House is absent on vacation, America is closed until they return.

[mfcorey1]

Yes, Congress is barely back from a five-week August recess. But after just two weeks back from that break, they now stand adjourned again, this time for a seven-week stretch taking us past the November elections, leading to a new round of "do-nothing Congress" reportage.
But you already knew about that, didn't you? Because the regular Daily Kos Today and This Week in Congress features have been telling you since forever that Republican obstructionists have used procedure to keep the Senate idling for years, and now even the Republican-controlled House—where there is no filibuster—has nonetheless spent the better part of its two years on nothing, only there they've done it as an affirmative matter.

What do I mean? Let's go to the blog equivalent of the videotape:

May 12, 2011:

The House starts the day by finishing the repeal of the imaginary drilling moratorium (read brief descriptions of pending amendments here), then moves on to that Intelligence authorization bill that magically appeared, ready for floor action after two months in limbo, just a few days after President Obama pretty much pwned everybody on intelligence and national security matters, including the do-nothing-that-can-pass GOP House, by overseeing the killing of Osama bin Laden.
Nov. 3, 2011:

But whereas the Senate has the excuse of the filibuster, the House is a place that can get through whatever it wants to get done, because it's strictly majoritarian. It's just that the House doesn't have anything it cares to get through. It's particularly stunning in combination, to see both houses do as close to nothing at all on the same day, in the middle of the week, while thousands are literally in the streets clamoring for action on jobs and economic reform.


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/22/1132106/-New-horizons-in-do-nothing-ness

[MichiganVote]

1. Part time job, full time benefits well into retirement. Must be time for standardized testing.

[malaise]

2. I think I heard that its the first time in fiftyor sixty years that they've

gone home so early. They really were a bunch of do nothing but sabotage ReTHUGs. Vote them out!!

[Tx4obama]

3. Well lets not forget that it is also OUR DEMOCRATS that are back home fighting ...

to keep their Senate and House seats.

I would also like to see them still in D.C. getting something done, but they can't be in two places at the same time

[spin]

4. Many members of Congress plan to spend the next few weeks promising voters ...

how hard they will work to overcome the problems our nation faces when they get reelected.

[SammyWinstonJack]

5. Same promises every election cycle. Getting (re)elected is all that matters.

Or so it seems.

[spin]

6. To be fair the Tea Party caused compromise in Congress ...

to be very difficult. Hopefully their influence will wane in this election cycle.