The GOP's Little Rule Change They Hoped You Wouldn't Notice

I'm dumbfounded.

With less than two hours to midnight and shutdown, Speaker John Boehner's latest plan emerged. House Republicans would "insist" on their latest spending bill, including the anti-Obamacare provision, and request a conference with the Senate to resolve the two chambers' differences.

Under normal House rules, according to House Democrats, once that bill had been rejected again by the Senate, then any member of the House could have made a motion to vote on the Senate's bill. Such a motion would have been what is called "privileged" and entitled to a vote of the full House. At that point, Democrats say, they could have joined with moderate Republicans in approving the motion and then in passing the clean Senate bill, averting a shutdown.

But previously, House Republicans had made a small but hugely consequential move to block them from doing it.

Here's the rule in question:

When the stage of disagreement has been reached on a bill or resolution with House or Senate amendments, a motion to dispose of any amendment shall be privileged.
In other words, if the House and Senate are gridlocked as they were on the eve of the shutdown, any motion from any member to end that gridlock should be allowed to proceed. Like, for example, a motion to vote on the Senate bill. That's how House Democrats read it.

But the House Rules Committee voted the night of Sept. 30 to change that rule for this specific bill. They added language dictating that any motion "may be offered only by the majority Leader or his designee."

So unless House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) wanted the Senate spending bill to come to the floor, it wasn't going to happen. And it didn't.

Talking Points Memo



I really hate engaging in partisan arguments these days (ideological ones are different ) as the end result of both party's agendas are equivalent... but then along comes this temper tantrum from the elected Tea Party members and clearly there is some partisan differences going on. Democrats and moderate Republicans would not have done this, would not have (forgive the meme but it fits) taken the whole country hostage. They now have the power to do this with the debt limit as well.

We are @#%&@&!

GOP is living in fantasy land .Maybe Bush jr ( the worst president in US history) is the last Republican president in US?

Republicans Don't Think They Have to Raise the Debt Ceiling—They're Dangerously Wrong

www.theatlantic.com...

So, then its not even the entire republican party, nor even the splinter fringe tea party that is holding things up..its a single guy?

Pretty sure things weren't meant to be this way.

SaturnFX
So, then its not even the entire republican party, nor even the splinter fringe tea party that is holding things up..its a single guy?

Pretty sure things weren't meant to be this way.

No

64 percent of Tea Partiers and 54 percent of Republicans overall think there wouldn't be "any major problems" if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling in time. Call them the default deniers.

reply to post by Kali74


Manipulation.

I am not surprised. It is akin to this.



And you wonder why this is being talked about.

Yes, this is a left leaning site, but it speaks volumes.

That’s the message 60 percent of Americans are sending to Washington in a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, saying if they had the chance to vote to defeat and replace every single member of Congress, including their own representative, they would. Just 35 percent say they would not.

NBC/WSJ poll: 60 percent say fire every member of Congress

Wheres Gary Johnson or Ron Paul when you need them?

S&F

reply to post by SaturnFX


Well yes and no. This couldn't have been done without support. It can't continue to exist without support.

So more word games? A single word that can change every thing. Such as Dod adding a sentence that allowed the bail out to go to bonuses to the very people who caused the crash. A single word in a war that allows it to go on for ever. The War on Terror. Should have been on Al-Qaeda. But Bush even said he was not worried about Bin Laden as he fought the wars across the middle east.

reply to post by Kali74


I agree that partisan stabs get us no where but it would be fair to let your readers know that the Senate Democrats are just as guilty as the House Republicans; what came first? The chicken or the egg?

Senator Reid made moves to protect 'his' party; what makes you think that Speaker Boehner wouldn't do the same?

It is disgusting for sure; but all is fair in politics apparently.

reply to post by sonnny1


A recent Gallup poll shows 60% of people polled perceive a need for a third party.

Gallup

xavi1000
GOP is living in fantasy land .Maybe Bush jr ( the worst president in US history) is the last Republican president in US?

Republicans Don't Think They Have to Raise the Debt Ceiling—They're Dangerously Wrong

www.theatlantic.com...

Except Moody's is saying otherwise that it is the President of the United States who is pushing a false narrative.

”We believe the government would continue to pay interest and principal on its debt even in the event that the debt limit is not raised, leaving its creditworthiness intact,” the memo says. “The debt limit restricts government expenditures to the amount of its incoming revenues; it does not prohibit the government from servicing its debt. There is no direct connection between the debt limit (actually the exhaustion of the Treasury’s extraordinary measures to raise funds) and a default."

Who to believe...who indeed...

I guess you all are newbies to politics?

The majority party historically change the procedural rules in the House and Senate.

Here's the nice part... neither party gives a crap about the people.

I sincerely hope we crash and burn. IT is well past due to happen.

reply to post by Kali74


I saw three separate news segments today, folks who lean Democrat, Republican, and Tea Party PROTESTING.

Maybe people are waking up to this, and maybe just maybe Party lines are dissolving for the American People.

The protest in Washington was refreshing, albeit sad to know "why" it had to happen.

NSA Spying Came About Thanks to One Word
www.newser.com...

Essentially, "relevant" now means "everything," a former Justice Department lawyer says. "A grand-jury subpoena for such a broad class of records," he says, "would be laughed out of court." But the FISA court's rulings are made in secret and are almost impossible to challenge. The New York Times yesterday said the court had become "almost a parallel Supreme Court," regularly ruling on broad constitutional questions. It has, for example, carved out a terrorism exception to the Fourth Amendment's protections against search and seizures.

reply to post by sonnny1


My optimistic side sees that silver lining. My pragmatic side is very concerned that we are as Butcherguy stated... going to crash and burn.

reply to post by Kali74


Hate to say it but polls mean nothing at all any more. It is a nothing more then the media acting like you wanted some thing the government forced on you or took from you. They are simply made to make people feel that what is going on is because every body wants it.

Sockpuppets are soon to be people too like corporations I guess.

Wow. Dumbfounded is the right word.

I know it is not law, but can we ALL match on Washington, go to the capital building and remove them from office? I am up for a roadtrip, you can count me in.

This is beyond out of control. I am frustrated. I am tired of these two parties playing chicken with our country.

Blah blah blah. 1000 posts saying everything is messed up, but none giving us any options to do anything about it.

It is time to take up arms against our own government, but instead I am just going to read a thousand more threads about this crap.

What options do we Americans have?

Grrrr AAHHHHHHH! ... No I don't feel any better.

kmb08753
Wow. Dumbfounded is the right word.

I know it is not law, but can we ALL match on Washington, go to the capital building and remove them from office?

This is beyond out of control. I am frustrated. I am tired of these two parties playing chicken with our country.

Why? It is Constitutionally sound for the Houses to establish their own rules. What grounds are you going to use when you try and remove them from office? Don't like it? Actually participate in the process beyond voting in November.

It is time to take up arms against our own government, but instead I am just going to read a thousand more threads about this crap.

What options do we Americans have?

Plenty and even though I do not like the way the politics are playing out and I believe our policies are moving in the wrong direction; I condemn the calling to arms as you have made.

sonnny1
reply to post by Kali74

 

Manipulation.

I am not surprised. It is akin to this.

And you wonder why this is being talked about.

Yes, this is a left leaning site, but it speaks volumes.

That’s the message 60 percent of Americans are sending to Washington in a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, saying if they had the chance to vote to defeat and replace every single member of Congress, including their own representative, they would. Just 35 percent say they would not.

NBC/WSJ poll: 60 percent say fire every member of Congress

Wheres Gary Johnson or Ron Paul when you need them?

S&F

This, yes. I am never voting democrat or republican again. I don't care if that means some wack job third party comes in, it can't be any worse.

reply to post by xavi1000


Obama is the last US "president" of any party.

Get rid of them all - Democrats and Republicans.

What to replace them with...no knows. But I do know what there is now isn't working at all.