Good Morning America
December 21, 2009
While you slept, along strict party lines, the Senate voted to cut off debate on a bill written in secret that has never really been debated. This is the way it is done now. Immensely complicated bills are written in secret and rammed through in the dead of the night with no consideration of bipartisanship.
Why the rush? Why did it have to be done at 1:00 am four days before Christmas? Why did they not make more of an attempt to get bipartisan votes on a bill that will forever change the relationship between the citizen and the state? Why do it in the dark of night? Is there any moment when fewer Americans are awake that 1:00 am on a Monday? This is the “new transparency in government” Obama promised during the campaign and at his inauguration.
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) today took shots at those who are not supporting the health care legislation. During a floor speech, he excoriated Senate GOP members for up holding the pending health care bill and accused their supporters of being birthers and fanatics in right-wing militia and Aryan support groups. He started off by citing an editorial from the Manchester Journal Inquirer, which used insults like “lunatic fringe.”
I wonder what the opponents of the bill over at the Daily Kos are.
“This process is not legislation. This process is corruption.” –Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK).
Here is what is next:
- Tuesday, 7:00 AM – Vote to approve the manager’s amendment. 50 votes are necessary.
- Tuesday, 8:00 AM – Vote to invoke cloture on the original Reid substitute amendment (the 2,000-page bill). 60 votes are necessary.
- Wednesday, 2:00 PM – Vote to approve the Reid substitute amendment. 50 votes are necessary.
- Wednesday, 3:00 PM – Vote to invoke cloture on the underlying bill. 60 votes are necessary.
- Thursday, 9:00 PM – Vote to approve the underlying bill (i.e. the Senate’s version of Obamacare).
50 votes are necessary.
James :
Date: December 21, 2009
R.D. do you think “The Big Lie” phenomenon extends to slander?
The more outrageous the accusation, the more the perception it must have an element of truth?
RD Walker :
Date: December 21, 2009
This site is being hacked. I don’t know by who or how. More to come.
RUDE JUDE :
Date: December 21, 2009
PLEASE keep us posted on the hacker incidents ok? These people are criminals!!
MadBrad :
Date: December 21, 2009
It looks like RD is going to be busy today.
Shawn :
Date: December 21, 2009
Technically, where you indicate that 50 votes are necessary, those require 51 votes (or a simple majority).
R.D. Walker :
Date: December 21, 2009
They only need 50 because the VP – Big Joe Biden – can break the tie in the Senate.