Someone get Judd Gregg the smelling salts, because he has come down with a case of the vapors:
“That would be the Chicago approach to governing: Strong-arm it through. You’re talking about the exact opposite of bipartisan. You’re talking about running over the minority, putting them in cement and throwing them in the Chicago River.”
I think he meant cement shoes, but I’m not going to nitpick- that idea has a great deal of appeal to me right about now. At any rate, this is a Republican we are talking about, so you know where this is going. Judd Gregg was for reconciliation before he was against it.
Meanwhile, no discussion of the process by which Republicans governed when they were in charge would be complete without this trip down memory lane:
When bills do make it to the floor for a vote, the debate generally resembles what one House aide calls “preordained Kabuki.” Republican leaders in the Bush era have mastered a new congressional innovation: the one-vote victory. Rather than seeking broad consensus, the leadership cooks up some hideously expensive, favor-laden boondoggle and then scales it back bit by bit. Once they’re in striking range, they send the fucker to the floor and beat in the brains of the fence-sitters with threats and favors until enough members cave in and pass the damn thing. It is, in essence, a legislative microcosm of the electoral strategy that Karl Rove has employed to such devastating effect.
A classic example was the vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement, the union-smashing, free-trade monstrosity passed in 2005. As has often been the case in the past six years, the vote was held late at night, away from the prying eyes of the public, who might be horrified by what they see. Thanks to such tactics, the 109th is known as the “Dracula” Congress: Twenty bills have been brought to a vote between midnight and 7 a.m.
CAFTA actually went to vote early — at 11:02 p.m. When the usual fifteen-minute voting period expired, the nays were up, 180 to 175. Republicans then held the vote open for another forty-seven minutes while GOP leaders cruised the aisles like the family elders from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, frantically chopping at the legs and arms of Republicans who opposed the measure. They even roused the president out of bed to help kick ass for the vote, passing a cell phone with Bush on the line around the House cloakroom like a bong. Rep. Robin Hayes of North Carolina was approached by House Speaker Dennis Hastert, who told him, “Negotiations are open. Put on the table the things that your district and people need and we’ll get them.” After receiving assurances that the administration would help textile manufacturers in his home state by restricting the flow of cheap Chinese imports, Hayes switched his vote to yea. CAFTA ultimately passed by two votes at 12:03 a.m.
I think the nation will be fine with legislation passed with only a majority vote, and Judd Gregg can go pound salt.
Comrade Stuck
Cement shoes. Anything else would be much too heavy to handle.
Comrade Stuck
Wonder which of my paucity of words warranted moderation.
cement?
Shoes?
John S.
I think we’re gonna have to come with a new term for Republicans, because WATB (Whiny Ass Titty Baby) no longer seems strong enough for them. A hungry infant looking for some milk is less whiny than these fucking clowns.
Anyone have some suggestions?
demkat620
The president is on the tv. Very nice to see an adult talking about our future.
"I love you back!" And the crowd goes wild. Yeah, a little better now.
Comrade Stuck
Nothing like a little protectionism to go with your Free Trade Bill. It’s so Galty in that wingnut sort of way.
JL
Lou Dobbs must be thrilled to be preempted by President Obama.
TR
So that’s the Chicago way? Interesting.
Is the New Hampshire way where you promise to team up with someone to tackle this country’s big problems, and then renege on the offer? Where you repeatedly stab them in the back? Where you accuse the president who invited you into the fucking Cabinet of not being bipartisan enough?
Or is the New Hampshire way where you’re just a giant fucking douchebag?
DougJ
Coming from someone in a state where Republicans just went to jail for phone-jamming, the “Chicago” name-calling doesn’t mean much.
Xanthippas
This sounds like a good start to me.
bootlegger
Just a reminder, there is still time tonight to enter your NCAA brackets in the Balloon Juice tournament pool.
Libby
Like the Grand Obstruction Party has been so very good about negotiating in good faith so far. Bi-partisan=give us everything we want or we’ll stamp our little feet and cry.
bootlegger
Taibbi is awesome, wish I knew him in his substance days.
Libby
@bootlegger: I’m in and I hate to have to tell you this, but I think I’m going to win.
Libby
@demkat620: I still can’t get over how good it feels after eight years of wanting to throw a brick through the teevee screen after ten seconds, to have a president I enjoy listening to, even when he’s giving me bad news. I can listen for an hour and it feels like ten minutes.
Dennis-SGMM
The GOP deserves to have a voice in legislation just as much as the Masters of the Universe deserve bonuses.
Tsulagi
Sounds like a shovel-ready project to me.
The Pale Scot
I believe the correct term is "concrete galoshes"
The Pale Scot
sorry, see here,
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Slang#23rd_century_slang
Brian J
I forget what the Latin term is for the idea that the other side is just as bad and does crappy stuff, too. I know it’s technically a false way of arguing with someone, but really, isn’t it worth mentioning, just to see what others have to say?
For all of the times that I’ve seen those on the right bash the Democrats for coddling up to protectionist interests, sometimes justifiably so, I don’t see them bashing the Republicans nearly as much. The Democrats may get pissed on because of their more widespread connections to unions, but are the Republicans really so much better?
Anyway, as far as Gregg is concerned, I don’t really give a shit what most of these jerks think. Next to the need to be fiscally responsible after eight years of tax cuts and spending that brought us nothing of value, the need to be conciliatory and responsible with presenting legislation is the last thing I want to hear them complain about. At this point, short of holding them hostage, I’m not sure I care how the administration accomplishes its goals.
bootlegger
@Libby: In your wet dreams. Not that I’ll win, my pick is the kiss of death for any team, but I’m getting a strong feminine vibe from the champion’s crown of shot glasses. The shot glass oracle never lies, accept to me of course.
bootlegger
@Tsulagi: cool.
Libby
@bootlegger: I’m a girl. So the shot glasses are telling you the truth. I have a fool proof methodology.
I join a pool every year. Don’t know jack about basketball but I always end up in the top five. I think this is the year I’m going to sweep it. Call it woman’s intuition.
blahblah
Can’t we just give the Republicans an Up or Down vote? I mean is it that difficult to understand?
Oh wait, sorry. Wrong administration.
Rick Massimo
But see, Obama said he’d be different. The Republicans never did. They’ve never been anything but total assholes and never said they’d be anything but.
Snark aside, I really can’t stand it anymore. The way the Republicans wield someone’s offer to be conciliatory against them like a fucking club is EXACTLY what dealing with an alcoholic was like. And the enabling screech of Our Media Stars is exactly like listening to the probably-also-alcoholic spouse.
Ash Can
I can’t believe Obama considered this putz for a cabinet position.
Linkmeister
If we’re gonna argue proper slang, shouldn’t it be "pound sand" v. "pound salt?"
PeakVT
I think he meant cement shoes, but I’m not going to nitpick
I will. Cement shoes is an East Coast mafia practice that exists only in the world of fiction.
PeakVT
Argh. Amend "I’d ask Republicans to stop making stuff up, but they can’t. They’d never be voted into office." to my last post, which went into moderation.
dr. bloor
Baby Jeebus doesn’t love me that much.
gbear
@The Pale Scot:
The Federation is takin’ over!
The Pale Scot
gbear,
Have you ever played "Fizzbin"?
It’s something like Dragonpoker.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Poker
burnspbesq
@TR:
Judd Gregg, meet cement shoes.
Cement shoes, meet Lake Winnepesaukee.
Works for me.
I’ll even buy the cement.
Tonal Crow
These clowns are lucky that Obama hasn’t ordered them airdropped into South Waziristan wrapped in pink burkas emblazoned with 76 different insults to Mohammed.
"Upperdownvote" indeed.
Blogreeder
your a idiot.
Blogreeder
Oh really? Is he speaking with a teleprompter? Or uhmm is he ahhh speaking off the ahhh cuff?
LD50
Home schooled, are we?
mannemalon
@Blogreeder:
How do you get 66% of the words incorrect in a three word sentence?
Blogreeder
He’s certainly different. We’re in a recession. Hey let’s raise taxes! But only on the people providing jobs. No problem, we’ll just print more money if we need it.
Blogreeder
Dang. I was suppose to spell it "idoit". Sorry.
gwangung
Why is that a problem when faced with a DEFLATIONARY scenario?
Blogreeder
A Krugman follower. Did you live through the late 70’s by any chance?
LD50
Or try ‘moran’.
LD50
Don’t forget to point out that Al Gore got a Nobel Prize too, and he’s fat.
Blogreeder
Yea. And everytime he gives a speech on global warming it snows. And he’s fat.
burnspbesq
This Blogreeder guy is good. Where did he come from, the Tedisco for Congress campaign?
les
Wasn’t there some old notion about "majority rules" and "elections have consequences" or somesuch? I’ll have to gazoogle or something.
RE: blograper–dammit, is there no killfile that works on BJ?
gwangung
I asked first. Not a believer in courtesy, I see.
Blogreeder
I believe I answered it with a question. Just to step you through it – I talked about printing money – you asked what’s wrong with that – I answered by pointing out the high inflation period we had in the 70’s. I mean I thought I was clearer than that Tedisco comment I got from burnspbesq.
burnspbesq
@Blogreeder:
Well, you asked.
Jim Tedisco is a Republican member of the New York State Assembly, who is running in the special election to fill the House seat vacated by Kirsten Gillibrand when she was appointed to fill the Senate vacancy.
This is a seat that should be impossible for a Republican to lose.
Tedisco has somehow managed to put himself in a position where he may very well lose it.
So suggesting that someone is from the Tedisco campaign is to suggest a high level of imbecilic incompetence.
Got it?
Mister Colorful Analogy
@les:
Looking for a nice can of Troll-B-Gone, are you? Well, fellow Juicer, you’re in luck. What you want, nay, what you need is Cleek’s super excellent Balloon Juice Disemvoweller / Pie Filter.
Here’s the link: http://ok-cleek.com/blogs/?p=2149
Follow the instructions there, and the resident trolls’ comments will look like this:
You’re welcome. :)
Napoleon
That CAFTA vote is one of my favorites chapters of Republican rule since my Congressman Steve LaTourette was one of the late flippers that got it passed, and in a way that I am still amazed hasn’t cost him his seat. The district has a pretty substantial manufacturing component and LaTourette, smartly, came out against CAFTA and in fact the evening of the vote gave a quote to a local public radio reporter about how he was against it. Well he then votes for it and at something like 1am in the morning the reporter confronts him and he gives the most arrogant quote possible in sum and substance "nobody back home is going to pay attention since they are dealing with 10 inches of snow".
He has now gone through 2 election cycles without his Dem opponent or the DCCC running wall to wall ads with that clip. Un-f—ing believable.
Gregory
@TR:
No.
Zoogz
::Bootlegger @10:
Thanks for the notice. Threw a bracket together super-quick.
For all that care and haven’t signed up yet, it’s still possible as long as you get it in before the first games, takes about five minutes if you zip through it (and already have a Yahoo ID)
Screamin' Demon
Where I come from, the phrase is "pound sand," as in "pounding sand down a rat hole," i.e., wasting time performing a useless activity.
binzinerator
@PeakVT:
Sez you. Cement shoes are the two reasons Jimmy Hoffa was never found. They took him downriver and dumped him in Erie.
jerry 101
Clearly, Mr. Gregg hasn’t read "American Pharoah," or even "Boss," otherwise he would know the way things are done in Chicago.
Both are great reads about a man who was the scummiest scumbag piece of shit, worthless excuse for a human being you can imagine, but who built one of the best modern cities in America. Too bad that his kid is screwing it all up.
physics geek
Hmm. I remember a certain Mr. Cole pissing and moaning when the GOP mentioned possibly changing the Senate rules to allow cloture votes on judicial nominations by simple majority vote, rather than a 2/3 majority. When I mentioned that the Democrats were certain to do the same when they retook Congress, John made some comment about shoving a red hot poker or such up his ass worrying about what "might" happen. Funny thing is, now that it actually is possible that the Democrats would change the cloture rules (again) to their benefit to pass legislation, rather than bring simply to bring judicial nominee votes to the floor, the same Mr. Cole is saying "Serves you right, fuckers!"
I’m not surprised at the blatant hypocrisy. In fact, I expected it. I’d been waiting to see how John would weigh in on this issue and-surprise- he acted like a hack. Then again, the sun did rise in the east this morning, so it’s good to know some things never change.
John Cole
@physics geek: You are talking about the nuclear option, which I opposed, and still do. This isn’t the same thing. Reconciliation is not something new (the point of the entire link exposing Gregg as having supported its use in the past, although I am not surprised you missed that), it is something that has been used over and over again, and you are looking for hypocrisy when there is none.
So stick that in your “up or down vote” and smoke it.
Deborah
(stolen from a TNR commenter) Every Chicago schoolchild knows you don’t dispose of bodies in the Chicago River; it’s too shallow. You dump bodies in the lake.
Persia
@TR:
That’s it, pretty much. Google "New Hampshire" and "the Pledge" for hours of cutting-off-the-nose-to-spite-the-face entertainment.
Comrade Stuck
Though this is pretty much a dead thread, but Mr. Physics Geek has peaked my curiosity with— from his blog.
Mr. Geek, would you please provide links to dems in the Senate who have proposed doing away with the filibuster for ANYTHING.
**I think your full of shit, but will await the evidence on your wingnutty charge.