices on Friday, and few of them want to hang around Washington with no place to sit. Retiring House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) got angry during a meeting of committee chairmen, demanding to know how he was supposed to complete work on the business tax extension bill without an office, according to one GOP aide present in the meeting.

No place to sit on their asses. How appropriate for the "do nothing" Republicans.