Democrats go back on promises

The Democrats have gone back on their promises going well beyond the tactics that they accused Republicans of using in the last congress to keep Republicans from having any effect on the legislation.

Bob Novak cites the following:

Democrats are also doing what every majority does in consolidating their power and shaping the debate. Republicans point out that on every significant or controversial bill that has arisen so far, Democrats have stacked the parliamentary process, barring or restricting amendments and keeping Republicans from having any input.

This seems despotic and it definitely violates the Democrats' promises for collegiality, but it is good politics for them anyway.

and

In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has now twice used the arcane technique of "filling the tree" with superfluous amendments, devised a quarter of a century ago by a Republican Majority Leader (Howard Baker). This prevents any changes being offered on the Senate floor and has contributed to degeneration of the Senate as a deliberative body. In his brief tenure as Majority Leader, Reid has filled the amendment tree twice—first on the Iraq resolution and now on the omnibus money bill. Never before had this been done on an appropriations bill.

Good politics for the Dems but a violation of their promises