Just Stop It
Honestly Now
By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in Democrats | Featured Stories — Comments (9) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
I beg the gods: No more of this.
Five down, one more on tap as House Democrats sprint through their list of promises, not even in sight of the 100 hours set aside for that goal.
About seven more hours ticked away Wednesday on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 100-hour clock for passing each item on an agenda that Democrats told voters they would enact after sweeping to victory in November.
The final piece was on deck for a vote Thursday: energy legislation that imposes billions in fees, taxes and royalties on oil and gas companies and uses the money to promote renewable fuels.
According to Pelosi's count, it has taken just over 34 hours to pass the first five bills, including a measure approved Wednesday to lower interest rates on some student loans.
The House actually has been in session for more than 72 hours since the 110th Congress was sworn in on Jan. 4. But the clock on Pelosi's Web site suggested that 34 hours, 5 minutes had elapsed by the close of House business Wednesday.
You know, if I were able to pass legislation without holding any committee hearings whatsoever--and if the press were willing to give me as much of a pass on the issue as they appear to be willing to give Speaker Pelosi--I too could be ahead of schedule.
I guess this means I could be a great Speaker of the House. Either that, or the current one isn't devoting enough time to allow the House to study the effects of the legislation she wants passed.
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Just Stop It 9 Comments (0 topical, 9 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Don't bother them with the weather, don't you know there are polar bears drowning in Canada? Well, that there might be polar bears drowning? Well, not drowning, but fewer of them could starve?
Wait...
The Academy: researching the Illiberal Arts
sock it to them, billions, make 'em scream. Manipulating prices up, although when prices drop it's never manipulation but no matter, help the working man and make Big Oil pay their fair share. We'll decide what's fair later, much later.
As long as they don't pass the cost on to us, they can't, can they? That wouldn't be fair.
"a man's admiration for absolute government is proportinate to the contempt he feels for those around him". Tocqueville
In all fairness, Pelosi is acting no different than previous Speakers. And those previous Speakers were never called-out in the press, or on right-minded blogs, for their parliamentary shenanigans. It seems - I don't know - dishonest, somehow, to chastize Pelosi for following procedures that didn't bother us much, say, five months ago.
Newt Gingrich wasn't called out by the press??? You jest.
Bob Livingston lasted about a week, not called out by the press and the Dems? Yes, sex did him in but that was at the same time Clinton was in up to his neck. Who was forced to resign and who is still around as elder statesman?
Legislative shennigans, a broad term, but I don't recall the republicans attempting to pass a slew of bills, all of which were designed to escape committee hearings and debate.
Neither do you see the current 100 hr blitz being criticized by the MSM, check out the NY Times ! A cover, not a call out in this case.
Honesty would require that the differences be noted and if you care to check out past blogs on this site you will find sufficient faulting of the GOP to at the least weaken your comment about "right-minded blogs".
And please consider this, the Dems have been in power for only about two weeks, sit back, observe, and enjoy. The ride has only started.
"a man's admiration for absolute government is proportinate to the contempt he feels for those around him". Tocqueville
the contract with America was discussed in committee before it was brought to the floor for a vote.
The GOP may have pushed a lot of that stuff hard, but it was debated, and the GOP had to fight hard for some of it (Clinton was basically brought kicking and screaming to sign the Welfare Reform package).
By "previous speakers" I meant The previous speaker.
And yes, the former speaker's House really did play the same kinds of parliamentary games Pelosi is playing now. There's a reason Pelosi wrote that memo a few years ago asking Republicans to allow more minority-party input in the House process (the same memo the GOP just sent to Pelosi, which was rejected in both cases). It's ugly stuff. But it is just politics. What's that old saying about two things you don't want to see being made...?
In my opinion, it would be better to focus more on the indented results and less on the particulars of the process.
I can see the next step. NYT editorial saying how much the new Congress could get 'done' if they just did away with committee hearings and public discussions.. Heck those keep the nosy proletariat out of the process all together and let the wise rulers run the show.
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"Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm." -- James Madison
What else can you conclude after you read this post about Ms. Pelosi's creating a new committee on global warning the same week that snow falls in Malibu & parts of Oklahoma & ice blankets San Antonio?