Posted on 10/19/2010 12:22:28 PM PDT by neverdem
As Senate GOP leaders look ahead to the lame-duck session, many are cautiously optimistic about their chances of thwarting any big-ticket spending initiatives. In fact, with a limited calendar and potential Democratic losses on the horizon, some Republicans wonder whether the latter will even come up for debate.
In an interview with National Review Online, Don Stewart, the communications director for Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), says that Republicans “are preparing and remain on guard” for Democratic maneuvers. Still, he says, “With a whole new crop of Democrats, including the president, immediately facing the 2012 cycle after Election Day, there may not be a lot of momentum on their side to make controversial votes.”
Some Democrats may choose to stay home. “Typically in lame-duck sessions, people aren’t in a great mood, especially if they’ve just had a bad day,” Stewart observes. “So some of them may not even show up — there is potential for a few complete absences. Would you want to come up here for some ugly, hard vote after you’d lost or retired?”
On the other side of the aisle, Republicans are hoping to bolster their ranks immediately. Three Democratic appointees — Sen. Roland Burris of Illinois, Sen. Carte Goodwin of West Virginia, and Sen. Ted Kaufman of Delaware — will relinquish their seats following the midterms. With potential pickups emerging from those races, “We could have three new members right away, if we have a really good day,” Stewart says. “That doesn’t get us to 50, of course, but it takes them farther away from 60 and would give us a little more leverage, which leads us to think that they won’t spend a lot of time on big, controversial things.” (In the Senate, a party needs 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.)
In recent months, the lame-duck session, which is slated to begin on November 15, has been the subject of much debate on Capitol Hill. Various Senate Democrats have voiced their support for pursuing hot-button legislation, from the DREAM Act, which deals with the immigration status of illegal residents, to the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which is included in the defense-authorization bill. A climate bill has also been rumored, but with Gov. Joe Manchin, the Democrats’ Senate nominee in West Virginia, literally shooting one in his new campaign spot, the likelihood of one in the lame duck is close to nil.
The November session will be brief, just a few days before the Senate recesses for Thanksgiving. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) has arranged for a debate on a vote on the Food Safety Modernization Act, which Stewart predicts will not cause much of a fuss. Due to debate constraints, little more will be on the legislative agenda next month.
Come December, things may heat up. Stewart tells us that Republicans will be focused on finding a way to extend the Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of this year. Stewart says that the GOP is open to working with Democrats on this, and that party leaders want to find a way to keep current law in place. Republicans would also like to see a freeze on appropriations and spending kept to at least $300 billion below the president’s current budget proposal, all while eyeing more ways to slice largesse from the federal budget.
Republicans will also make sure to fight any potential tax hikes. On that front, McConnell, who does not see increased taxes as the answer to the deficit, is waiting to review what the bipartisan Deficit Reduction Commission recommends. The debate over the commission’s report “could take up a lot of time,” Stewart says. “Most Republicans are disinclined to go for any more taxes. We would like to do something real on entitlement reform,” but he is unsure about whether Democrats have any serious interest.
For conservatives who remain worried about Democratic shenanigans in the lame duck, Stewart offers a parting thought: “Remember, if they can’t pass it now, they sure as heck won’t be able to pass it then. . . . I don’t want to dampen enthusiasm, but when you look at the political reality, they may get aggressive, but they hopefully just won’t have the votes to do much damage.”
I am wondering it the lame duck session might be the time for the Congress to pass some unpopular gun control laws while they still have the chance to ram legislation down our throats.
Some could say that if they do, they’ll have to leave the country.
” some Republicans wonder whether the latter will even come up for debate.”
Oh yeah—they will try and ram every obama dream down voters throats. The ones who have lost seats will do it out of spite and the others will hope voters will have forgotten in another 2 years.
Cautiously optimistic!!!!!!!!!!!
The GOP is about to benefit from the biggest political landslide in American history, because the American people want to stop the Democratic agenda in its tracks, and the GOP leadership is all timid about standing up to the Democrats in a lame duck session?
If the GOP leadership (and every GOP senator) doesn't grow a pair and filibuster the lame duck session, you can be ***** sure the anger directed at the Democrats in this election cycle will be directed at the GOP in the next primaries. GOP, you let this stuff slide through the senate, and you'll own it. Saying we couldn't stop it won't cut it.
The Democrats thought everyone would forget about the health care vote by the time November rolled around. We didn't, and we won't forget about the lame duck session either GOP.
“Some could say that if they do, they’ll have to leave the country.”
yea, they’ve done enough cramming. they are DONE.
This is right now my greatest political fear. They still have the same majorities in both houses that enabled the (deemed) passage of the healthcare abomination, so if they really want to cram something down our throats then only a weeks-long filibuster could stop it (and that's if the Demons don't find some way to corrupt that out of the way of whatever they want to pass).
Crap and Tax is my biggest fear - and on the gun front I have no doubts as to what the statists (on both sides) would like to do. All I can say is that if a massive new tax or a massive new intervention in our lives is imposed on us in the middle of the night, using Constitutionally questionable (or blatantly illegal) procedures without debate or chance of review, then there will be HELL to pay. They do that kind of shiite, and some of them may not be able to get out of the country. People have just HAD it with everything about the District of Criminals, most especially the arrogance emmanating from that fetid swamp.
They ain’t getting out of D.C. without first cramming Card Check down our throats. No how, no way. These unions would not be funneling all of this money into their campaigns right now if they did not get that commitment first. They will have to deliver on that if they expect their support in ‘12.
I think the real question is how fast the senate will seat the three new senators that are supposed to be in place the day after the election. I believe those 3 seats are Illinois (Obama’s old seat temp filled by Burris), The one O’Donnell is going against coons for, and the 3rd (hmmm...I forget...must be old age.).
I predict the new senators won’t be seated for some time.
Some could say that, alright.
“no one can maintain a 300 yd perimeter forever”
The alternate scenario to that is the angry, "entitled" Democrat congressmen, suddenly stripped of their "hereditary nobility" come back to Washington and vote to punish the peasants who have shredded their sweet, beautiful little worlds.
No, Scott Brown, the forty first vote, is there now. After Nov 2, the five appointed senators from CO, WV, Il, NY and another state that I forget, who win or their opponents who've won are sworn into office immediately, if their respective state laws say so, IIRC. Maybe it will be only three of those five, the remaining two in January.
The House didn't deem it after all. They took a roll call vote here, "On Motion to Concur in Senate Amendments," for the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act."
Crap and Tax is my biggest fear - and on the gun front I have no doubts as to what the statists (on both sides) would like to do. All I can say is that if a massive new tax or a massive new intervention in our lives is imposed on us in the middle of the night, using Constitutionally questionable (or blatantly illegal) procedures without debate or chance of review, then there will be HELL to pay. They do that kind of shiite, and some of them may not be able to get out of the country. People have just HAD it with everything about the District of Criminals, most especially the arrogance emmanating from that fetid swamp.
Getting those 60 votes will probably be even harder. The rats have stifled their gun grabbers for 44 months now. Do you really think they want to squander that for some outrageous crap that will truly come back to haunt them?
Exactly. The GOP has enough votes to filibuster. Unless it is penny-ante stuff like naming post offices or federal buildings, they should be shutting down everything until the new congress is seated.
Thank you. I read somewhere in this forum that CO was in the mix.
No you are wrong. They must be seated as soon/soonest as the Senate comes into session. The governor’s in each state can prevent the out-going from taking the seat and provoke the new senators’ being admitted.
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