Posted on 03/24/2010 10:54:45 PM PDT by Blonde
As you all know, I’m on semi-vacation with my family. It’s 10:00pm Pacific time and after putting everyone to bed, I decided to check in online and turn on the TV. I flipped through C-SPAN thinking I’d be able to catch up on re-runs of the day’s business…only to find the Senate still live and in session at 1:00am Eastern voting on Demcare amendments.
Yes, the Vampire Congress is back in business again — shirking the glare of daylight as it tables Republican motion after motion. A final vote on the wreckonciliation bill is expected at around 3:00-6:00am Eastern this morning.
Here’s a list of some of the GOP amendments to the wreconciliation bill (click on link for more info):
* Senator Gregg: Protect Medicare Savings * Senator McCain: Remove Sweetheart Deals * Senator Crapo: No Tax Hikes for Families Earning Under $250,000 * Senator Enzi: Strike the Employer Mandate * Senator Barrasso: Requires Legislation Not Increase Premiums * Senator Grassley: Requires President, Congress Enroll in Exchange * Senator Alexander: Reduce Student Loan Interest Rate * Senator LeMieux: Members On Medicaid * Senator Coburn: Bars Sex Offenders from Receiving E.D. Drugs * Senator Hutchison: State Opt Out * Senator Hatch: Block Medicare Advantage Cuts * Senator Collins: Waive Employer Mandate Tax * Senator Thune: Strike CLASS Act * Senator Cornyn: Remove New Taxes on Investments * Senator Hatch: Protect Wounded Soldiers from Medical Device Tax * Senator Inhofe: Protect Pediatrics and Disabled from Medical Device Tax * Senator Crapo: Protect Cancer Patients from Medical Device Tax * Senators Roberts, Inhofe, Brown, Crapo: Strike Medical Device Tax * Senator Burr: Tricare and Veterans Health Programs * Senator Roberts: Rationing * Senator Roberts: Critical Access Hospitals * Senator Vitter: Repeals Democrats’ Health Care Bill
Go here for the roll call votes.
Among the more noteworthy votes taken so far:
Sen. Coburn’s attempt to bar Viagra for sex offenders was tabled by 57-42. Democrat Sens. Bayh and Nelson voted with the Republicans.
Sen. Vitter’s motion to repeal the Demcare takeover was tabled by 58-39.
The Hill is also up tonight covering the dwellers in darkness:
As of 11:30 p.m., the chamber had defeated 19 straight Republican proposals and adopted none.
There were no Democratic amendments proposed, and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is under pressure to preserve the bill intact, which would prevent it from having to be sent back to the House. The House already approved the reconciliation bill in its session last weekend.
A spokesman for Reid’s office said instead of adjourning, the evening’s continuous voting has put the chamber within reach of a final vote in the wee hours of Thursday — possibly between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Although 20 hours of debate are normally required, Democrats surrendered their half of that time on Wednesday morning, and GOP leaders decided later in the day against a strategy of filing repeated amendments.
Democratic leaders are moving the bill through the Senate under special parliamentary rules, known as the reconciliation process, under which they only need to amass 51 votes, meaning they can afford to lose several members of their party. Senate Parliamentarian Alan Frumin, whose rulings were critical to the state of the bill, had not issued any rulings to adversely affect the bill as of 11:30 p.m.
I’ll update through the night. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile the total destruction of the Senate is underway. Bye bye filibuster, it was nice while you lasted.
Two-bit tin pot tyranny ahead, buckle up.
I could not believe it when I turned it on - in the middle of the night...
Dems should be on notice: Every dog has their day.
So much for transparency by the socialists who now run our Government. ZERO is like a tin pot dicator with his stooges Reid and Pelosi.
bump
They will stop at nothing. With no filibuster it’s all open season on America.
The bandit regime running the Govt now, can via their gangsta methods, ram thru any and everything.
Only the Courts have a chance to stop them. Though the Courts tried and failed to stop Chavez.
They get to tuck more stuff into this reconciliation if they want. It looks like they won’t. That expends their one chance at doing reconciliation for this budget year cycle. There is one more budget year cycle coming up where reconciliation can be done once more. Supposedly only fund raising and expenditure related stuff can go into a reconciliation. I don’t think they can put an amnesty law into a reconciliation, but that doesn’t mean they won’t try.
Reid is not so much a vampire as a replica for the cartoon character Snoopy The Dog. I am ashamed he comes from this state. I plead this defense. Liberals from the state to the west infecting us are responsible for it. We hate the bastard in my neck of the woods.
Why? Seems to me that they ought to use every possible delaying and obstruction tactic known to man to bungle up the works. They need to be using every weapon at their disposal to fight this - not standing down, in any way.
Leave it to our RINOs in the House of Lords to concede the field to the enemy.
Update 2:10am Eastern. They are now voting on the Hutchison amendment to make permanent certain sales and marriage tax provisions that were set to expire. The amendment falls, 40-55.
Oh, dear. Al Franken has taken over as presiding officer.
Are the Republicans there?
*
Stuart is in the House? Oh my, it’s the Senate!
Seriously now. Where is Byrd?
Update: 2:43am Senate adjourns, parliamentarian ruling will send Wreckonciliation bill back to the House
Update 2:43am Eastern After tabling more GOP amendments, a pale, hoarse Harry Reid calls for adjournment. Befuddled Franken announces: “I guess we’re adjourned.”
Meantime, wire services are reporting that a Senate parliamentarian ruling agreeing with GOP points of order will send the Wreckonciliation bill back to the House.
Like I said: It ain’t over ’til it’s over…and it’s only just begun.
The hits just keep on coming.
I watched the final “motion”. What part of this horrid bill is subject to reconciliation?
I said this on another thread but I’m really ticked off about the Senate Republicans so I’m repeating it:
I think they need to go through all of the amendments - every last one - for the people they are there to represent, for principle and for posterity. It’s the least they can do after the most disastrous legislation in history was just forced on we the people. Snowe should be made to get up and read them all, too, in five inch spike heels with no potty breaks.
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