In an example of self-serving cowardice unseen since the tale of Chicken Little,

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi summed up their electoral panic quite nicely:

Whatever the Senate passes – they’ll send it over and we’ll pass it.

As they go out among the American people, trying to prevent the Political Massacre scheduled for November 2nd, Congresschickens are facing more than four weeks of defending unpopular votes in favor of President Obama’s economic stimulus measure, health care law and uncompleted legislation for curbing global warming.

They also head home without passing what was supposed to be their closing argument of the campaign, an extension of Bush-era tax cuts for families making less than $250,000.

Republicans and dozens of Democrats urged Congress to preserve the tax cuts for all Americans, even the wealthiest, in order to try to being to turn around Obama’s economic policy failure.  However, those brave Democratic leaders opted to avoid the risk of being branded tax hikers and punted the matter until after the elections.

House Minority Leader John Boehner began to guide the chickens’ heads toward the chopping blocks:.

If Democratic leaders leave town without stopping all of the tax hikes, they are turning their backs on the American people.

The Head Hen, San Fran Nan Pelosi,  has vowed that the middle class tax cuts will be passed this year.

Republicans also nailed Democrats for putting off  the embarrassing ethics trials of Reps. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., and Maxine Waters, D-Calif., until after the Midterms. Both of the accused Congresschickens had said they wanted trials as soon as possible.

Before Republicans take control of Congress and they get fried in committee.

House leaders also ignored a vote on a Senate-passed school nutrition bill favored by first lady (and world traveller) Michelle Obama. The bill is opposed by liberals because it would cut food stamp benefits to find the money to pay for better school lunches. The Senate passed the $4.5 billion legislation in August, and many of the child nutrition programs it includes were set to expire on Thursday, the last day of the fiscal year.  The democrats will not face Michelle’s wrath now, thanks to passing the stopgap measure.

In the waning hours before adjournment, Democrats moved what smaller legislation they could.

The House was advancing to Obama’s desk a bill setting NASA policy and legislation aimed at strengthening congressional oversight of sensitive spy operations. But a House measure to provide free health care and additional compensation to World Trade Center workers sickened in the towers’ crumbled ruins was sure to stall in the Senate.

The stopgap spending measure was stripped of a host of add-ons sought by the Obama administration, including money for “Race to the Top” grants to better-performing schools and more than $4 billion to finance settlements of long-standing lawsuits by black farmers and American Indians against the government.

Negotiations continued, however, on a separate bill to provide $1.2 billion to remedy discrimination by the Agriculture Department against black farmers and $3.4 billion to settle claims that the Interior Department mismanaged Indian trust funds. Prospects were being helped by the addition of several measures — favored by western Republicans — to resolve Indian water claims.  Tom Coburn of Oklahoma was holding the line for the Republicans in this matter.

The stopgap bill is a reminder of the dismal performance by Congress in doing its most basic job — passing an annual budget and the spending bills for agency operations.

Only two of a dozen annual appropriations bills have passed the House this year and none has passed the Senate as Democratic leaders have opted against lengthy floor debates and politically difficult votes on spending.

The breakdown in the budget process includes a senator from Obama’s own party holding up the confirmation of a director to head the White House budget office, a critical post. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is blocking the nomination until the administration lifts or significantly modifies a Gulf oil well moratorium imposed after the BP spill.

The end-of session agenda included:

— A legislative blueprint for NASA’s future that would extend the life of the space shuttle program for a year while backing Obama’s intent to use commercial carriers to carry humans into space. Obama will sign the measure.

— The first intelligence authorization bill since 2004, with compromise language on demands by Congress for greater access to top-secret intelligence. The most secret briefings will still only be provided to top congressional leaders, but members of the intelligence panels will receive a general description of the programs. The House was clearing the measure for Obama.

The aforementioned child nutrition bill ran into trouble after House supporters abandoned their own $8 billion version and proposed passing the Senate version, which would be partially paid for by using future funding for food stamp programs. The bill now faces opposition from hunger groups, and some Democrats have said they will not support it if the food stamp money is used.

As we head into the home stretch, before the Midterm Elections, expect the campaign rhetoric of the Progressives to be very reminiscent of Chicken Little’s:

THE SKY IS FALLING! AND ONLY MASSIVE FEDERAL GOVERNMENTAL PROGRAMS DESIGNED BY OUR SUPERIOR INTELLIGENCE CAN SAVE YOUR LIVES!

Well, okay.  Chicken Little did not say all of that, but you get the idea.  Massive Government Programs are not what this nation needs to rebound from Obama and the Democrats’ failed economic policies.  Obama and his minions need to get out of our way and allow American initiative and work ethic to get us out of this horrible economic mess that their Progressive Policies have created.  Since, they refuse to do that, on November 2nd, Americans will begin to reclaim our country.