[Pen-l] Query on history of results of defeating bad bills

[Gar Lipow <gar.lipow@xxxxxxxxx>]

One common defense of Waxman-Markey is that it is this or nothing.
That after the defeat of the Clinton-Gore BTU tax, that ended energy
reform for over a decade, and after the defeat of the  Clinton
healthcare reform, that ended health care reform for a decade. (I will
note that these too examples have something in common besides their
defeat.)

My immediate response is that A) WM is bad nothing really is better.
B) We had the really bad Carter energy reform where most of the money
went into shale-oil, and we still got nothing afterwords for a decade.
  C) The EPA has really broad authority to control greenhouse gases,
albeit in a less than optimum manner, and WM trades that away. That
lever gives us another shot at getting something better through.

However, I wonder if the history on this is as one sided as alleged.
Can anyone think of a weak or counterproductive bill that was
defeated, followed by the passage of something better within a few
years?
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