Posted on 07/28/2015 11:30:07 PM PDT by Morgana
The controversy surrounding Planned Parenthood is escalating on Capitol Hill as Senate Republicans vowed Tuesday to vote to cut off federal funds for the organization as early as next week and keep campaigning on the issue this fall.
After anti-abortion activists on Tuesday released a new video showing representatives from Planned Parenthood talking about fetal tissue sales, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) assigned a trio of senators to come up with a plan to defund the abortion rights group. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) are trying to hash out a deal about how exactly to move forward on a proposal.
Although the vote is all but certain to fail, given strong Democratic support for the organization, Republicans feel they have a winning political issue. Planned Parenthood has come under fire after the anti-abortion activists released three videos — based on secret recordings — that all included discussions of selling fetal tissue. And the leader of the anti-abortion group behind the secret tapes has said it has “thousands of hours” of additional recordings.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
He could have done something effective by attaching it to the highway bill, but he blocked that maneuver. Instead, it will be considered separately, so it will be vetoed.
Enough with the amendments. Stand-alone bills only. And simple majority for most votes.
Amendments take away our representatives’ ability to vote their conscience, and therefore ours too. In addition, they complicate the process with trade-offs so that half the time we don’t even know what’s happening. Back to basics.
The first person to campaign on this gets my vote, even if it’s Bernie.
Thanks. Yeah, I figured this was all theater.
Certainly no fan of MM or JB (just the opposite) - but if it forces Bammy to veto in light of the videos, that may be a very small victory.
Yeah, they know how to combine things (or not in this case) to game the system.
That is why he did not let it be included int he highway bill.
The second side of this story is why does keeping the government open have to be the only promise turtle boy keeps?
Exactly. It’s going to fail and McConnell knows it. He should have put it in the highway bill, but it was jammed with too much lucre to let it go.
What harm did the shut down do?
He knows the fix is in and will use more subterfuge to “settle” PP’s “perfectly legitimate” claim on taxpayer funding.....
It’s all for show because it is a stand alone Bill,Obama would veto it,if they attached it to the highway Bill as Ted Cruz wanted,Obama would have a real dilemma,but of course OLD MITCH kissed Obama’s Ass again,thanks Mitch,for not attaching Ted’s Amendment to the highway Bill,we don’t need your phony show bull crap
“See we listened to you! We voted to defund but failed. Now, send US money!”
If this vote had any chance of passing McConnell would have never let near the floor of the Senate.
I don't think that's a winning issue. Since each chamber of Congress makes its own rules, a President can't do anything about it. And if someone like Sanders loses, there is not much they alone can do in the Senate to change the rules.
It would likely take an Article V convention of the states to pass an amendment to force single issue bills from Congress.
-PJ
“What harm did the shut down do?”
None that I know of, but clearly the GOPe thinks it does them political damage. I don’t think they understand just how much frustration is out there in America. Trump, for example, is one big raised middle finger toward Washington DC and both political parties.
simple is always better ...
And of all the promises he has made (and broken) why is this the one he decides to keep? And to whom is he keeping it?
Turtle face is protecting “Republicans” like Ayotte who don’t want to take a hard vote on PP close to an election year.
I doubt there are even 51 votes to defund PP and the GOP don’t want to show the GOP base that fact.
It’s all for show because it is a stand alone Bill,Obama would veto it,if they attached it to the highway Bill as Ted Cruz wanted,Obama would have a real dilemma,but of course OLD MITCH kissed Obama’s Ass again,thanks Mitch,for not attaching Ted’s Amendment to the highway Bill,we don’t need your phony show bull crap
Nope. McConnell’s tacitcs have nothing to do with the kenyan. Many beltway “Republicans” don’t want to defund PP and McConnell is protecting them.
Big Gov was the loser in the ‘shut down’. Let’s do it again.
Reparations for the unsuspecting deparented doofs who paid to have their babies scalpeled by profiting progressives?
Prison for the pull-apart-your-baby plunderers?
I know each house makes its own rules and the president doesn’t decide, but then again we will have all of the House and 1/3 of the Senate running in 2016, so they could say something to encourage that. Presidential candidates could too, to show their faith in the American people.
I think the representatives are kind of drunk on their power and skill in wheeling and dealing and would not really want this kind of change very much. It looks like a lot of fun, really. They wouldn’t have that much to do anymore—besides listen to their constituents and study the issues. Not to mention that the lobbying wouldn’t be quite so important.
First, by eliminating Senate elections, we eliminate the need to fundraise, which reduces or outright eliminates being bought by donors.
Second, if Senators are appointed by their state legislatures, it seems likely that large omnibus bills won't attract the support of a majority of states, as different parts of the bill might attract or repel different states.
Since the Senators would fear not being reappointed by their legislatures, they would not want to support a bill that goes against the interests of their state.
-PJ
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.