…is completely imaginary for people working on campaigns.  But it’s a new mark in vigor for the US House and Senate, where Republicans are both complaining about the rule change and complaining about it not being vigorously enforced.  Ted Sporer, the Polk County Republican Chair, is the most hilarious member of the latter camp, complaining about a supposed campaign promise that was apparently made on December 5th, 28 days after the election was held.  Apparently he has a problem with Democrats only working four days in a couple of the early weeks, (and he might also have a problem with the Martin Luther King Holiday).  Surprisingly enough,  I couldn’t find ANY complaints about the standard Republican 3-day workweek, or the fact that the House this session worked the fewest number of days in at least the past 60 years.

But anyway, the most important effect of the five day work week in Congress is to really put the screws to the Republicans who have gotten fat and lazy in the majority.  It’s surely no fun to work three days a week when you are powerless, and it is going to be even less fun doing it for five.  Republicans like Tom Latham, who have never experienced life in the minority, might find it such a shock that they don’t feel like raising a million dollars to be ignored for two more years.  Here’s hoping for serious earmark reform too, so that it becomes harder for appropriations committee members (like Latham) to buy their elections through pork.