1

McConnell offered to hold the health care vote a few hours earlier on Christmas Eve if Reid would agree to take up the debt limit issue on January 20

...and I promised the girlfriend that I wouldn't blow in her mouth if she gave me a BJ

2 McConnell also wasn't offering a huge thing in return, either.

That's what she said.

3 >>> Now, if you believe that debt will be the one underlying weakness of the Democrats in 2010 .... I don't know about "The One" but certainly an important one. "The One" is jobs/economy. But a big one is debt. There's the smell of 1992 in the air.

4 Reid is a stand up guy.  He'll honor this agreement.

5 Hot Air is reporting, via Politico, that Obama is putting health care on hold til February.

6 These are the kind of deals you end up making when you have 40 votes in the Senate. Petty little exchanges so you can say you backed the majority into a corner and kicked his ass. If we don't get at least 4 or 5 more solid conservatives into the Senate soon, this is the way it will be for a long time. I sure hope all those "independents" who voted for hopeychangey like what they got. Dumbasses.

7 McConnell offered to hold the health care vote a few hours earlier on Christmas Eve if Reid would agree to take up the debt limit issue on January 20, and would further agree to hold a specific roll-call vote that day on raising the debt ceiling, and would further agree to consider, and vote on, five Republican amendments related to out-of-control federal spending.

LOL. As if Reid is going to keep that promise. What a joke. McConnell is a moron.

8 The democrat communists have no shame.  They'll vote for the debt ceiling raise hours before Obama goes on TV to rail against deficit spending...you know...deficit spending he inherited.

9 OT: heard some guy on the radio last night say the there were more 5 year ARM loans written back in 2005; than the 3 & 4 years ARM loans that caused the current sub-prime loan crisis.  Anybody know where to go and check that out? 2010 will have many more defaults that currently exist?

10 >>Reid is a stand up guy. He'll honor this agreement. As I said in an update: My source (probably York's too) says this is a unanimous consent motion. Which in turn can only be set aside by unanimous consent. Further they will have to have the vote around then, since they only have money for that long (or thereabouts).

11 You don't need 40 votes to maintain a filibuster. You just need 60 votes for cloture. In essence, a filibuster is always on by default, and you need the 60 votes to stop debate.

Yeah but you need at least one R there to raise objections and force recorded votes or they can reek havoc with unanimous consent. They could waive the 60 vote rule with unanimous consent.

12

"Given Democratic spending in the last year, Obama will have a difficult time making the argument with a straight face,"

I came here to smoke Kools and lie to your face, and I'm all out of Kools.

13 Reid: hey Mitch, hows about I trade you this HUGE SHINY nickle for that small dirty dime you got there.

McConnell: OK, sounds good.

Reid: Oh, I'll need you to get on your knees and suck me off as part of this deal too.

McConnell: OK, sounds good.

Barack: Mitch, can I get some of that action too?

McConnell: OK, sounds good.

14

And this, boys and girls, is how sausage, uh, I mean law is made.

The vomitorium is down the hall to your right. Be sure to use a wet nap when you're done and rinse out your mouth.

15 You know, we may...MAY...look back at BtotheOCare as the nadir of Congress and it's briberous ways.   Nelson's deal is getting a tremendous amount of attention and heat, coupled with the Louisiana purchase, the scales are being stripped off the eyes of John Q.

The public may finally get fed up enough to demand an end to the shenanigans and Congress and the President using government funds like an ATM.

16 >>>Yeah but you need at least one R there to raise objections and force recorded votes or they can reek havoc with unanimous consent. Right, you need one guy to object, but... I mean, I assume they ALWAYS have one guy on the floor for purposes such as this.

17 Which in turn can only be set aside by unanimous consent.

Doesn't unanimous consent apply only to those present?  I don't think it would be too hard to rig it so there's a few minutes somewhere, when there's only 10 democrats milling around.

18

Not being a senate rules junkie, I could easily be mistaken, but...

Weren't there numerous objections and procedural timewasters being used to keep the whole process strung out longer than it would have gone otherwise?  I remember reading on several sites about objections being raised in the senate by repubs.  Those objections wouldn't be occurring if they walked away, right?  So they might not be able to stop cloture, but they could run the clock down to the wire.

And they traded this away for a talking point?  You mean the talking point that might be reported once by the LSM before disappearing down the memory hole?

19 Right, you need one guy to object, but... I mean, I assume they ALWAYS have one guy on the floor for purposes such as this.

Posted by: ace at December 23, 2009 01:06 PM (jlvw3)

You would think ... But there are lots of things that a normal person would assume are done (like simply checking the Constitutional eligibility of Presidential candidates, or having people object to candidates who have not been officially checked and verified - officially) that just never really happen in Washington.

20 yeah it does, you need a guy there to object, but like I just said, I assume they're cagey enough to always have one guy on the floor. as for 10 democrats milling around: I think at some point the quorum rule kicks in, doesn't it?

21 "Short answer: The vote tomorrow is for a one-month stopgap to prevent default." Why would the GOP go along with this? The GOP should make the Democrats own every damn cent they're spending.

22

"Given Democratic spending in the last year, Obama will have a difficult time making the argument with a straight face,"

Seriously has this guy ever seen one of my speeches where I say I inherited a huge debt but then say I am going to spend us out of this recession? Difficult my ass, I will say that with a straight face while flipping you the bird scratching myself.

23 No problem.  I'm still going to pose as a deficit hawk in my SOTU.  I'll just blame the debt ceiling raise on the "reckless and failed policies of the previous administration."

Suckers.

24 21 yeah it does, you need a guy there to object, but like I just said, I assume they're cagey enough to always have one guy on the floor.

Posted by: ace at December 23, 2009 01:09 PM (jlvw3)

Unless some impromtu Senate session is called at 2:42am for a few minutes, a few nights before, that only the dems knew about ...

25 that's what they're trying to do. The democrats keep trying to slip it in secretly as an amendment to other bills, without debate.

26 as for 10 democrats milling around: I think at some point the quorum rule kicks in, doesn't it?

No, in the Senate the assumption is that a quorum is always present unless there's a recorded vote or a Senator 'notes the absence of a quorum' which triggers a roll call. The latter is a common parliamentary trick to kill time.

27 Doesn't unanimous consent apply only to those present?  I don't think it would be too hard to rig it so there's a few minutes somewhere, when there's only 10 democrats milling around.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at December 23, 2009 01:08 PM (nQzf5)

Possible but there should never be a time when the Senate is in Session when there isn't a member from each party present. Technically you need a quorum of 51 but if no quorum call is made from the floor the chair can assume one is present.

28 I hope the CBO doesn't score unanimous consent like it did the health care bill.

29 >>>Unless some impromtu Senate session is called at 2:42am for a few minutes, a few nights before, that only the dems knew about ... I don't believe that's possible. I think when the Senate adjourns the time at which it will resume is noted. And at some point I think there is a rule about quorums. the quorum rule (minimum number of senators present) exists so that you can't just pass stuff with one or two guys present.

30 Concession, ha

31 Okay so you do need a guy to object about the lack of a quorum. Still, back to original point: I have to credit both parties with always having a guy scheduled on the floor to object like crazy to shit during such periods.

32 I worked for a giant company that had the most convoluted network you have ever seen.

They literally had network maps that came in multi-volume book format.
I asked one of the senior engineers why the fuck it was designed that way.  His reply was "job security".

This is what comes to mind when I read about senate rules, procedures, votes, blah blah.....
No one can really follow this shit anymore, except the people that made it up.

33 How soon are the senate transcripts available?  I think I'd want to see the daily transcript before believing any of this.  Its gotten to the point where you can't trust what anyone on either side says anymore.

34 As I said in an update: My source (probably York's too) says this is a unanimous consent motion. Which in turn can only be set aside by unanimous consent.

Ace, there was supposed to be a unanimous consent to stop the reading of that amendment last week.  How'd that turn out again?  I believe that Brother Reid et al convinced the parliamentarian that unanimous consent was needed to stop the reading.  I'll believe it when it happens.

35 Guys, Reid is an ass but he's not going to break his word on this.

The simple fact is he knows someday he, well the Democrats, is going to be in the minority and he'll need to rely on the word of the majority leader.

There are some lines that even a prick like Reid won't cross, a flat out commitment to his minority counterpart is one of them.

I know we are all angry but let's worry about the real stuff, not made up shit like this.

36 I'm sure the upcoming State of the Union speech will be full of historic, unprecedented lies.  All promises made will be unsustainable. 

37 How is this a concession? If nobody reports on the debate (think ClimateGate, for example) it really won't matter.

38

Short answer: The vote tomorrow is for a one-month stopgap to prevent default.

Don't worry, there are enough ObamaBucks (toilet paper rolls) going around to finance everything for the moment.

But wait until next year for the fun to begin!  In the end, there will be only chaos.

39 No need to worry, I've taught Mitch McConnell everything he knows.

40 The simple fact is he knows someday he, well the Democrats, is going to be in the minority and he'll need to rely on the word of the majority leader.

These people have become like suicide bombers.  Different mentality entirely.

41 I don't believe that's possible. I think when the Senate adjourns the time at which it will resume is noted.

Posted by: ace at December 23, 2009 01:13 PM (jlvw3)

I agree with you that it probably WASN'T possible, but this group has no respect for rules or traditions. If they do something against the rules and underhanded, like calling a secret Dem session in the Senate, what are the Republicans going to do? The vote was taken and done. Who are the GOP going to complain to? The SCOTUS?

There are many parts of our system that are dependent on people trying to follow our rules and traditions and everything breaks down when that is violated - especially in cases where things get put in the books over the course of the violation.

It's difficult to see all the shit the dems have pulled in Washington this year and have any faith that they are going to abide by any rules that inconvenience them. They just don't care and they know that fighting their infractions of the rules tend to go nowhere - especially as the dems own everything.

I have very little faith that rules of old can be counted on these days. If the GOP doesn't have a member ALWAYS at the Senate ready to go on the floor (even when it's closed down) then they just don't understand the dems or what they are willing to do.

Traditionally, this health care bill would have died months and months ago. We are in a very different legislative world, these days. Very, very different.

42

36 Guys, Reid is an ass but he's not going to break his word on this.The simple fact is he knows someday he, well the Democrats, is going to be in the minority and he'll need to rely on the word of the majority leader.

When Amnesty gets passed this time, I'll never have to worry about being in the minority again, buhahahahaha!

 

43 "How soon are the senate transcripts available?"

The Congressional Record is published daily, and now (finally) actually visibly distinguishes between what was actually said on the floor and what has been added to the Record by unanimous consent ("revisions and extensions").

44 Wasn't there a time in the last year or so that they just didn't adjourn?

45 I think you can trust Reid on this. The Senate Rules are a big deal. It's not like they never get waived or broken but it should never be out of left field like what Franken pulled with Lieberman. If Byrd had been there he would have shit a brick.
The Senate is our House of Lords remember? The niceties should always be observed. Reid knows that if he goes to far with the Senate Rules then they stand a chance of being abandoned altogether and that means filibusters lasting months with the Senate in continual session. No one want to be in charge of that.

46 Sorry but I find it extremely hard to trust the word of a man that says opposing his bill is tantamount to endorsing slavery. Just throwing that out there.

47 >>>Yeah but you need at least one R there to raise objections and force recorded votes or they can reek havoc with unanimous consent. Right, you need one guy to object, but... I mean, I assume they ALWAYS have one guy on the floor for purposes such as this. Why don't you guys go on home? I'll hold down the fort on the Republican side, okay?

48 Well because i dont give a toss about american politics, the only question for me is,  does brad pitt fart in bed and do they both have a good laugh about it if it's a long tonal one.

49 These rules are like a tree fort clubhouse's rules.  They have no particular legal force outside the clubhouse.  Given that the courts have ruled the Senate is free to implement whatever internal rules it wants, there's probably little external legal recourse if they're broken. 

With the only power of enforcement being internal, and crazed maniacs running the show, I'm naturally skeptical that Senate rules mean anything at all when they're trying to ram "unprecedented" legislation down our throats.  Extraordinary conditions call for extraordinary measures and all that...  With an approval under 30%, its quite possible they feel they literally have nothing to lose here

50 Reid knows that if he goes to far with the Senate Rules then they stand a chance of being abandoned altogether and that means filibusters lasting months with the Senate in continual session. No one want to be in charge of that.

He's a deadman walking if the NV polling is even close.  He might simply not care about the fallout anymore.

51 Senate comity? From these guys? I think we might agree that given the stakes here, the likelihood of Demotards breaking long-observed tradition has never been higher. Franken reset the bar the other day and so did the shelving of Sanders's amendment.

52  If we don't get at least 4 or 5 more solid conservatives into the Senate soon, this is the way it will be for a long time. I sure hope all those "independents" who voted for hopeychangey like what they got. Dumbasses.

Posted by: mikeyslaw at December 23, 2009 01:01 PM (QMGr1)

16 You know, we may...MAY...look back at BtotheOCare as the nadir of Congress and it's briberous ways.   Nelson's deal is getting a tremendous amount of attention and heat, coupled with the Louisiana purchase, the scales are being stripped off the eyes of John Q.

The public may finally get fed up enough to demand an end to the shenanigans and Congress and the President using government funds like an ATM.

Posted by: The Hammer at December 23, 2009 01:06 PM (Xgb9e)

Started reading Mark Levin's Liberty & Tyranny last night.  We were doing great until the first Prez 666 took office - FDR.  He turned the Constitution on its head.  Say what you want about Glenn Beck, but FDR's one of his main gripes.  Beck has said that his goal for 2010 through workshops, conventions and conservative community organizing will be to promote ideas for the Tea Partiers to return to the real Constitution. 

Getting rid of the massive constraints on business might be the thing that gets us out of this deficit hole when Palin takes the reins.

53 If McConnell wanted to impress the base, he would have just beaten Reid to a pulp on the Senate floor for treason. Now that would have been a Reid concession.

54

Attention fake rolex man.

if i buy one of your watches, can you give me a written guarantee that i will score some pussy.

55 NOW IF HARRY WILL JUST STICK TO THE "DEAL".

56

I urge everyone to watch this video. Three GOP senators, Sessions, Gregg, and Cornyn -all three whom I have some respect for and trust in - held a press conference this morning explaining how the CBO scored this piece of shit. (The media will definitely avoid this)

The claim is that there will be a $130 billion deficit reduction. BULLSHIT!! The trick the CBO (and I think what Steele said about Obama pressuring Elmendorf might have some merit) performed is that they are taking money out of Medicare to pay for the healthcare bill...and then issuing a bond to Medicare for that money...but not including that debt in the final score.

If you sell your house for $300k...and owe the bank $200K...$300k is not going into your pocket.

...we the taxpayers are still on the hook to pay the money that the Donkeys are pulling out of Medicare to pay for their bill..

Seriously...watch the video...and send the link to Claire McCaskill's office. She swore she would vote against the bill if it would increase the deficit

57 A Fool in the Senate -  A Tragic Play in Endless Parts

Act MLXXXIII

[enter Majority Leader Reid and an Unknown Staffer]
Reid: Great year so far, I've gotten everything I've wanted out of that fool McConnell.
Staffer: Indeed, sire. You are a master of manipulation.
Reid: Oh! Please do blow my horn some more! But, enough about how great I am: I bet you $100 buck I can get McConnell to give up this health care fight, let us go home early and he'll even help up bury the whole "raise the debt limit" thing.
Staffer: You can't be serious! Is he really that dumb?
Reid: Look, I'm stupid but this guy is dumber than you could hope. Watch.
[enter McConnell's office]
Reid: Hey there, jerk.
McConnell: Why, hello sir! It is such an honor to see you again. What can I do for you?
Reid: Shut up! Listen, I want you to give up on this health care thing--I mean, you know we got the votes. It's just silly, we're all men here, can do basic math. You know and I know that several hours of unending, angry, intense criticism from the voters and people in the media isn't going to make any difference--that's just . . . what's the word?
McConnell: Unpossible?
Reid: Uh. No. Gawd you're stupid. Impossible. It's impossible that any of my guys would change their vote if they had more time to think about how they could hold out for big money or that they might miss Christmas with their families. And those guys I paid off? The people in their home states love them, L.O.V.E. them. They can't wait to get home to bask in the adoration.
Reid: And you know: There's this storm coming and some of my guys might rather skip town than miss Christmas with their families.
McConnell: Oh my! That would be awful! Who would play Santa Claus for their kids?
Reid: I know, terrible thought, right?
McConnell: It is, it is! Why my oldest boy, if I didn't make it home to eat the cookies and drink the milk . . . Why! he may find out there is no Santa!
Reid: So, you agree: You call this whole "fight" thing off--it's the Holidays after all. You know we're going to win, so let's all just go home early. Whadya say?
McConnell: [furrowed brow, rubs his temples, elbow slips nearly dropping his head on desk] I don't know. What do you think I should do?
Reid: [smiles, scoots closer, talks lower] Tell you what, this whole debt thing? How about, how about: If you agree to let us go home early and go along with a temporary increase I'll let you make a big deal about the permanent vote next January?
McConnell: [tail wags, he's opened the Beggin' Strips!] Hmm. Debt ceiling raise, you'll let me make noise about that huh? Some of my guys have been saying that's a big deal. Those big numbers? Whoosh--right over my head. Ha ha! I mean, who can read all those squiggly lines and shapes?
McConnell: Can I call my friends in the media to help embarrass you over it?
Reid: Anything you want, Big Boy.
McConnell: [jumps up, claps hands] I like it! I really like it! Christmas is saved!
Reid: Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
McConnell: [not understanding but begins to laugh along] Heh? ha? Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha! Wait. What are we laughing at?
Reid: Ha ha ha! Whooo! You are dumber than I thought. Really.
McConnell: Ha ha ha, I am dumber than I thought! Ha ha ha. Hey! What?
Reid: See, look here: My guys have been getting salvaged from everybody back home, they're getting ripped--left and right--in the media. And then, to ram this down everybody's throat Christmas Eve, the night Baby Jesus was born? There ain't no PR good enough to over-come that. Add in the chance that some of them were threatening to leave early 'cause of the storm? Hell, I barely got them to stay this long.
Reid: And now? Now you've just agreed to vote to raise the debt limit! You frikkin moron! How you going to rail against the same thing you just agreed to do now in 30 days? You can't! And you're going to make a splash in the media, like the media (or I) will let you embarrass Obama? Are you retarded?
Reid: I mean, I just broke all sorts of rules and traditions to get this heath care thing done, probably even did a few things unconstitutional, gave away billions of dollars (that you just agreed to let me borrow) all so I could make Obama look good. You really think I'm going to keep my word?
McConnell: But! But, we pinky swore!
Reid: Whatever. Later moron.
 
 

58 > I think. I think. Not 100% sure but usually my mistakes get corrected quickly by readers ... Welcome to Aceapedia.

59 Moderates VOTED FOR the Tyrants; they had the power to govern from the Center yet they sided with evil.

60 McConnell is an idiot.

61 61 was me. I really apparently have no idea how to do anything.