A full plate

This is the moment congressional Democrats have been waiting for. They have begun business on Capitol Hill with massive majorities in both chambers: 256-178 in the House and close to filibuster-proof dominance in the Senate.

Their hopes and dreams will be sealed on Jan. 20 with the inauguration of President-elect Obama, but they are not waiting until then to get down to a massive program of legislation.

The fact that they gathered on Jan. 6 is indicative of what lies ahead. Normally, the first month of the year is one in which legislators ease themselves at a leisurely pace into the new session.

Not this time. They are already hard at work on the economic stimulus package that should be ready for Obama’s signature by Presidents Day.

There is much else already in the works. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has suggested the work rate and legislative output of 2009 could shatter records. The pace in 2007, particularly early on, was fast, with the Dems stretching the workweek to four days.

They are back at that schedule already — they will be here through Friday this week — and will frequently return to Washington from home states and districts on Monday nights for what will technically be five days on Capitol Hill.

After the stimulus is done, much of the rest of the year is likely to be taken up with far-reaching healthcare reform — stem cell funding legislation and the extension of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.

There is much else in the pipeline, but it does not take a litany of specific bills on day one to make the core point: The Democrats are determined to make the 111th a legislative giant.

The first two years of a new Democratic presidency with, they expect, a sympathetic chief executive poised with his enacting pen, plus unassailable majorities in the legislature, present the party with an opportunity for action unlikely to be repeated in the careers of any but the longest-serving lawmakers.

Many Congresses start amid buoyant hopes and excessive expectations. Reality routinely falls short. So some Democrats, particularly the leaders, will try to massage expectations and keep their more enthusiastic rank and file in line so the party does not overreach.

Nevertheless, it is unlikely that this will ever be referred to as a Do Nothing Congress. The danger of which Democrats are already wary is that the 111th may come to be known as the “Did Too Much Congress.”