The Do Something Congress

I tweeted something to this effect last night, but I thought it was worth putting up here as well: When all is said and done, the 111th Congress will go down in history along with the 89th and the 74th Congresses as one of the most effective enactors of progressive legislation in American history.

Think about the list: Providing healthcare coverage to 31 million uninsured under the healthcare law. Reforming the way student lending is done in the country. Reforming the way credit cards function in the country. Changing the way financial institutions in the country are regulated. Ensuring equal pay for equal time worked. Reinvesting in America through the Recovery Act. And now ending Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Is it everything progressives wanted to have done? Far from it. But did Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid manage to get more progressive legislation to the President's desk this Congress than all of their predecessors in the past 40 years combined? Definitely.