Good afternoon, everyone. Here is today's crosspost of the Congress Matters open thread. Incidentally, our fearless leader, David, is on the Rules Committee story. I expect some Health Care Reform news later today.
This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, or post manifestos. We will be open and checking comments all weekend.
Here's some of my thoughts. Feel free to add your own.
It's looking like we will have a Saturday session tomorrow. Hmmmm.... C-SPAN or football?
This isn't going to go over well with the liberals here or in Congress, but it looks like Speaker Pelosi will not be allowing a vote on single payer when the health care reform bill is considered. Anthony Weiner was leading the charge on single payer and has been pushing for a vote on it, though the vote would almost definitely fail. Weiner is being pragmatic about it, though:
Pelosi's announcement was followed a few minutes later by a news release from Weiner's office.
"I have decided not to offer a single payer alternative to the health reform bill at this time," Weiner said in the release. "Given how fluid the negotiations are on the final push to get comprehensive health care reform that covers millions of Americans and contains costs through a public option, I became concerned that my amendment might undermine that important goal.
"I've discussed the issue with Speaker Pelosi, Chairman Waxman, and agree with them that the health reform bill is so close it deserves every chance to gain a majority," he added.
And for all of you legislative process fans, the single payer vote would have been an amendment in the nature of a substitute. In other words, if the single payer vote somehow passed, the entire text of HR 3200 HR 3962 would be deleted and replaced with HR 676.
On another technicality, it is the Rules Committee that makes the call on what amendments are allowed, but it is largely recognized that the Speaker holds a lot of influence over the committee's decisions.
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Or will the debate go on until Sunday?
Now let's check out GOP hypocrisy at its finest. From the story linked above:
House leaders are expected to incorporate any compromise on abortion into the bill Friday in the Rules Committee. Republicans have said that doing so violates the pledge by Hoyer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to have the complete text of the bill available to the public for three full days prior to consideration of the bill.
Got that? The party of "no abortions, ever, for any reason, period, end of story" has decided that making the Speaker look bad on a minor point trumps certain passage of an amendment that will ensure poor women will have even less access to abortion services.
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Meanwhile, Michael Gerson is laboring under the delusion that moderates will return to the GOP in droves very, very soon.
By creating deficits unequaled as a percentage of the economy since World War II, by proposing to nearly triple the national debt in the next 10 years, by using the economic crisis as an excuse for the massive expansion of government authority over health care, Obama has become a polarizing figure.
First of all, those deficits were created by a Republican Administration and Congress. Second, the numbers look particularly bad because of the recession and including war spending in the budget rather than as a supplement. Finally, he is talking about a party led by the likes of Sarah Palin, Michael Steele, John Boehner, and Mitch McConnell, and promoted by the likes of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh.
Thanks for playing, Gerson.
Bonus: he did quote our fearless leader, Kos.
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Speaking of Glenn Beck, do not miss Jon Stewart on the 11/3 project. I promise that this is an epic take down of Beck.
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Unemployment is more than ten percent, the highest rate since 1983.
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Thoughts and prayers today to the victims and families at Fort Hood.
In a related note, the Conservative base refuses to stay classy about the whole thing: Conservative Says Hasan Acted On Orders Of Muslim Brotherhood: What Do We Know?
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Remember, Remember The Fifth of November and the bucket of fail that was the DC Tea Party. Example:
And as if that wasn't enough stupidity to go around, to what might just as well have been called a Stupidity Rally, John Boehner waved a document that he said was the constitution and told the assembled tea partiers that he stood with the constitution. Waving the document aloft he yelled into his microphone with the legislatively psychotic Virginia Foxx nodding behind him, that he "stood with the words of the constitution" that " we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights including life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!" And the crowd went wild.
Ten points if you can figure out what is wrong with that without peeking at the story.
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From the House Ethics Committee: Jane Harman is not under investigation and one-time quarterback Heath Shuler has been cleared of wrongdoing.
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Do you know what's worse than slowing Global Warming caused by human activity? Spending money.
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Memo: If you want money from lobbyists, Jewish organizations spend a lot more money than pro-Arab groups.
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Charlie Crist got a $52,000 birthday cake. I got a free beer on my birthday in January.
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Finally, do you want to shed your pajamas, give up Cheetos, and move out of mom's basement? The Post is looking everywhere (but the blogs) for new pundits.