From a preview of the week ahead in Congress by Wyatt Buchanan in the San Francisco Chronicle:

The speaker also addressed criticism that the version of the farm bill moving through the House does not go far enough with reforms. The bill, which Pelosi supports, is expected to be up for a vote by the House this week.

Bay Area food and environmental activists had formed a new coalition to compete with the traditional farm lobby on the bill. They wanted the bill to put more of a focus on diversity of crops, local farming and increasing fresh fruits and vegetables in school lunches and the food stamp program.

Activists also wanted lawmakers to move money from subsidizing crops to environmental and nutrition programs.

Pelosi said she is "very proud" of the bill and that reforms were made in it that will shift the country's agricultural policies.

"It is a careful balance that I think says you're never going to see a farm bill that looks like past farm bills again," Pelosi said. "This one takes us into the future."

Whenever someone in the farm subsidy lobby utters the phrase "careful balance" in describing a farm bill, it means they got their usual, obscene amount of taxpayer money, and kept advocates for conservation, food stamps, family farms, and other priorities in their place.

This time they've done it with Speaker Pelosi's enthusiastic support--and absolutely zero consultation about the final bill with those in the progressive community who've worked so hard over the past five years to make the case for real change.

The dozens of people and organizations on the progressive side of the policy spectrum that I'm aware of who have been working to reform the farm bill are wondering why Speaker Pelosi didn't even have the courtesy to ask, before publicly flacking the subsidy lobby's "reform" line about their bill: "This is what the agriculture committee thinks is reform. Of course, those 46 members bring 42 percent of the crop subsidy money back to their districts. What do you think?"

I can attest that House Republican leaders never bothered with such considerations when they rammed through the last two farm bills--or any other legislation. They dictated from on high, brooked no dissent, and blew the whistle.

Wasn't that supposed to be one of the things that changed in November?

What do you think?