So much for change, at least on Capitol Hill. The House opened Tuesday with a heated dispute about a rules change that will affect the minority Republicans’ ability to influence the substance of bills. Among the words exchanged about the change:
“Today’s new beginning is nothing more than a new low for the Democratic majority,” said Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif. “Their cynicism and manipulation is all the more dismal against the backdrop of President-elect Obama’s vision.”
Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, said, “This is not the democracy we know and love.”
But Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., said about his Republican colleagues: “They chose talking points over accomplishments. They chose to be the party of obstructionism.”
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70 Comments
Where’s the love?
Come on you people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now
The Dave Clark Five – Everybody Get Together
My favorite version by the Youngbloods
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ALKAaa-TU&feature=related
“Gotta love that Olivia Newton John”
Just remember: What goes around, comes around.
Republicans may be a slump, but they will someday return to a majority. Maybe not in the next decade.
But they will get their turn to change the rules too.
I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: ‘O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.’ And God granted it.
– Voltaire
Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, said, “This is not the democracy we know and love.”
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
sucks for the toyboy to face reality
Is there a way to change the rules so that the cons just have to sit there, not speak, and age in quiet? Let’s shoot for that.
Funny, the Republicans didn’t whine when the rules were changed in order to favor seats given to those Republicans who could raise the most money. Now the Democrats return to a system that doesn’t reward greed and corruption, no wonder the Republicans are upset.
Really…The first day and it appears there will be little done but bitkering. Wonderful.
I don’t know the details, but it is strange that Pelosi, who had called for bipartisan cooperation, would seek to change rules that allowed for power sharing that Newt Gingrich, who the Dems attack for partisanship, put in place. Is that irony?
Remember when the Republican Senate considered the “nuclear option” of removing the option for filibuster in certain situations? They didn’t do it. Now, as the minority, they are glad they didn’t.
But most people, apparently including Nancy Pelosi, can’t think 15 minutes ahead.
Is that irony?
——-
Or is it hypocrisy?
Outlander –
Liberals don’t understand irony. Neither do they respect differences.
All that “tolerance” talk? All the “respecting differences” talk? When push comes to shove, it’s just talk. They don’t mean a damn bit of it.
I have not one ounce of sincerity when I’m being deliberately hypocritical. :D
The Republicans have already indicated their plans to remain partisan by their pledge to block Obama’s nominees even before they are questioned by a Congressional panel. This latest farce of the Republicans is just signs of their desire to play politics while hundreds of thousands lose their jobs ever month and our debt skyrockets while our dollar is on the brink of collapse.
The people want change, the Republicans want to continue their failed policy of obstructionism, even while Rome burns.
“Why Can’t we be Friends?” – WAR
“outlander” posts –
“I don’t know the details, but….”
Every post by a CON to this forum should begin with those six words.
#
Monkeyhawk
Posted January 8, 2009 at 8:35 am | Permalink
“outlander” posts –
“I don’t know the details, but….”
Every post by a CON to this forum should begin with those six words.
==============================
Every post by a liberal should begin with these words.
I’m out of touch with reality.
Well, I could amend that to; “I don’t know the details, but I do have a better understand than Monkeyhawk”.
How’s that Monkey?
“All that “tolerance” talk? All the “respecting differences” talk? When push comes to shove, it’s just talk. They don’t mean a damn bit of it.”
Damn you don’t know how hard I hope you are right. In the larger sense I mean.
I happen to know you are wrong on the smaller scale.
Just yesterday, a liberal told me we have to TRY and work with you people. Otherwise how are we different and better than you.
Me I think it is a lost cause.
understandING
The Republicans have no one to blame but themselves. They are the ones who lost this election because of all their high-minded and arrogant attitudes. They need to shut up and find a way to cooperate.
My recommendation for the Republicans is sit back, buy some popcorn, keep your mouth shut and nose clean and watch the insuing carnage.
We’ll have a sweep in 2010.
It’s wonderful to start the day with a laugh!
oldkansan, welcome to WEBlog. I hadn’t seen you post before, but I agree with what you said above!
It is now the Democrats turn to take the blame and the credit. The Republicans will attempt to ensure most of what the Democrats get is blame so they can have another turn.
The Republicans greatest fear is that our challenges will be met, our economy improve, diplomacy succeed where war didn’t — while the Democrats are in the majority. They weren’t able to do anything positive with their majority and they will do anything and everything necessary to make it difficult for success to be met with a Democratic majority.
WE THE PEOPLE elect these yahoos, pay them to represent us. So who is are the biggest fools? I say WE THE PEOPLE are.
Pelosi’s rule changes are not just about rendering the Republican minority mute. They are about making the legislative process more closed to the public. Which of course makes it easier to ram stuff down the throats of “the folks” without them seeing it.
Gingrich made the legislative process more open and transparent to the public. Pelosi doesnt like that apparently.
“outlander” offers –
“…I could amend that to; “I don’t know the details, but I do have a better understand than Monkeyhawk”.
How’s that Monkey?”
I think the first six words are sufficient.
But it’s obvious you do not “have a better understand” of the concept of proofreading before you post.
Pelosi does have a nice chest though.
Perhaps the way to improving Congress is to have female breasts in larger numbers?
I bet Barney Franks would volunteer for an operation to fit in.
Oops, “outlander” corrected his typing error way before Monkey caught it.
So, how’s breakfast today Monkey? First eating crow from your tussle with Boxlock, and now wiping some more egg off of your smarmy little face.
Heckler
Posted January 8, 2009 at 8:52 am | Permalink
Pelosi’s rule changes are not just about rendering the Republican minority mute. They are about making the legislative process more closed to the public. Which of course makes it easier to ram stuff down the throats of “the folks” without them seeing it.
Gingrich made the legislative process more open and transparent to the public. Pelosi doesnt like that apparently.
————————————————–
but but but but but BUSSSSSHHHHHHH
Pelosi is doing nothing more than clarifying what the Republicans did during the six years of the Hastert/Delay regime. On nearly every bill, it was unwritten policy that unless there was a Republican *majority* willing to vote for it (in other words, it had to be able to pass without ANY Democratic votes), it wasn’t allowed to come to the floor. In other words, the House Republican leadership talked the talk about fairness and all that, but when it came down to walking the walk, the House Democrats were rendered irrelevant by Republican maneuvering.
This may not be the best way to run the country, but at least the House Democrats are going to be honest and straightforward about rolling the minority.
As other posters have noted, that karma she is a biyotch.
Laws were passed by Congress without a Vote on the floor of the House?
What country do you think this is?
It lives…
“They chose talking points over accomplishments. They chose to be the party of obstructionism.”
No truer words have ever been spoken. Now they cry foul? How funny!
I’m so glad Tiarht is so concerned about the status of democracy. It’s too bad he was not that concerned when he and his fellow Republicans helped Bush spend billions of taxpayer money without allowing any Democratic opposition.
Kia does bring up a good point about Republicans sitting back and keeping their mouth shut. But as for keeping their nose clean – I wonder if any of them can really do that. As for the sweep in 2010 – don’t bet on it. I think the Republicans will be in the cold for a long time due to the majority of Americans blame the Republicans for the mess the country is in today.
“biyotch”
Is this the homo (sorry, I refuse to use the stolen word “gay” in this context)way of spelling or pronouncing the word “b*tch”? Because kfg uses it, and Tom uses it.
karma is a buy-otch?
Just wondering.
I thought it was be-otch?
Never mind. I can’t hang around anymore. Burning billable hours.
It’s nice to see that “Regular” and outlander are still true to form. I post something of substance that addresses the blog topic, and they respond with dehumanizing (”it lives”) and homophobic insults.
I’d say it’s nice to be back, but really, boys, it’s only because work is slow right now.
But ‘work’ isn’t something either of you know about, is it?
Happy New Year!
“It’s nice to see that “Regular” and outlander are still true to form. I post something of substance that addresses the blog topic, and they respond with dehumanizing (”it lives”) and homophobic insults.”
Amen…sad how people’s true character shows through when they get frustrated because things haven’t gone their way.
I have more productive things to do than to trade insults with a bunch of sad, sorry, old men. See ya.
Repubs do best for the country when they are marginalized. Time to take care of business.
Glad to be of service to your sensibilities. :D
My recommendation for the Republicans is sit back, buy some popcorn, keep your mouth shut and nose clean and watch how the adults do it.
If the Senate repubs don’t want to play ball, we can always intimidate them with the nuclear option.
#
Mr_Kia
Posted January 8, 2009 at 9:07 am
Laws were passed by Congress without a Vote on the floor of the House?
What country do you think this is?
Mr Kia,
That’s not what I wrote. Please re-read carefully.
Thanks.
#
Phantom
Posted January 8, 2009 at 9:28 am | Permalink
My recommendation for the Republicans is sit back, buy some popcorn, keep your mouth shut and nose clean and watch how the adults do it.
======================
I’ll be in the corner with my party hat and kazoo.
“The people want change”
Where do you get that Maggotpunk?
The popular vote was 52-48%. America remains nearly evenly divided. There was no landslide election. There was no grand slam.
No call to “change”.
Since you used the word “change” maybe you can tell us what that means – in detail?
You know what really matters is what exactly will get done with all this bitkering going on in the House. And before you jump me, let me say that I call foul on both sides of the isle in this regard. We can argue our ideals over and over but if nothing at all gets done we all lose.
My two cents.
“American_Way”,
I’m sure you recall that the 2000 Presidential race was “won” by Bush, who received fewer votes than his opponent. So, by your standard of diminishing Obama’s clear and convincing win over McCain, tell me what mandate Bush had for the actions *he* took?
Oh, and the final tally last November was 52.9 to 45.7. Not 52 to 48 as you claim. (I just LOVE revisionist history!).
thomaswitt
I never disagreed nor tarnished Obama’s win. He won and I never said he did not.
My point was to not make something out of that win that it was not. It is not a cause to put Obama’s face on US currency.
IMHO, Obama will be the leader of a severely divided nation. Yes, democrats clearly have achieved a great victory. Yep, they will run the country.
Almost every state election was close for Congressional Seats, and even for president in many cases.
Just don’t fool yourselves into believing they are running it on behalf of the beliefs of anything more than a slim majority.
thomaswitt
And your percentages are correct. I had found a site that had rounded them. Regardless, my point is the same. We are nearly evenly divided.
What sways each election is not so much the beliefs of the new candidate – but how badly the incumbent ticked people off. This is because we are so divided. Independents and a few ticked off voters from either party can change an election.
Maggotpunk is either gone, or incapable of answering my question.
No one seems to know what “change” is specifically.
There is no mandate for change.
Folklore.
revisionist history.
American_Way,
On another thread (I think the Open) I posted a link to the 12 bills bush vetoed as of December 2008. Each of those bills (specifically!) could be brought up again, passed again and not vetoed this time around. That seems like change from what was.
“American” Way,
Of course my percentages are correct. And it looks like your “source” did more than a little rounding. The margin of victory was 7.2%, not 4% as your numbers would suggest. That’s an error of 45%! A teacher would give that a big, red, F.
But then, as Stephen Colbert says, facts have a liberal bias.
You still haven’t answered my question, though. Where was the Bush mandate for the horrible decisions he and Cheney made? For eight years, we’ve had to listen to “too bad, Bush won, and he’s The Decider.” Now that we have a President-elect with a CLEAR majority, and a landslide Electoral College win, are you going to grant that Obama now has AT LEAST as much of a mandate, and is soon to be The Decider?
Hey Tom, good to see you back here!
Oh, btw – Maggot Punk has a real, paying day-job. Something many of the so-called “conservatives” on this blog aren’t too terribly familiar with.
Hi Farmie! Don’t know how much I’ll be posting. Session starts Monday, and the next general election is just a short 22 months away. But thanks for the welcome. ;)
Well, any amount of posting you do here will be welcome. In case you havent noticed, the wingnuts have gotten progressively, so to speak, nastier.
And dumber….
Dumber? Short trip…
hehehehhe. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.
No kidding….
We’ve just about run the wheels off the waaaaaaambulance.
“Where was the Bush mandate for the horrible decisions he and Cheney made?”
I didn’t answer because I don’t care. I never claimed Bush had a mandate. I never saw his election as “historic” in a positive way. In fact, he wasn’t my republican. I’d give you the same answer for the FIRST Bush election too.
But please continue to spin and turn the discussion away from my question on change.
69,456,897 to 59,934,786
That is not a mandate for change (whatever that is).
Majority win yes. But if you marched one party east and one west, just about half of us would be marching in different directions.
Clearly the nation is NOT rallied behind Obama.
Oh, “American” Way, darling, I’m not trying to “spin and turn the discussion.” I’m entertaining myself by pointing out the endless hypocrisy that now defines the modern American “conservative” movement. All last year, I got cheap entertainment by working to defeat Republicans at the ballot box (okay, not cheap – in reality, I got paid for it). Now that that task is over, you’re all I have left.
Lucky for me, a new round of elections is a mere 22 months away. I look forward to a *real* challenge again.
:)
Oh, and speaking of that lack of rally for Obama, this is from yesterday at the American Enterprise Institute’s website:
“President-elect Barack Obama has some huge assets to bring to bear as he tries to rapidly enact an enormously ambitious agenda that includes a huge stimulus package and major health care reform. His sweeping election victory has been followed by a sky-high approval rating as his inauguration approaches.”
It looks like even the “conservative” spin on the facts is taking on that pesky liberal bias…
It’s a word. Makes for great propaganda for you libs. Doesn’t change facts.
The election was narrow in almost every state. The victory is no cry for change – except in the media and liberal quarters.
Have fun with that. Oh did you contribute to the Obama Statue yet? I’m sure you need to rename a few schools.
Never to early.
“American” Way posits:
“…except in the media and liberal quarters.”
Yes, that bastion of American liberalism, the American Enterprise Institute, is part of the Great Obama Socialist Conspiracy.
:::snort:::
Republicans have redistricted to support them, had attempted to end the filibuster rules, ran all over the dems when they were in control. What exactly are the rules change they are talking about that is so hurtful and unfair? Can we put a name to them or are they just whining again.
I do want more transparency, the ability for bills to come to the floor for discussion.
I have watched republicans dismantle good bills that the dems proposed, only to reintroduce the same thing in a different way under their name. Its bogus.
The ‘gatekeeper’ is always putting bills they don’t like into committees that they know will never see the light of day.
There just needs to be a complete overhaul of the entire system. More fair and unable to be rescinded by republicans when they get the reigns and want to play dirty. And they do play dirtier and nastier. Perhaps that’s what they’re so upset about now that we’re onto their game and willing to use their own dirty tricks.
I mean look, it’s just like Sarah Palin all over the tv whining whining whining today.
Oh and Regular, you’re a douche.
In all the time I have watched CSPAN it has been disappointing to me how the majority of Republicans in the Senate and Congress “state their side” few actually use sound logic and real points of order to make their case. Often it ends up sounding more like “I know you are but what am I?”. It reminds me of listening to a 12 y.o. arguing.
Tom Colburn of OKLA and even our own Sam Brownback can make their case in a sound and thinking matter. But I have seen few others whom do without pointing at the other side and reverting to something similar to “You are a poo-po head!”. I am all for the GOP standing for a fair counter point to the issues.
Being the watch dogs of the purse strings as they should but to act not in the interest of the tax payers.
To simple try to make points by defeating a bill that the only problem they state is that it was a Democratic idea. SCHIPS was a good example, the Republican did not argue details of in what condition is someone making too much money to be covered. Making $150 thousand in Wichita is being well off. But making that much in L.A. is not a good wage. The cost of living and all, but they did not venture into the details such as that. The Democratic did and they argued the point to be countered by OH YEAH! Yeah Tiahrt presented such an argument of that counter.
I want the party to be one of sound and logic not school yard arguments.
#
BlueJay
Posted January 8, 2009 at 7:18 am | Permalink
Is there a way to change the rules so that the cons just have to sit there, not speak, and age in quiet? Let’s shoot for that.
__________________________
BJ,
That’s called totalitarianism. Go to China or Cuba if you want that comrade.