An Ol’ Broad’s Ramblings
Archive for Senate
We Said NO!
House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it
After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate’s health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.
Instead, Pelosi (D-Calif.) would rely on a procedural sleight of hand: The House would vote on a more popular package of fixes to the Senate bill; under the House rule for that vote, passage would signify that lawmakers “deem” the health-care bill to be passed.
The tactic — known as a “self-executing rule” or a “deem and pass” — has been commonly used, although never to pass legislation as momentous as the $875 billion health-care bill. It is one of three options that Pelosi said she is considering for a late-week House vote, but she added that she prefers it because it would politically protect lawmakers who are reluctant to publicly support the measure.
“It’s more insider and process-oriented than most people want to know,” the speaker said in a roundtable discussion with bloggers Monday. “But I like it,” she said, “because people don’t have to vote on the Senate bill.”
I wonder which bloggers she was bumping her gums to/with? I can pretty much bet it wasn’t Michelle Malkin, Gateway Pundit, anyone from Pajamas Media. I can pretty much guarantee they didn’t invite Texas Fred. (Why does the mental image of Fred and the Ninny, together in the same room, make me laugh so hard? Hmm… Heh!)
First thing, go read that “self executing rule“. Seriously. GO READ IT! I’ll wait.
Of COURSE Ninny likes it!
Contemporary Use. Self-executing rules are still employed on matters involving House-Senate relations. They have also been used in recent years to enact significant substantive and sometimes controversial propositions.
Now I know just how so many of our freedoms have been eroded. Yes, perhaps I have been oblivious, not noticing the use of such an under handed tactic. Hey! I’m human. The examples provided in this .pdf, are rather small, compared to how they want to use it this time around. Banning smoking on domestic flights less than 2 hours long, while prohibiting personal choice, is NOT the same thing as taking over 1/6 of the American economy!
“When we have a bill, then we will let you know about the votes. But when we bring the bill to the floor, we will have the votes,” she told reporters.
Pelosi said Monday that House Democrats have yet to decide how to approach the vote. But she added that any strategy involving a separate vote on the Senate bill “isn’t too popular,” and aides said the leadership is likely to bow to the wishes of its rank and file.
Here’s a novel concept, you old windbag! Scrap that piece of crap at least 53% of the American people oppose! Those findings include 23% who Strongly Favor the plan and 46% who Strongly Oppose it.
And……Obama flaps his gums:
“I don’t know about the politics, but I know what’s the right thing to do,” he said, nearly shouting as the crowd cheered. “And so I’m calling on Congress to pass these reforms — and I’m going to sign them into law. I want some courage. I want us to do the right thing.”
Bud the ONLY thing you know about is campaigning! You don’t know JACK about true leadership! While you may have won the election, you have lost the nation, as a whole. Oh sure, there are still some who buy into all that phony Hope-n-Change, but a vast majority have woken up from our stupor, and are now fighting for our very survival, as FREE Americans!
Asked whether he was reconsidering his position, Kucinich demurred. But Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said Kucinich is coming under intense pressure from Ohioans who want Congress to act, and from his colleagues in Washington.
“All of us — the governor, the congressional delegation, the president — are making clear to Dennis that we won’t have another chance for a decade if this doesn’t happen,” Brown said.
Do you get the impression that the Dems know they are going to lose the majority this year? If this happen, and I truly pray it does, it will take YEARS to attempt to undo the damage they have wrought on this country. Now is as good time as any to restore the U.S. Constitution to it’s rightful place….the LAW of the Land!
Message From Marsha
Email from Rep. Marsha Blackburn (TN-7th):
Rumors about what could happen with the health care bill next week are spreading across Capitol Hill. I thought I would pass on those I am reasonably sure are accurate.
We KNOW two pieces of legislation will need to pass the House. The Speaker will need to find votes for the bill that passed the Senate last Christmas Eve (the Senate bill). The Majority is also putting together a second bill, the reconciliation bill, which makes “fixes” to the Senate bill to make it palatable to House Democrats.
We HEAR the Democrat leadership team could make this reconciliation bill available publicly over the weekend. Some Members have indicated that this bill will be publicly available for a week before it comes up for a vote.
We KNOW the Majority had hoped to pass the Senate bill and the reconciliation bill under what is called a “self-executing rule.” In this scenario, the House would first vote for a rule that says any vote to pass the reconciliation bill is essentially a two-fer which would also constitute a vote on the Senate bill. The Speaker then planned to hold the Senate bill until the Senate passed the reconciliation bill, thus guaranteeing the Senate would act on House priorities before the President could sign anything into law. The Senate Parliamentarian popped this balloon yesterday by instructing the Leadership that the President must first sign the Senate bill before the Senate could act on the reconciliation bill.
We HEAR the Parliamentarian’s decision has made things difficult for the Speaker. It is one thing for the Speaker to ask Members to trust her; it is entirely different to ask them to trust the Senate. As one colleague said, “The Republicans are the opposition, but the Senate is the enemy.”
We KNOW the White House had initially set next Thursday as the deadline for House action on the bill- the date the President was scheduled to depart for Asia. The deadline has been pushed back, as has the President’s trip.
We HEAR we can expect a vote next week or possibly next weekend. This will make the week to come very interesting and very important.
As always, I will keep you updated as events develop.
If, and I repeat a HUGE IF, Congress had two brain cells to rub together, common sense, and was actually ethical, this whole piece of crap legislation would never have gotten this far, AND, since it did, they’d scrap the whole thing, and start over with some REAL effort to aid in the costs of health care. That’s not the purpose though, and we know it. They KNOW that we KNOW, but they don’t give a damn.
Fired Up? How ‘Bout Just FIRED!
Specter: Democrats getting ‘angry,’ will pass healthcare bill
Democrats in Congress are getting “angry” enough to push through healthcare reform, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) said today.
Speaking to reporters after President Barack Obama’s healthcare event outside Philadelphia on Monday, Specter said frustration over Republican “obstruction” is making his caucus determined to move ahead.
Ya know what? I don’t care if the Democrats are getting angry. They can get angry all they want. What I DO care about is the fact they are NOT representing the interests of their constituents. 20% strongly favor this crap. TWENTY PERCENT! The AMERICAN people do not want these morons in D.C., who can’t even control their own lives, control ours. IT’S NOT IN THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION!
“I think there’s a lot more determination in the Congress now to get it passed,” he said, according to a pool report. “I really think there’s sort of reaction on the Democratic side of getting a little angry over the duration and intensity of obstruction and a lot more determination to see it through.”
In this case, the Democrat definition of “obstruction” is the Republicans remember who pays their salaries. Uh…Arlen…. ol’ buddy, ol’ pal??? That would be WE, THE PEOPLE!
“The president’s providing for more fiery leadership now,” Specter said.
“That’s the most fiery I’ve seen him since the early campaign,” he added. “When I was listening to him, I wished that he had given that in the State of the Union. If it’s the State of the Union he would have reached a lot more people.”
Oh, I’m quite sure Obama is all fired up. There are still a few folks who believe his lies, but the number is getting smaller and smaller.
Conservative VS RINO?
McCain, Hayworth Trade Campaign Barbs
Sen. John McCain enlisted a rising star of the Republican Party in a bid Friday to lock down support among conservative primary voters.
Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown made his first campaign trip as a senator when he visited Arizona.
Brown is a Massachusetts ‘conservative’. There is a HUGE difference between a Kennedy state ‘conservative’ and a REAL conservative.
Sen. John McCain definitely has powerful friends, like Brown, who have helped him open up a sizable lead in the latest Rasmussen poll, 23 percentage points, over Republican challenger and former U.S. Rep. J. D. Hayworth.
Seriously? Who are they asking, McCain campaigners? Are the good folks in Arizona not aware that John McCain, while distinguished for his service to our country in the military, has been a brain drain on the Republican Party? It’s because of politicians like him, we are having such financial difficulties, of BOTH parties.
“The only poll that really counts comes on Aug. 24,” said Hayworth.
He does have an important point here. Hopefully, Arizonans will educate themselves on the SERIOUS issues, like border security, that are of great to concern for all of us, not just their state.
I’m proud of my conservative record. I was just named the third most conservative fiscally by the national taxpayer’s union,” said McCain.
Uh…what? WHAT? Has his record improved, and I wasn’t aware? It could happen. It’s not like I have all the time in the world to keep up with John McCain. I’m having a hard enough time dealing with my own 2 senators. 
But, if you want to see where McCain really stands on taxes, just check out this column from Human Events (1/16/08). Sorry. Conservative and John McCain do not belong in the same sentence.
But Hayworth says McCain is just a conservative actor, and in a recent ad, compared him to a character in the move “Avatar,” complete with a blue face and war paint. It was a characterization some feel was in poor taste.
Yep. Puts on a ’suit’ through virtual means, and is something else behind the scenes all together. Not too complicated to figure out the reference. And I haven’t even seen the movie.
“I think he should also apologize to me and to Native Americans,” said McCain Friday.
What an idiot! If he must apologize to anyone, how about the Druids? Heh. I’m not familiar with any “Native Americans” who paint themselves blue, me included.
“Congressman Hayworth was thrown out in 2006 in part because of his remarks and ties to Abramoff, who is now in prison,” said McCain.
“It never even involved a formal investigation. By that very action, John McCain, in my mind, has disqualified himself from further service in the U.S. Senate,” said Hayworth.
Sure sounds like McCain is getting desperate. Throwing out accusations, without documented backup, is pretty flippin’ lame. Well, I guess he’s not being called McLame for nuthin’! He should really choose his words more wisely when throwing out such accusations. Otherwise, they may come back to bite him on the hinder.
Oh, HELL No!
Obama 9th Circuit Nominee: Constitution Must Adapt to Changes in the World
Even his critics describe him as “brilliant,” but President Obama’s newly minted judicial nominee — law professor Goodwin Liu — will not have an easy time getting to the 9th Circuit bench.
Not have an easy time? Is there an assumption he WILL make it to the bench?
At age 39, Liu has compiled an impressive resume: Rhodes Scholar, Supreme Court clerk, top grades at both Stanford University and Yale Law School and now law professor University of California, Berkeley.
I don’t care if he there are people who think this guy is the ’second coming’ of Earl Warren!
Liu has also aligned himself with progressive legal groups, including the American Constitution Society, where he is chairman of the board of directors. That’s prompting opponents to argue that Liu is “too far outside the mainstream” to take a seat on a court just one step below the Supreme Court of the United States.
If you are not familiar with the American Constitution Society, you should REALLY do some investigating, especially the “Constitutional Interpretation and Change” page. Scroll down for some real interesting reading. 
“He believes the Constitution is something judges can manipulate to have it say what they think culture or evolving standards of decency requires of it in a given day,” said the Senate Judiciary Committee’s top Republican Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.
He “believes” what he’s been force fed by his fellow progressives, aka SOCIALISTS, prominent in all areas of education these days. He believes WRONG!
Ed Whelan, a one-time clerk to Justice Antonin Scalia and now president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, echoed those concerns.
“Liu believes that judges have the authority to impose their views … using clever verbal camouflage to disguise what they’re doing.”
Unfortunately, judges have been going this route for WAY too long, and have handed up the mess we find ourselves in now. Judges have stripped away societal norms, to be replaced with the destruction of the family, life, and morality.
Others who know Liu point to what he’s accomplished, starting as the son of Taiwanese immigrants who didn’t speak much English.
Well, that’s real nice. There are a WHOLE lot of successful people who are in this country who parents, or grandparents came here speaking little, or no English at all. I wouldn’t want the majority of them sitting on the bench either.
“He embodies the American dream,” said Doug Kendall, president of the progressive Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC).
How does the embodiment of the American dream involve the destruction of that dream?
If it is within my small realm of influence, I will do everything I can to remove ANY Senator who votes FOR this man’s confirmation, ESPECIALLY those with an “R” behind their name!
Yes, I AM Easily Amused!
If ya didn’t know, I went to see the doctor today. Now, that has absolutely nothing to do with this post, other than the fact I’m a bit on the, shall we say “woozy” side of life right now, and even though there are things I’d like to post on, I know full I might come off sounding a bit, well, either utterly irate, or… Well, let’s leave it at that.
So, what do I do? Well, I snooped for ‘toons, and checked out interesting visitors to my site.
I’ve had a few lately, including the “U.s. Senate Sergeant At Arms” but when I looked closely at what brought Mr Gainer’s office to my humble site, I almost fell off my chair.
Just in case, the actual link is here.
Now, why did I find this so amusing? Well, I did NOT use the tag “tea party” on the post at all, which you can check for yourself. Or, just perhaps, they have ME ‘tagged’ with Tea Party? Heh.
Ok, maybe it’s just the medication.
Prayers for a Speedy Recovery
New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg Diagnosed With Stomach Cancer
After being hospitalized for several days, the country’s second-oldest U.S. senator, Frank Lautenberg, was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
The New Jersey Democrat’s office issued a statement Friday, saying that doctors found B-cell lymphoma of the stomach, a curable tumor that will require treatment over the next few months.
“We expect a full and complete recovery for Sen, Lautenberg,” said Dr. James Holland of New York City’s Mount Sinai Medical Center, who is treating Lautenberg.
“The senator will be treated with chemotherapy administered approximately every three weeks. We anticipate that he will receive between six and eight treatments, and in between treatments, the senator is expected to be back at work in the Senate,” he said in a written statement.
I realize the man is a Democrat, but that’s no reason to wish him ill. So, I don’t. I hope he will be fine, and when it’s time for him to go, God will make the journey easy.
Don’t Ask For My Support, Or Money
I was cleaning out my spam on one of my email accounts this morning, and came across an interesting tidbit……from John McCain:
My Friend,
Throughout my life I have faced many challenges that have tested my character and my values. I have met each of these challenges with resolve because I believe that service to our country is my calling in life. I have long said that I owe America more than she has ever owed me and I never doubt that our country is the greatest in the world.
Today, we face perilous challenges that threaten our nation’s economy and security. We are being led down a dangerous path as the current Democratic leaders continue to spend at an unprecedented rate. I have been the leading opponent against them, fighting everyday against wasteful spending and government expansion. However, if I am to continue fighting for our shared values, I must win reelection to the United States Senate.
You probably got such an email as well. And perhaps you had the same reaction I did. You have GOT to be freakin’ kidding me!!
I’m sorry Senator McCain, there is no way I can NOT add my name to the list of people who support you, nor can I send you a single dime. I do not believe you are the right person for the job. You call yourself a maverick, but what you really are is an aging military hero, who has lost touch with the rest of America, pretty much like the Democrats.
Aren’t you the guy who hurried back to D.C. to pass the first bail-out bill under GWB? That one act lost you a lot of support from us common folk in your run for the presidency. Oh, some of us might have gone ahead, against our better judgment, and voted the ‘R’ ticket, but by that time, I think more people were voting for Sarah, than for you.
No sir, I cannot support your bid for re-election. It’s time for you to pass the torch to those who truly reflect the values of your state, and the country.
When Push Comes To Shove….
….shove back HARD! For those the followers of Karl Marx, and Mao Tse Tong, the change that has been shoved down our throats might be a step in the right direction. For the rational, freedom loving folks, which by the way, IS the majority, this isn’t what we bargained for at all! It’s not just the health care fiasco, it’s the whole ‘road to socialism’ we object to. One can only pray, and encourage the voters of Massachusetts, to help put a stop to the total destruction of our nation.
Health Care in the Balance as Ground Shifts Under Obama
The Foundry
One year ago, President Barack Obama delivered his inaugural address at the foot of the Capitol, laid out an agenda of “big plans” for his administration, and chided “cynics” who “fail to understand that the ground has shifted beneath them.” One year later, as voters head to the ballot box in Massachusetts, it seems that the ground very well may have shifted under President Obama.
And that ground shift might spell trouble for the President’s health care magnum opus.
In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll released yesterday, President Obama’s approval ratings have “plummeted to 50%, down from 64% after he took office,” giving him an average 57% approval rating for the year and placing Obama “nearly last in the ranking of former presidents’ first-year job approval averages.”
The Honeymoon Is Over!
On the precipice
by Mark Steyn
I’ve been out of the country for a couple of days, so let me see if I’ve got this right: America’s preparing to celebrate the first anniversary of Good King Barack the Hopeychanger’s reign by electing a Republican?
In Massachusetts?
In what the tin-eared plonkers of the Democrat machine still insist on calling “Ted Kennedy’s seat”?
Remember the good old days when the glossy magazine covers competed for the most worshipful image of the new global colossus? If you were at the Hopeychange inaugural ball on Jan. 20, 2009, when Barney Frank dived into the mosh pit, and you chanced to be underneath when he landed, and you’ve spent the last year in a coma until suddenly coming to in time for the poll showing some unexotically monikered nobody called Scott Brown whose only glossy magazine appearance was a Cosmopolitan pictorial 30 years ago (true) four points ahead in Kennedy country, you must surely wonder if you’ve woken up in an alternative universe. The last thing you remember before Barney came flying down is Harry Reid waltzing you around the floor while murmuring sweet nothings about America being ready for a light-skinned brown man with no trace of a Negro dialect. And now you’re in some dystopian nightmare where Massachusetts is ready for a nude-skinned Brown man with no trace of a Kennedy dialect.
Read the rest here.
Methinks we ‘knuckle draggers’ have been sorely underestimated. One would like to believe that now we will be listened to when we shout at the top of our lungs “NO”, but how can they hear if they’re in their castle, with the draw bridge up, and fingers in their ears? “la la la la la I can’t HEAR you!”
‘Nuff Said!
2008 flashback: ACORN graded Coakley A+
Mass Resistance has dug up an interesting press release in Democrat Attorney General Martha Coakley’s political past. In 2008 Ms. Coakley sent out an endearing press release praising the now scandal embroiled ACORN.:
“I am honored to have received this recognition from ACORN,” said Attorney General Coakley. “As our office continues to fight predatory lending practices, it is important for local, state, and federal officials, as well as others to work together to try and provide relief and real solutions to individuals who face the threat of foreclosure.”
Ms. Coakley is the top law enforcer of Massachusetts, and her support of ACORN’s practices makes one wonder where her ethical compass actually rests in matters of how she handled the licensing of non-profits in her state as well as being responsible for the reporting and financial disclosures of those groups.
ACORN supporting this woman, in any capacity, speaks volumes about her character, or lack thereof!
Note To Massachusetts Voters
Should you vote for a woman who, if elected, swears to uphold a document she obviously hasn’t read, or has no understanding?
After discussing her “Mission Accomplished” remark regarding Afghanistan, I moved to the healthcare issue. I chose this based on her vitriolic campaign attack on Scott Brown’s participation in a bill allowing medical people with religious principles to find another emergency room care provider to administer a pill or service to end the life of an unborn in the womb. I figured her guarded answer to date would be interesting but she outdid herself….
Ken Pittman: Right, if you are a Catholic, and believe what the Pope teaches that any form of birth control is a sin. ah you don’t want to do that.
Martha Coakley: No we have a seperation of church and state Ken, lets be clear.
Ken Pittman: In the emergency room you still have your religious freedom.
Martha Coakley: (……uh, eh…um..) The law says that people are allowed to have that. You can have religious freedom but you probably shouldn’t work in the emergency room.
Perhaps Mzzzzzz Coakley should actually try reading the 1st Amendment a time or two. I doubt it will help, but you never can tell. So, maybe someone should explain to her that NO WHERE in that document do the words “separation of church and state” appear. NO WHERE! Evidently, this woman, who has a rather shady past, to say the least, is telling people with strong conviction of faith, where they can, and cannot work? I’d say that anyone who has such limited knowledge of the founding of this nation, should NOT be allowed to hold office. That would take care of a great deal of Washington, D.C.
Whatcha think? Send the whole bunch home, start from scratch, and leave the political machines on the cutting floor. And for the love of all that’s holy, do NOT elect more of the same!!!!!!
What Games Will They Play?
Rep. Frank lashes out over accusations that Mass. Dems would stall a Brown certification
House members returned from their recess over the holidays today, and health care legislation was the number issue on the agenda. The Senate race in Massachusetts, though, could change the dynamics of the debate, should GOP State Senator Scott Brown prevail next week. The Democrats risk losing their 60-seat filibuster proof majority with a Brown win.
Uh….wait a minute. You mean after the attempted murder of numerous human beings, creating a nation of slaves is top on the list of priorities? Does anyone else see a major problem here?
However, while the special election for the Massachusetts Senate seat previously held by Ted Kennedy has yet to be decided, the Brown campaign has already charged that Massachusetts Democrats will find a way to keep Mr. Brown from being certified, should he win, before the final vote on health care legislation happens in the Senate. Fox News spoke to Mr. Brown about his concern on this issue.:
“When I heard … the machine, not only locally but nationally, is trying to manipulate the process and make sure that if I’m elected, a duly elected senator, I can’t be seated in an effort to vote on this important piece of national legislation, it made me almost sick to my stomach,” Brown said.
“Everything I’ve heard right now I don’t like very much,” said Massachusetts Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, noting the secretary is signaling he will “drag his feet”
Odd. I was thinking the same thing. While what’s his face from NY23 was sworn in by the House before he had even been certified by the state election board, it wouldn’t surprise me one smattering that the Senate will do all it can to prevent Brown from taking ‘the people’s seat’ should he be victorious.
“That is the stupidest thing I’ve been asked in a long time. That is insane, the suggestion could only come from a demented right wing source,” erupted Representative Barney Frank (D – MA), when asked by The Washington Times about what he thought regarding assertions that Massachusetts Democrats would stall the certification process should Mr. Brown win. “There isn’t the slightest possibility of it happening—a way of doing it. That is conspiracy theory at its most contemptible.”
Well then, Bunny, you haven’t been paying attention to your own party’s actions in recent months, have you. To misquote Shakespeare, “methinks thou dost protest too much“. Although, in your case, it’s possible to use the actual quote: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks…“. (Hamlet, in case you were wondering.)
The Boston Herald reported that, according to a source, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s office wants to certify the race on Feb. 20. A spokesman for Mr. Galvin’s office explained that local election districts have to wait at least 10 days before they submit their returns, so military and overseas ballots can be tallied as well. 15 days is the maximum amount of time to submit the returns to the secretary’s office, before they go to governor’s office.
Even though the will of the people has been thwarted at every turn, Congress is working very hard to shove this piece of crap down our throats. If dragging feet is the only way they can retain 60, then that is what they will do. Citizens from across the country should let the powers that be know, WE ARE KEEPING A VERY CLOSE EYE ON YOU! They should also be aware, we know that union members are being bussed in and PAID to stand around in ’support’ of Coakley.
One of the union workers actually turned around and said “I’m paid to be here, but I’m voting for Scott Brown. I just need the money, but don’t tell anyone.”
You can read more about the behavior of some of the union thugs, and some pre-debate commentary from Fleming & Hayes.
Wisconsin Weasel
Senator Russ Feingold (or, as I always called him, smarmy little bastard) apparently is either not looking at the handwriting on the wall, or absolutely refuses to even acknowledge it. Either way, he may be in for an extreme shock the next time he comes up for re-election.
For more, check out WTMJ out of Milwaukee at the Pewaukee ‘non listening session‘!
H/T to the Mr for suggesting I check out Charlie Sykes site.
Hello, Mr Gainer
Welcome back! It’s been a while. 
I guess you were interested in my post about Runnin’ Reid, eh? Well, whatever.
