House Republicans cheered when Van Hollen remarked "Democracy has been suspended" - Detailed analysis and transcript below.
I really hope people are paying close attention.
I'd say the Koch Cabal might be getting their monies' worth this month.*
H. Res 368 was passed on October 1, 2013 with the help of 7 Democrats which, essentially, log jammed standing house rules.
Specifically, H. Res 368 jammed an important procedure that was designed to help the minority bring a Bill to the floor for a vote.
THE GOP OWN THE SHUT DOWN 100% with this sneaky resolution!
The Discharge Petition.
Discharge Petitions are used when the chair of a committee refuses to place a bill or resolution on the Committee's agenda; by never reporting a bill, the matter will never leave the committee, and the full House will not be able to consider it. A successful petition "discharges" the committee from further consideration of a bill or resolution and brings it directly to the floor.
H. Res 368 changed the Standing Rules of the House of Representatives last week to prevent anyone who wasn't the Speaker Majority Leader or his designee from bringing the petition up for a vote, thus guaranteeing Democrats had no way to stop the shutdown.
On October 12, 2013 the Democrats tried to end the Shut Down and learned that Bohener changed the rules, which you can
watch in this video:
Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat, tried to end the Government Shutdown with a Discharge Petition on October 12, 2013, only to learn that the House rules had been changed. (Both old and new embed codes included so handhelds can view.)
At minute 5:08 Van Hollen states "Democracy has been suspended" which is followed by cheers from the Republican Representatives.
Here are key some key points of the Van Hollen and Chavetz interaction seen in the video.
Van Hollen: “So, Mr. Speaker, just so I understand… H. Res 368 CHANGED THE STANDING RULES OF THE HOUSE TO TAKE AWAY FROM ANY MEMBER OF THE HOUSE THE PRIVILEGE OF CALLING UP THE SENATE BILL TO IMMEDIATELY REOPEN THE GOVERNMENT?”
Jason Chavetz: "It did change the operation of the standing rule."
"The Chair will not give an advisory opinion"
"The House will follow H. Res. 368"
Van Hollen: "The Rules Committee, under the Rules of the House, changed the Standing Rules of the House to take away the right of any member to move to vote to OPEN THE GOVERNMENT, and gave that right EXCLUSIVELY to the Republican leader, is that right?"
Jason Chavetz: The House adoped that resolution (H. Res 368)
Van Hollen: Democracy has been suspended.
Neither Boehner or his designee were on the floor of the House.
Below you will find a screen shot of the bill and who voted for and against H Res 368. You will also find ample proof that the Koch Cabal paid for the shutdown, even they they are now trying to deny it.
"Democracy has been suspended"
THE BILL offered by Pete Sessions TX
Map of the Vote for H. Res 368
DEMOCRATS THAT VOTED "YES"
THE COLLAGE OF SHAME
This was done to make it harder, if not impossible, for Dems to bring a discharge order
House Democrats Unveil Discharge Petition To Force End To Shutdown
A Discarge Petition makes it possible for any MAJORITY combination of Representatives to bring a clean CR to the floor for a vote. The Dems would have needed approximately 17 GOP Reps to join them.
H. Res 368 tied the hands of all the GOP REPS to Boehner.
This is an interesting read:
LegerdeBoehner, or “The Rules Rule.”
What this means, in short, is that the House collectively asserts that it is “done considering” the Senate’s version of the CR, and requests that the two have a “sit down” to work out the details of a compromise. This is pretty normal.
The “trickery,” which I absolutely love, is the second part, which states
Any motion pursuant to clause 4 of rule XXII relating to House Joint Resolution 59 may be offered only by the Majority Leader or his designee.
What this little sentence does is further make discharge of a clean CR even harder.
Never forget, the
Koch Cabal is spending $Billions to take over our democratic process. It is also spending Hundreds of Millions of dollars for Legal means to subvert Congressional order. They are getting their monies worth this month.
Sadly. Imagine the people who could be helped with all this money.
*Shut Down Background reading:
All the Koch Cabal money helps fund professionals, in part, to research and craft parliamentary procedures for Speaker Boehner so he can do his Koch Cabal handlers bidding.
How the Kochs and their Friends Engineered the Federal Shutdown, Part One
How the Kochs and their Friends Engineered the Federal Shutdown, Part Two
NYTIMES - A Federal Budget Crisis Months in the Planning
Pictorial Response to Today's NYTimes Koch Brothers Exposé