It’s almost 1:30 in the morning and the Senate is still in session. They just voted to invoke cloture on the Defense Appropriations Bill that funds the troops in the field. The prior appropriations bill expires later today, so the fact that they had to invoke cloture (versus just voting on the damn thing) means that there will be at least the better part of a day (later today and Saturday morning) when the troops are operating without any money. If you’re interested in the details, read David Waldman’s explanation. Basically, there are always at least 30 hours of post-cloture debate. So, because Jon Kyl denied his consent to fund the troops tonight, we have to wait until seven in the morning on Saturday to do that.
The goal is simply to chew up legislative hours and try to kill the health care reform bill. The vote was 63-33, and the Democrats had to wheel Robert Byrd in to make sure they reached the 60 votes needed for cloture. I know that at least three Republicans bucked their party on this one, but the only one I know by name is Kay Bailey Hutchison. I guess she didn’t need a vote against funding the troops on her resume when she goes up against Governor Rick Perry in the Texas gubernatorial primary next year.
Prior to the vote, Dick Durbin asked for unanimous consent to wave the cloture vote and move straight to a vote on the bill. Jon Kyl denied his consent and he and Mitch McConnell proceeded to deny that they were filibustering because they weren’t debating the bill to death like Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Of course, denying unanimous consent to waive a cloture vote is basically what a filibuster is. We normally think of filibusters that are successful. In other words, we normally only call it a filibuster if it succeeds in preventing a bill from being voted on. But filibusters can fail, too. And that is what just happened with the Defense Appropriations Bill. They tried to filibuster it but failed. But that failure was by design. They had no intention of preventing a vote on funding the troops. They just want it to take place on Saturday instead of today.
And with that, good night.
Jon Kyl is such a DICK.
Nothing personal with him; he was just the tool of the moment for Mitch McConnell and the Republican caucus. But if you look at the Republican caucus, there are few in it who could not be characterized as you have Kyl.
More like the “designated dick”.
force them to do one of their filibusters and see how the public likes their obstruction – time to play tough – Obama should be out in Nebraska getting the base to understand what their Nelson, A hole, is doing because of a side issue or in CT letting the insurance industry know that it ain’t gonna have it both ways
That would not be a proper action for a corporate and dignified suit like the President. You know decorum uber everything.
Actually on this issue, forcing an actual on-the-floor filibuster would be self-defeating because it would delay action on healthcare reform even further.
but that is always true. People who advocate this strategy are advocating not attempting to invoke cloture and just letting the Republicans call one quorum call after another while day after day of legislative business goes undone.
It all makes sense if you accept the premise that no Democratic administration is a legitimate administration.
The Congressional GOP’s present position is analogous to the royalists and Bonapartists in the French assemblies of the 19th century.
A royalist party in a parliament has no real interest in cooperating with the small-r republican parties in governing. Its only interest iin ncreasing its share of votes in that body would be so that it could obtain the majority long enough to abolish themselves. Their purpose for being until then is to shut it down, or at least neuter it, so that there can be a restoration of the divine-right monarich
The weirdest transformation of political terminology hasn’t been what happened to the word ‘liberal’ since John Stuart Mill — it’s what happened to the word ‘republican’.
Why does Obama persist in trying to be nice to these people? They are the enemy. Our Democratic President is aligning himself with the enemy and bad mouthing his Party’s base. Sounds like a Death Wish to me. I don’t like to use pop psychology, but it appears to me that Obama desperately wants to be a rich white Republican.
I know from experience that when one is of mixed ethnicity, one eventually identifies primarily with one side. Obama has chosen the white side.
Are you suggesting that our President doesn’t keep his word or his promises? Or is it just that his idea of change differs so significantly from yours or mine?
of “change” differs from the dictionary definition.
.
There are sufficient Republicans in the Democratic caucus by itself, so any resolution or law can be considered bipartisan by definition. Screw the traitors of the opposition, never witnessed anything like it. The Repukes are saying “hell no” to the men and women in the Armed Forces and the tens of millions at home with no health care. 40,000 Americans are killed every year by lack of decent medical care, may all the shame come upon you. America wake up!
Patients without health insurance get dental care at a free clinic in Wise, Virginia.
See my diary Health Care Debate Delayed by Read-a-thon
and Lieberman won’t rule out run as Republican in 2012
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."
What I don’t understand is why the Dems don’t call them out on their blatant, in your face obstructionism. Back when the Repubs had the majority and the Dems were holding things up, all I heard all day every day was Frist and McConnell blaming the Dems and calling for an upperdown vote. Why aren’t Reid and Durban and the rest doing the same?
That is exactly the question. Why couldn’t they let the “defense” filibuster run for a couple votes, at least, and then make sure the media gets the footage of Republicans standing united on cutting the troops off at the knees? Serious question.
I’m sure the Dems are spending millions on PR “consultants”. Why the hell do they never, ever, pull the trigger when the Reps point their guns at their own feet? Another serious question. But please don’t start in on Obama. Ain’t his job — he’s supposed to be president of all Americans, not just Democrats. Senators are not, and party honchos are not. It’s their job. Why in hell aren’t they doing it, and how do we get rid of them?