Behind closed doors

I see your point: democrats called for transparency and yet there are still closed door meetings and secret deals.  No argument from me that those meetings are ongoing and are certain to continue.  They have been part and parcel of the democratic process for 200+ years.  Like it or not this is how hamburger is made, and it's certainly not pretty.  In fact it's downright sleazy.

I don't go so far as to say Pelosi is lying her vapid stretched head off. She is a politician and was therefore careful in her statements.  She did not specify what form transparency will take; she (purposefully) left some wiggle room in her statements.  Did she lie? Debatable, but not provable.  I will say that, regarding democrats' calls for transparency, their actions have not nearly lived up to their rhetoric.

At the same time, has there not been the most intense scrutiny over every aspect of these bills and this legislative process?  Point to the last time we as a nation had this level of detailed debate over any bill in the last 20-30 years?  It is quite clear that all that public debate has influenced both bills immensely, and continues to do so.  We may not watch these closed door meetings on TV, but yet every congressman in those meetings feels the not-so-gentle prodding of millions of outspoken Americans at their back. Every congressman knows they are being watched and judged; their re-election chances hang in the balance.  They know that every agreement they make behind closed doors will see the light of day when the doors are opened.  They know they will be held accountable for those agreements, good or bad.  In that sense we are indeed behind those closed doors, whether or not a videocam is recording the events for us to see.