While you were sleeping: The Vampire Congress strikes again

MichelleMalkin.com ^ | March 25, 2010 | Michelle Malkin

[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.

[OneWingedShark]

>Also, on that subject, how can you allow felons to vote but NOT also give them back their 2nd Amendment rights as well?

That is a good question.

>I didn’t think you could pick-N-choose due process??

They shouldn’t be able to.

>I don’t think they should get any “rights” back,

I vehemently disagree on philosophical grounds. If a felon has served their sentence (and thusly “paid their debt to society”) then they should have FULL rights and privileges restored. If the ‘sentence’ is such that serving it does not “pay the debt” then the sentence itself is unjust.

>but I am wondering how the Marxists can pick and choose like this??

I don’t know.

[traumer]

People voted - now you have to TAKE IT !

[thulldud]

I noted during the campaign that Baraq al-Husseini's organization themselves transliterated his name into Hebrew as "BRQ" and not "BRK". Meaning that the root word is "lightning", not "blessing" which some were trying to claim.

Totally different words.

[NurseZac]

Thank you for your kind answer :-)

[campaignPete R-CT]

LOL. I DRop out of politic today. join new team on SAT. maybe. maybe not.