Here is some change you can believe in- just a few months ago this would have been considered treason:
Way back on December 2nd, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) filed a single-payer amendment to the Senate health care bill, which was supposed to come up for a vote this afternoon. But at the last moment, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), at the behest Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), demanded that the entire 700-plus page amendment be read aloud on the floor. That’s happening now.
Under normal circumstances, this would be a 10 or 12 hour dilatory tactic. But not today. Today, Democrats were planning to file for cloture on the Defense Appropriations bill, in order to get it passed by Friday before midnight when department funding runs out. If the entire amendment is read aloud, it’s likely that the Senate won’t be able to pass the defense bill until Saturday at the earliest, and would have to pass a short-term continuing resolution to keep money flowing.
“The only thing that Sen. Coburn’s stunt achieves is to stop us from moving to the DoD appropriations bill that funds our troops – not exactly the kind of Christmas gift that our troops were expecting from Dr. No,” said Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Does this mean Coburn and the Republicans are “objectively pro-terrorist?”
Hunter Gathers
Somehow, I don’t think that this will be the lead story on ‘Morning Joe’ tomorrow…..
dmsilev
What happened to that speed-reader that Henry Waxman (I think) engaged to head off a similar stunt in the House a few months back?
For that matter, is there any rule that says that clerks must be human? I imagine that there’s some 30:1 voice synth program out there that could vocalize the bill in a few minutes. If the GOP wants to play a game of ‘silly asshole’, let’s play.
-dms
Makewi
Right, because you couldn’t pass the appropriation bill first and then come back to reading this POS later.
cleek
it means they are cheap demagogues who would be laughed out of office, if we had a press that was worth a damn.
Zifnab
@dmsilev:
I’d be game for that.
licensed to kill time
Wow! Do we get to call them traitors now ? Think of the troops! They’ll be disheartened ! Where’s Cheney?
Michael D.
Pie filter not working!
fasteddie9318
Yes, but you can breathe a sigh of relief that the weak-sauce comment on it by Harry Reid’s low profile flunky will be the last harsh word the Democrats have to say about it. It wouldn’t be polite to make a big deal of the whole thing. Tom Coburn, the Republicans, Joe Lieberman, et al, are objectively pro-terrorist, pro-big bank welfare, anti-consumer, and pro-death if you’re uninsured. But goodness knows no high profile Democrat will ever actually say that.
4tehlulz
Stopping socialism in America is more important than fighting terrorism, because if people can get health care, that means that the terrorists have already won.
QED Also Because
GReynoldsCT00
@Michael D.:
mine either lately :(
JGabriel
John Cole:
Of course. Haven’t they been all along?
.
KDP
Sanders just withdrew his amendment, and is castigating the Republicans for bringing the work of the government to a halt by requesting the reading.
Citizen Alan
Yes. But then, we knew that years ago when they deliberately pursued policies in Iraq and Afghanistan specifically designed to improve Al-Qaeda’s recruitment.
Dr. I. F. Stone
No, but given that Sanders daughter is going with an avowed Islamo-fascist, it does strongly suggest that he might very well be one.
JGabriel
dmsilev:
That’s a losing proposition. Having seen Republicans — in oh so liberal Manhattan — confrontationally screaming in a bar about their love for Pinochet and what a great man he was, I find it hard to believe Democrats could possibly out-asshole them.
Remember, these are the guys that promote torture as an American value. It’s really fucking hard to get more assholish than that without breaking the law.
I’m not even sure it’s possible.
.
Elisabeth
@KDP:
Too bad. He should have let the reading continue and hit every news program he could multiple times to show the Republicans for the hypocrites and obstructionists that they are.
Xenos
@Dr. I. F. Stone: Link?
And what does his daughter have to do with it?
And don’t let Aimai catch you with that nym, or she will tear you a new circulating connubium.
Comrade Dread
Obviously, they are, or they wouldn’t continue pushing policies that continue to give terrorists fodder to attract new recruits, like bombing targets that kill 1 terrorist and a few dozen civilians.
You and I know civilians are just collateral damage, but for some silly reason those backwards zany brown folks seem to think of them as human beings, family members and loved ones.
Zifnab
@Makewi: That’s kinda the joke. It clogs up the schedule. Then you have to have a vote to reorganize the calendar for the day – which can be delayed.
And for what? So Coburn can have the satisfaction of being a little prick.
Everything in the Senate requires a vote and everything can be jammed up. If they wanted to move the events around, Coburn could jam up the very process of moving the troop vote ahead of the amendment reading.
John S.
@dmsilev:
Now THAT is what Democrats are often lacking that the Republicans have in spades: creativity and chutzpah.
More of both please, Democrats.
cleek
@Michael D.:
workin for me:
JGabriel
Elisabeth:
I guess Sanders’ thought the keeping the troops supplied was more important than political showboating.
It’s a pity Coburn and the other Republicans don’t feel the same way. But what can you expect from a bunch of objectively pro-terrorist wingnuts?
.
cleek
@Comrade Dread:
the only thing they understand is power, also.
which is why they must be defeated.
Shawn in ShowMe
@John S
It’s easy to have chutzpah when the press never makes you pay a price for it.
JenJen
@Dr. I. F. Stone: I will never understand people like you, and I’m fine with that.
JGabriel
Zifnab:
Satisfaction which, one would think, Coburn could achieve much more easily by standing in front of a mirror and pulling down his trousers.
.
KDP
@Elisabeth:
It is too bad. I have a lot of respect for Bernie Sanders, and it is a shame that only the few people willing to watch CSpan will hear him. Glad I work from home and have the opportunity to watch this.
What angered me was to learn that AFTER requesting that the amendment be read, Coburn left the floor. I think a useful Senate rule would require that you remain on the floor throughout any reading that you requested!!
To paraphrase:
The simple reason we are failing at HCR is that we started with the premise that we must protect the for-profit private health insurance industry.
John S.
True, but aside from the folks inside the beltway, I doubt that much of the public would be too upset over clever parliamentary tactics.
Democrats Use Computer Voice to Circumvent Procedures
Isn’t exactly a winning headline.
ChicagoTom
I thought Ron Paul Was “Dr. No” ?
Tom Hilton
And for those of you who believe passing this bill would be more damaging to the Democrats than passing no bill at all: if that’s the case, then why is Coburn doing what he’s doing? Why the whole package of implacable obstructionism from the Republicans? Why wouldn’t they just stand back and let it happen, if it’s such a suicidal move?
Michael D.
@cleek:
I just realized I am at work and I don’t have it here.
Doh!
beltane
Just when the Democrats were set to take the prize in suckiness, the Republicans pull a stunt like this and steal the prize away from them.
Nellcote
If the dems still hold the senate after 2010 they should seriously take a look at the more arcane senate rules.
wasabi gasp
You assume national health care isn’t worse than death. I make that mistake, too.
ondioline
I KEEP HANGING OUT WITH ALL YOU POLITICS NERDS EVEN THOUGH I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE MY FRIEND SAM TOLD ME THAT A GIGANTIC WHITE CAT RUNS THIS JOINT AND I’VE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE NOW AND NO GIGANTIC WHITE CAT SO WHAT’S UP
Elisabeth
@JGabriel:
You have a point. It still pains me that the Republicans get away with this (or praised for it by the dumbasses that support them) because the “liberal” media won’t show them for who they really are.
How many people know that our troops were sent into Afghanistan and Iraq poorly armed? Oops! Guess the media missed that, too. Or buried it on page eight.
JenJen
@ondioline: Tunch is on his break right now. Union rules, you know. We could maybe pass on a message?
Hunter Gathers
@Tom Hilton:
They want to push it into 2010, hoping for a repeat of the summer teabagger craziness over holiday break. They are still scared shitless of this thing, and are hoping that a holiday break of teabagger madness will kill it.
But since the ‘progressive base’ seems to be going full metal teabagger at the moment, this might all be a moot point.
Elisabeth
@KDP:
Every non-conservative Dem and Bernie needs to be all over tv but, for whatever reason, they never seem to articulate just how the Republicans and a few conservative Dems (and Lieberman) are shilling for corrupt insurance companies and screwing the rest of us. Instead we get Harold Ford types.
licensed to kill time
@ondioline:
Check out this link to see white cat awesomeness revealed (doggie love, too)
P.S. Why you are shouting? Gaze upon the Tunch, and all will be well ;-)
Senyordave
That should be the next ad against Coburn, show a picture of Bin Laden juxtaposed with Coburn and a menacing voice-over syaing, “Osama Bin laden is against money for US troops. So is Tom Coburn. Then have a few images of the WTC, maybe toss in some crying people who lost loved ones in 9/11.
Then Sean Hannity can ask people if Coburn is giving aid and comfort to the enemy.
ppcli
@Dr. I. F. Stone:
I have no idea if what you say here is true, but even if you are right about Sanders’ daughter’s romantic attachments, your conclusion depends on the assumption that fathers usually agree politically (or in any other way) with their daughters’ boyfriends.
As the father of a daughter I can assure you that this is probably the dumbest thing any troll has ever assumed here, and that means you’ve reached a very special landmark indeed. You should be proud.
PaulW
Question: why is there an age restriction on qualifying to be a Senator (set at 30 years old) when growing evidence is proving that a majority of current Senators keep acting like 12-year-olds?
Let’s put 7th graders in Congress and we’ll get the same damn results we’re getting now.
Bill Arnold
Any one else (old enough to) remember “blipverts” from “Max Headroom”? TV commercials compressed so much that a stream of them caused some couch potatoes to explode. (Literally).
asiangrrlMN
@Elisabeth: Yes. If they were allowed to voice their opinions with the same frequency and vociferousness as are the Republicans. Which they aren’t. Damn it. Steve Benen on Sanders being the bigger guy here.
I seriously love Sanders, Sherrod Brown, Franken, and Weiner. Feingold is good, too. The rest of the senators can kiss my flat ass. (Well, ok, there are probably a few other good ones I missed, but you get my general drift).
Midnight Marauder
@ondioline:
That’s usually after the sun goes down when the Tunchinator comes out to
dominateplay. And maybe you should take a break from hanging out with us “politics nerds” to fix your Caps Lock button.I think that is “what’s up,”
ondiolineMichael Steele.KDP
@asiangrrlMN:
What you said!
JenJen
@asiangrrlMN: I can’t express how good it feels every time Sherrod Brown is on TV, and I can say “that’s my Senator.”
More than makes up for the fact that I have to look at Jean Schmidt and say “that’s my Congresswoman.”
Just Some Head
I’m not a big fan of demagoging with the troops, no matter who is doing it. There will be a lot of happy troops at Christmas time if we unfund our overseas clusterfucks, no matter how it happens.
Martin
Is there any rule that the bill must be read sequentially? If 50 clerks each grabbed 15 pages and started reading in unison, it wouldn’t take long at all.
And the GOP isn’t scared of the bill. Hell, most of them privately probably like this bill because it will actually work and they do recognize the problem its trying to solve.
But they’d rather put political gamesmanship ahead of this, and they don’t want to see Dems get credit for fixing entitlements, which is what this bill would do. They have to rewrite the Dem/GOP caricatures if this passes.
gnomedad
@ondioline:
Hey, thanks for doing the experiment for me — apostrophes make the following caps larger. What’s up with that?
Okay, NOW you can stop shouting.
Michael D.
@ondioline: Tunch is actually here.
That background color you see?
It’s Tunch.
He’s the background.
Comrade Scrutinizer
@gnomedad:
HUM…
‘HUM…’
Hum…that does work. Not sure why I’d use it, though.
mk3872
How the hell does the press and the Dems let the Repubs get away with behavior with NO PRICE TO PAY???
Comrade Scrutinizer
@mk3872: Just because, that’s why.
asiangrrlMN
@Comrade Scrutinizer: Don’t forget, shut up!
@Michael D.: That made me laugh out loud. Thanks.
asiangrrlMN
@JenJen: No kidding. When I say, “My Senator, Al Franken,” I just get all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Amy K. ain’t bad, either, but she’s no Al Franken.
@KDP: I agree with you that if a senator is going to request an amendment be read in full, then s/he damn well can sit and listen to the whole thing being read.
Chat Noir
@asiangrrlMN:
Me too. My senators, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabbenow, aren’t too shabby.
handy
@Chat Noir:
In Cali, we’ve got Boxer and the useless senator.
Elisabeth
@asiangrrlMN:
And Sanders is mine. (I moved from MS so I definitely traded up.) :)
fizzlogic
Considering this, I hope the Democratic leadership makes the GOP / wJoe go through the dreaded HCR filibuster. It’ll be fun watching RW performance art keeping the Senate from doing anything. It sure as hell would beat watching the Dems not get anything done.
Joe K.
@Martin:
That’s exactly what I was thinking. Except I was thinking 100 clerks, seven pages each. Done in half an hour.
Basically the Reps are forcing the Dems to filibuster themselves. Doh! Why didn’t we think of that?
CalD
Why do Republicans hate America?
Svensker
@Dr. I. F. Stone:
OOooh, smear by association. Good one.
What is an “avowed Islamo-fascist” when it’s at home? I never met one.
b-psycho
He should’ve kept it in anyway. It’s not like the military doesn’t already get way too much money as it is, fuck the DoD bill.
Jab Facecrunch
IOKIYAR
If the troops have to suffer so that the GOP can score cheap political points against the healthcare bill, well, the troops are doing their part to help America. Place a yellow ribbon magnet on the back of your SUV, that’ll show that you appreciate it.
Jab Facecrunch
Why is every comment I try to post blocked without even going into moderation?
Jab Facecrunch
LOL, now that comment shows, but not the original one. The gist of which was:
IOKIYAR
It’s okay to fuck the troops over. It’s okay to hurt America, as long as it helps the GOP. What’s good for the GOP is good for America. Put a yellow ribbon magnet on your SUV, to show America that you love the troops. That gives you imprimatur to do whatever you want.