Top three Senate Democrats???
Posted on 11/03/2010 1:19:46 PM PDT by jazusamo
The top three Senate Democrats said the onus was on the newly-strengthened GOP conference to cooperate on legislation next year.
Republicans picked up six Senate seats Tuesday night, not enough to take control of the chamber but the new numbers will make it harder for Democrats to get the necessary 60 votes to proceed on controversial legislation.
Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Majority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) and Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.), in a conference call with reporters Wednesday, pledged to work with the Republicans but also emphasized the GOP’s responsibility to not block legislation.
Reid, especially, renewed a threat he made before, that Republicans must stop obstructing and start cooperating. The majority leader, who survived a close re-election battle, said he spoke early Wednesday afternoon with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
“Republicans must take their responsibility to solve the problems of ordinary Americans,” Reid said. “Simply saying ‘No,’ as we’ve had this past Congress… won’t bring jobs back. It won’t strengthen the economy, and it won’t help families who are struggling to make ends meet. ‘No’ is not the answer. It has to be ‘Yes.’ Not our ‘Yes,’ but a combined ‘Yes,’ something we work out — a consensus ‘Yes.’”
“Playing to a draw in the United States Senate for political score is not acceptable to the American people,” added Durbin. “We need to work together. The Senate will be the crucible for some of the most important issues of our day.”
Specifically, Schumer said the 112th Congress will “focus on the middle class like a laser,” and that he expects, as per tradition, Republicans will insist on tax cuts and Democrats will defend spending on infrastructure. However, Schumer also acknowledged Democrats “don’t have the monopoly on knowledge.”
Asked about the lame-duck session scheduled to start on Nov. 15, Reid said “a number of issues” could be taken up and that he has begun talks with McConnell on the agenda.
Pointedly, however, Reid signaled that Democrats would likely vote against a wholesale extension of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts signed by President George W. Bush, which expire at the end of the year. Democrats would agree to extending the cuts for middle-class families, Reid said, but allowing them for wealthy Americans “is not going to happen” because it would cost $4 trillion.
President Obama has pressed for the cuts to be extended for families making $250,000 or less while Republicans want an across-the-board extension.
Pressed on how Congress could function in a divided state in 2011, with a Republican-controlled House and Democratic-controlled Senate, Reid repeated that the answer lies with GOP leaders.
“When this government was set up in the 18th Century, they knew that there would be problems… This has all happened before,” he said. “The message I repeat today is that the ball is in their court.
“53 (seats), over my long time in the Senate, is a pretty good majority… We’re comfortable where we are, and we have made the message very clear that we want to work with Republicans. If they’re unwilling to work with us, there’s not a thing we can do about that, but the American people can see that like a very slow curve ball.”
The Senate will have some new members in the lame duck. The winners of contests in Delaware, West Virginia and Illinois will be sworn-in immediately. Democrats held two of the seats with Chris Coons (D) winning in Delaware and Joe Manchin (D) winning in West Virginia, but Republicans took Illinois. Rep. Mark Kirk (R) won that seat.
FUBO and the horse you rode in on.
Frankly, I don’t give a rat’s butt what Harry Reid, Onada or any of the dangerous and loony left have to say.
All that really matters is what the people we elected do when they take their seats in Washington. This includes:
1. No Constitutional compromises and no compromises of conservative principles or Christian/Judeo morality.
2. Repeal or defund Onadacare.
3. Reject climate change fraud. Concurrently, disengage America from cap and trade meetings and mandates.
4. Secure the border and enforce immigration laws. Concurrently make penalty for employing or harboring illegal aliens so painful that companies, entities and individuals will not do it.
5. Repeal every law that constrains business that does not directly bear on protecting peoples lives or vulnerability to financial/economic predators. Review every law that resulted in the shutdown of specific industries in America—like foundries, steel making etc.—to insure (1) the closure of those industries was based on scientific fact—not ideology. And (2) Explore the possibility that new technology may allow these industries to safely operate in America again.
6. Aggressively enact tort reform legislation. Frivolous law suits make everything we do or consume in America either more expensive or prohibitively expensive. Lawyers and individuals who bring frivolous law suits should be subject to severe sanctions. For that matter, a national standard definition for what a frivolous lawsuit is needs to be created. This way wise and uncorrupted judges can identify them immediately and throw them out.
7. Swift adoption of a flat income tax based on actual and necessary government spending requirements. see Items 5 and 6 above. Every working American should pay income tax. Even if its only $1 a year.
8. Removal of Federal Government from determining public school curricula. If the Fed has any role in public education it should be limited to identifying near and longer term infrastructure requirements as indicated by the Census. Local public school boards should determine the best curricula for their school. That said, school boards exclusive responsibility should be preparing the kids for a productive adulthood. In addition to the 3Rs, this includes teaching the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, non-ideological American and world history, science and biology. Of course there should also be vocational tracks for students who want to go in that direction. And there should be non-ideological courses in art appreciation. Students who’re musically and/or athletically talented should be provided the opportunity to develop those skills. In other words, it is not the public school’s responsibility to be feeding children breakfast and dinner. It is not the school nurses responsibility to send impregnated girls to abortionists. It is the school staff’s (including nurses) responsibility to inform parents when it becomes aware a girl is pregnant. It is not the school’s responsibility to politicize and/or propagandize students. It is certainly not the school’s responsibility to teach kids how to roll a condom on to a cucumber. In other words, a public school should be an apolitical and asexual zone.
9. Concurrently, teacher and public servant union’s power must be destroyed one way or the other. School management must be required to identify good and bad teachers. This will require performance evaluations no different than those rendered in private sector business. Measurable and effective standards must be created to make the evaluation process as qualitative as possible. Teachers who insist upon injecting their political agenda in the classroom must be identified, given swift due process and removed.
10. Commitment to a strong and proactive national security policy. It should be based on (1) being the strongest nation in the world militarily; (2) swift and lethal punishment for any individual, nation or entity that attacks America or its citizens anywhere in the world. And it should include a foreign policy that is in sync with the military goal of vigorously protecting America and its citizens.
11. Reintroduce parents to the responsibilities that go along with creating a human life.
12. Public funding of abortion should be prohibited in any way, shape or form. As a minimum, doctors and nurses who participate in late term abortion should be prosecuted for murder. For those of you who may not know what late term abortion entails, let me tell you. This involves a human baby that is fully formed and viable outside the womb. What the good and compassionate does is wait, not unlike a predator, for the head to emerge from the vagina. He then jabs the babies head with a sharp implement making a hole. He then proceeds to suck the babies brains out. Oh, and don’t forget, they’ve “proven” the baby does not suffer. Only problem is that these babies have been heard to scream when their skulls are pierced. No pain, my butt.
13. Enact a two-term limit on every elected federal office holder. Concurrently, eliminate federal elected official pensions. These people should come from the producers in our society. They should not be professional pols who’ve never had to compete in the job market. Health care for federal office holders should be no better or worse than the average American’s.
14. Until Item 5 above is determined the, so-called Bush Tax Cuts should be indefinitely extended. Concurrently, all spending not absolutely required for the security of this country should be suspended.
15. A credibly realistic economic plan must be presented to the American public NLT 6 months after the opening day of the new Congress. This plan’s primary focus will be (1) Paying down the deficit ASAP and (2) Funding national security (3) funding only essential requirements and (4) recouping of all so-called stimulus monies however disseminated. Included in this plan will be the wherewithal to shrink the number of people employed by 20% (this may or may not be a realistic number, one must start somewhere) over two years. The only exception will be Dept of Defense. It will reduce its civil servant population by 4% over two years. Moreover, private sector contracting out of the eliminated jobs will be prohibited. As a minimum there will be no reduction in soldiers, airmen, seamen (including Marines) and coast guardsmen. Other entities to consider are the intelligence gathering folks and Dept of Homeland Security. But reasonable people who are operating from pureness of heart can work out all those details.
15. There will be no further so-called stimulus spending initiatives. Furthermore, all already disseminated unspent stimulus money will be returned to the Federal treasury immediately upon enacting the law. See 14 above.
16. Contain and/or reduce health care costs by (1) Tort Reform (see Item 6 above) (2) prohibiting doctors/nurses from having financial interest in hospitals and labs (3) requiring pharmaceutical companies to charge every customer the same cost regardless of who he or she is, what pharmacy plan they may happen to have or what part of America or country they come from. In other words if a drug costs $1/dose in Pickens, SC., it’ll cost $1/dose in Nairobi, Kenya. Obviously hardship cases will have to be addressed. But on a case-by-case basis.
17. If it is necessary to seek expertise outside the government, special interest groups and/or lobbyists will be prohibited from participating. It is not difficult to ascertain the preeminent people in their respective fields. The will be approached on an individual basis. If it is necessary to form a study panel it will include conservative and democrat voter representatives.
It’s late, but I think I covered most of the bases. I welcome serious and insightful additions and/or modifications from others.
It seems to me if we want the people we elected to be advocates of our agenda we need to be certain they are clear as to what it is. It might not be a bad idea to a copy to every Congress person. I’d be happy to donate the postage. It would have to be sent “return receipt requested” to head off someone saying they didn’t receive it. If anyone wants to help me out on this, I’d be happy to split up the list with he, she or them.
NOW we have to visit HELL on OUR OWN, not them so much per se. Target fire on RINOS on the Hill and newly elected. Tea Party, Round Two, EAGLES UP!!
Take a hike Harry. You morons had 2 years to get whatever you wanted to pass.
This is like when the Germans DEMANDED that the Allies negotiate surrender terms at the end of WWI. Field Marshall Foch told them to go pound sand ...
Eventually, the Germans groveled before Foch ...
The Senate DEMS tactically hold the high ground [barely], but the Senate GOP is more strategically positioned to conduct trench warfare over the next two years ...
As long as the GOP DOES NOT give in on their principles concerning healthcare, the budget, taxes, immigration, etc. - the Senate DEMS are in a world of sh*t ...
There are 21 Senate DEMS up to bat in 2012 - but if they were up last nite, A MINIMUM of 8 would have lost.
If the Senate GOP holds its principles and introduces sensible legislation that the majority of the public supports, they will have DEM defections to their side in this war of attrition ...
And if the DEMS think Obama can save them through veto - the more he vetoes popular legislation, the deeper he digs his grave for 2012 ...
Top three Senate Democrats?
Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe ...
I would love it if the Senate Dems get rid of the filibuster. The House can block anything they pass, and in 2012, when Republicans take the Senate, they can pass anything they want, including repeals of all of the the legislation of the past 2 years, without fear of a filibuster. After that, we can talk about whether the filibuster is a good idea in a democracy. Personally, I don’t mind a procedural method for temporarily stopping legislation, but it cannot be used to permanently block the will of the majority. The Constitution specifies that 50 votes is needed for most things, not 60.
I think that all 243 house members should pay Prince Harry Reid a visit and throw the Stimulus and Obama Care all 4700 pages on his desk and say repeal this Harry or else!!!! Nothing get through the house especially your pork and earmarks!!!!! We will cut your budget Harry!!!!
We won, you lost! Reid will find it more difficult to set the agenda in The Senate.
Harry has not noticed yet that things chaned a bit.
During the healthcare debate, I decided to see what CNN had to say about the latest battle between Republicans and Dems. Their panel of “experts” was so frustrated with the dastardly Republican obstructionism. One said, “I just don’t get it. George Bush managed to pass all kinds of big legislation and he didn’t have a majority in both houses. Why can’t Obama get anything done when he does have those majorities? “ I was yelling at the scream, “Because Bush’s policies were popular! The people HATE what Obama is trying to do”.
Same thing here in Illinois. But the infrastructure payout goes to the unions. Last year, they tore up a bunch of roads... then went on strike. No one had jobs, but these guys decided to go on strike (the heavy equipment guys) for more money and bennies. Great. We sit with tore up roads, that have no construction crews on them.
Strike is over now, but it was just stupid.
BTW, our company cannot bid on these shovel ready jobs. We are a Merit Based shop, non-union, so are prohibited from even submitting a bid. We do get some work from it though, the union-shops sub us out, and leave their union members sitting in the hall collecting unemployment, because they refuse to work, unless its a guarantee weekly paycheck more than their unemployment. Some of the jobs are 1 or 2 day deals to keep our fabricator or plumber going, but the union guys just don’t want em, they’d rather get that gub’mint cheese, and the shop that subs us out, gets their share, the politician that sent the job to the union shop gets his cut, and the taxpayer foots the bill.
Typical. For dims, the "answer" is always a tangential excuse.
I'm glad the Senate remains in dim control. They will have less opportunity to obfuscate and O'bummer's "party-of-no" disapprobation will come across as weak and flimsy.
The electorate will get an even clearer comparison of the dim-nuts radical approach as opposed to the conservative constitutional approach, and now without an excessive risk of radical legislation becoming law.
Under the circumstances, the Senate staying in dim hands for now was good for conservatives...bad for O'bummer. My consolation is that Harry Reid will lose his majority status in two years.
I get so depressed at the thought of Reid keeping his seat.
‘Same old Harry talking to a newly invigorated group of Senators.’
Harry.... GFY
Okay Harry, then we will tell you what we think the legislation should be and you should, by your own words, concedeand not say no. I hope Mitch isn’t buying any of Harry’s BS.
This must be the least known of all 100, or maybe Franken takes all the publicity for MN.
NV people simply treat Reid as MA regarded their EMK and WV their RCB; they want the “programs” that Reid represents. Never again can NV or CO be part of the GOP “presidential base”: much too unreliable.
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