Congressional Success?

An interesting article in the Washington Post today argues that this congress has actually been the most successful since the Great Society years of 1964-65: www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/29/AR2010012902516.html. What, you say? Ornstein does make some interesting points about the stimulus bill, tax cuts, impetus for green investment, increased regulation and the like. But the bigger issue right now is the obvious failure to pass healthcare right as we stood on the cusp of its success. Americans just don't like this idea of "big government." One irony of the Massachusettes election loss was that Mass. has a very successful public healthcare option that has relatively popular support among the populace. But put the word "Congress" in front of it, and it no longer sounds so great. The federal government has certainly screwed a lot of things up over the years. But what are our options now. The party of no has seemed to move us toward a country of no. Can we survive with pure negativity? It's hard to see how . . .