Not that anyone's watching, but the Senate has shut down

Politico ^ | 6/4/08 | Martin Kady II

[Dawnsblood]

McConnell has essentially shut down the Senate floor this afternoon by forcing the Senate clerk to read aloud the entire 500 page global warming bill. So if legislative language is your thing, turn on C-SPAN and watch the Senate at its best, or worst, depending on your perspective.

McConnell (R-Ky.) believes Reid (D-Nev.) has backtracked on a promise to clear a significant number of Republican judicial nominees, but Democrats are becoming more and more hesitant to give Bush judges a lifelong appointment to the federal bench in the waning months of this White House.

"The Democratic majority has refused to honor its commitments," McConnell said. "It apparently believes that commitments do not matter in the United States Senate, and that actions do not have consequences."

One of those consquences, apparently, is a complete shut down of the Senate.

Here's a snippet of the full response from Reid spokesman Jim Manley on the Republican maneuver.

"Devoid of ideas for addressing global warming and unwilling to work with us to strengthen our weakening economy and energy policy, Republicans have now resorted to changing the subject with inaccurate attacks.

“Senator Reid pledged a good-faith effort to have the Senate consider three court of appeals nominees before the Memorial Day recess, with the explicit caveat that achieving that goal depended on Republican cooperation. The Senate did, in fact, confirm Virginia Supreme Court Judge Steven Agee to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in May, and Chairman Leahy expedited Judiciary Committee consideration of two nominees to Michigan seats on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. These nominations were the result of many years of negotiation between the White House and the Michigan Senators."

[Dawnsblood]

Good for McConnell!

[Kozak]

Good. The more those fools are paralyzed the less damage they can do to the nation.

[DoughtyOne]

I'm sure all the good little Senators left as soon as the reading began. They don't want to know what's in it. They want plausible deniability.

[Bahbah]

I’ve been watching on and off all afternoon.

The clerks are still reading the bill. LOL.

[marron]

These nominations were the result of many years of negotiation between the White House and the Michigan Senators."

Many years of negotiations? Just to get a judge approved?

[Michael.SF.]

These nominations were the result of many years of negotiation between the White House and the Michigan Senators."

YEARS ???

The Democrats will claim, with a straight face, that Republicans are guilty of obstructionism, yet they do this w/o repercussions.

[CarolinaGOP]

Perhaps we should all contact Senator McConnell and encourage him in his efforts!

[maine-iac7]

REAd this this morning. Hooray for McConnell - I hope they keep doing this..............

[inkling]

Those poor clerks. What a miserable job...

[Michael.SF.]

I’ve been watching on and off all afternoon.

In between naps?

[Man50D]

The clerks are still reading the bill.

Hopefully they will lose their place and have to start all over again.

[Hildy]

Yea, miserable jobs...wonder how much they get paid?

[Hildy]

Yea, miserable jobs...wonder how much they get paid?

[TomGuy]

That is a silly waste of time.

It only delays the inevitable.

[Enterprise]

I just wish they had fought like this for judges and energy starting in 2000.

[Biggirl]

Good!

[Enchante]

"These nominations were the result of many years of negotiation between the White House and the Michigan Senators."

MANY YEARS of negotiation?? Yes, that is what the "advice and consent" clause in the US Constitution has become for these depraved, vicious Demagogues. How can any Demagogue leader or spokesflunky say that phrase without choking on it? Because they are vicious anti-constitutional scum.

[villagerjoel]

-Yea, miserable jobs...wonder how much they get paid?-

“The current salary (2008) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $169300 per year.”

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa031200a.htm

[firewalk]

*big grin*

[Balding_Eagle]

“The current salary (2008) for rank-and-file members of the House and Senate is $169300 per year.”

Don't forget that they are also legally allowed to use Insider Trading information gleaned from holding hearings to buy and sell publically traded stocks and bonds.

[Cboldt]

Not that most people notice, but the Senate is frequently shut down for days at a time, by GOP refusal to go along with DEM plans for legislating.

The typical "shutdown" move is a refusal to agree to proceed to a bill, followed by insisting on 30 hours of "debate" (usually quorum call) after the DEMS get 60 Senators to agree to limit debate on a motion to proceed to a piece of legislation.

The only difference here is that a clerk is reading, instead of the occasional mention of a name as a quorum call is conducted.

[6SJ7]

The clerks are still reading the bill. LOL.

With 500 pages, with a bit of luck, he'll read it until the current congressional term expires... mercifully.

[Biblebelter]

When it comes to the Senate, the Do-nothing mode is better than do-something mode.

[G.Love]

Perhaps we should all contact Senator McConnell and encourage him in his efforts!

Even better if some people could encourage him financially as well. He's in a tough reelection race this fall with the major newspapers calling for his head.

[Cobra64]

That is a silly waste of time.

It only delays the inevitable.

No. It's an excellent idea for two reasons:

1) It will set a precedent on how to piss off a liberal

2) Those who vote for the dopey commie energy bill can say they never "heard of it."

[Dr.Zoidberg]

It’s a temporary reprieve, but for now, free Americans are safe.

Tomorrow the beast once more stalks, but tonight it is bound.

[Bahbah]

With 500 pages, with a bit of luck, he'll read it until the current congressional term expires... mercifully.

Lovely thought.

[processing please hold]

Wow, you can really turn a phrase. Nice job! :)

[Left2Right]

"Even better if some people could encourage him financially as well. He's in a tough reelection race this fall with the major newspapers calling for his head."

Can you provide a link to his campaign website? I tried to look it up on google and got redirected to YouTube!

[RightField]

It’s a temporary reprieve, but for now, free Americans are safe... Tomorrow the beast once more stalks, but tonight it is bound.

Nice.

Mark Steyn, is that you?

[weegee]

McConnell already conceded congress to the Democrats in 2009. He said as much on Rush’s show today when he said he see the Republicans with a robust minority in the Congress in the coming year. Yeeaaarrrrrgghhhhh.

[G.Love]

Can you provide a link to his campaign website? I tried to look it up on google and got redirected to YouTube!

I don't know how to do links but try www.TeamMitch.com

[weegee]

What the Democrats have done to Bush’s appointees was completely unconstitutional.

They run their own shadow government to thwart the policies of the elected adniministration.

And there are plenty, like Valarie Plame and Joe Wilson, who weren’t elected at all.

[GOP_Lady]

This is more riveting than watching flameless candles on the home shopping channel. I love it!

[Dawnsblood]

It is right here.

[GOP_Lady]

Good job, Senator McConnell, good job!

[imahawk]

Backbone! Damn!

[Bahbah]

LOL.

[tobyhill]

McConnell should force the clerks to read every bill including every word from the 2009 budget. It'll take them 6 months to read it page by page.

[lonevoice]

Hat tip Sen. McConnell. We could make the passing of time a little more interesting by starting a pool for how long it takes clerks to read 500 pages out loud.

About every 50 pages or so one of the (R) Senators should voice an objection that something was misread that changes the whole context, requiring the previous 50 pages to be re-read.

[Left2Right]

Thanks! Mission Accomplished!

[Ramzi]

You can watch the video of Senator McConnell objecting to Reid’s request that the reading be waived.

http://hughhewitt.townhall.com/blog

Scroll down a bit. Watching Boxer complain is priceless.

[kublia khan]

Can’t the Republican nominee put together another bi partisan group to bring some resolution to this. He is the great bi partisan maverick isn’t he??

[Dawnsblood]

A direct link to the post you mention is here. That video was awesome. I was laughing the whole time. Thanks for pointing it out!

[Taxman]

It is profoundly gratifying to note that Senator McConnell’s testicles are not in some Democrat’s lockbox!

OH! That there were more Real Republicans, in possession of their own testicles in the White House, House of Representatives and Senate!

[LeonardFMason]

At first the whole thing made me laugh as I watched. After 10 minutes of: ....section 3 of sub-paragraph 4 in Part 2 of clause 8a in footnote 65 at the bottom of page 42 of the attached supporting document........” I stopped laughing. How long does it take to read the Constitution? The reading of the Boxer travesty was 7 hours long and going when I finally turned it off. Sickening.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

Thanks Guys =-)

[WOSG]

http://www.teammitch.com/site/c.grLSK3PBLoF/b.2955413/

Google must be part of the Soros conspiracy. Their bias sometimes gets .. creepy.

Use dogpile.
http://www.dogpile.com/

[WOSG]

If he argued otherwise people would accuse him of being in lu-lu land. It’s well acknowledged that right now both the House and Senate look tough for the GOP. We’d be lucky to hold even.

[WOSG]

Excuse me, but the Constitution is limited Govt charter for a free nation.

This is a regulatory nightmarish gobbledegook Socialist toakeover of wide swaths of our economy. It is designed to force higher energy prices and control all of us via CO2. It will massively reallocate wealth with trillion dollar giveaways to favored industries and grab of money from existing energy users and producers.

The better comparison might be to USSR constitution and laws.