COLE: 2008 won't be very productive for Congress

The U.S. House and Senate probably won’t get much accomplished this year, 4th District Congressman Tom Cole predicted Wednesday.

Speaking at a breakfast meeting of the Cleveland County Business and Industry Council, Cole, R-Moore, said the problem was due to the 2008 presidential election.

“The conventional wisdom is that we won’t get a lot done in a presidential year,” he said.

Cole said House Democrats will want to delay major initiatives until after the fall elections and added the GOP is in a defensive mode.

“That will probably be what happens,” he said. “The focus will be on the normal, governmental appropriations process.”

Still, he said, voters shouldn’t write off initiatives by President George Bush.

“Even as a lame duck president, Bush holds a strong hand,” he said. “He wants to leave a legacy.”

Cole said he would be “interested” to see if President Bush offers a stimulus package to keep the economy from slipping into a recession.

“You business people are worried about your business, and the economy,” he said, “while we politicians are in survival mode. We have to demonstrate to the American people that we can govern. It would be a marvelous way for us to end the year.”