Sometimes, I swear he'd try to claim that water is wet because of him!
In today’s Orlando Sentinel, Congressman Ric Keller tries to take credit for the College Cost Reduction Act. Nice try, sir!
If the Democrats were not in the majority party of both halves of Capitol Hill, not only would this bill never have left committee but there’s no way it would have left the White House signed. Period!
Let’s take a moment for a reality check. Robert Borosage of the Campaign For America’s Future is among the greatest progressives of his generation. It was Mr. Borosage, through his work on the Take Back America conference, who helped me form the core of my platform. This man understands the failures of conservatism. Here’s a portion of what he had to say about the signing of this vital bill:
"...This week, obstructionist mischief was no match for progressive might."
"How did this happen? Simple. People spoke so loudly that even the obstructionists got the message."
"Campaign for America’s Future helped forge the Campaign for College Affordability coalition, which orchestrated a powerful grassroots lobbying and outreach initiative."
"We educated Congress about the issue, office by office. We framed the debate with an aggressive media effort. We brought allies together and maximized our impact.
"We gave the conservative minority nowhere to run."
"...conservatives couldn’t generate enough votes in Congress to uphold a veto, leaving Bush no real choice but to acquiesce to the people’s will."
"Because we remained engaged, stayed united and stood up to the obstructionists, more young men and women will be able to get the higher education they need to thrive, without being suffocated by unfair debt for the rest of their lives."
Mr. Borosage is correct, of course. I mention this not just as a form of adulation, which is well earned. Nay, it’s vital that we learn this message because a similar strategy is what we will need in order to enact the sweeping reforms necessary to beat back global warming. That remains my top priority and I’m delighted that college will be more affordable across the board by the time I take the oath of office and we wave goodbye to eight years of rancor and rubberstamping from Ric Keller.