Democratic "Change"

[JohnRich 4]

News:

Pelosi Erases Long-Standing Fairness Rules

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to re-write House rules today to ensure that the Republican minority is unable to have any influence on legislation. Pelosi’s proposals are so draconian, and will so polarize the Capitol, that any thought President-elect Obama has of bipartisan cooperation will be rendered impossible before he even takes office.

Pelosi’s rule changes -- which may be voted on today -- will reverse the fairness rules that were written around Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America.”

In reaction, the House Republican leadership is sending a letter today to Pelosi to object to changes to House Rules this week that would bar Republicans from offering alternative bills, amendments to Democrat bills or even the guarantee of open debate accessible by motions to recommit for any piece of legislation during the entire 111th Congress. These procedural abuses would also include the repeal of six-year limit for committee chairmen and other House Rules reform measures enacted in 1995 as part of the Contract with America.

After decades of Democrat control of the House of Representatives, gross abuses to the legislative process and several high-profile scandals contributed to an overwhelming Republican House Congressional landslide victory in 1994. Reforms to the House Rules as part of the Contract with America were designed to open up to public scrutiny what had become under this decades-long Democrat majority a dangerously secretive House legislative process. The Republican reform of the way the House did business included opening committee meetings to the public and media, making Congress actually subject to federal law, term limits for committee chairmen ending decades-long committee fiefdoms, truth in budgeting, elimination of the committee proxy vote, authorization of a House audit, specific requirements for blanket rules waivers, and guarantees to the then-Democrat minority party to offer amendments to pieces of legislation.

Pelosi’s proposed repeal of decades-long House accountability reforms exposes a tyrannical Democrat leadership poised to assemble legislation in secret, then goose-step it through Congress by the elimination of debate and amendment procedures as part of America’s governing legislative process.

Source: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30143

[kelpdiver 2]

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News:

...

Pelosi’s proposed repeal of decades-long House accountability reforms exposes a tyrannical Democrat leadership poised to assemble legislation in secret, then goose-step it through Congress by the elimination of debate and amendment procedures as part of America’s governing legislative process.

hahah - I like how you preface this with "News" when it's so clearly partisan. I hope you actually knew this, too.

Definitely a doublespeak award for claiming the GOP side of the aisle has represented fairness before, during, and after the Newt Revolution. They had the same notion of fairness that Pelosi has now.

[quade 4]

This talking point certainly is making its way around the right wing blogoshpere today. Google it and you'll see it copy/pasted on dozens of sites.

But what is the actual thing Pelosi is doing with the proposal? Can you find on any of those sites the actual text of what the proposal is? Can you find anything on those sites that explains how it works?

Please come back and explain this.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Amazon 7]

Awww poor baby....

Aint it a bitch when you finally get to hand out the same kind of crap .. that you yourself were subjected to for 15 years.

The GOP is reaping what they have sown..

[marks2065 0]

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Awww poor baby....

Aint it a bitch when you finally get to hand out the same kind of crap .. that you yourself were subjected to for 15 years.

The GOP is reaping what they have sown..

don't worry, we will all pay for what is happening, including the democrats.

[billvon 3,107]

>we will all pay for what is happening, including the democrats.

Very true. God knows we are paying for the past eight years now.

[rehmwa 2]

Actually, if someone could post the text of the proposed rule change, then that would be cool. We could read it and come up with our own conclusions.



But the responses here are amazing in themselves. That, and the fact it's not a poll.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[Belgian_Draft 0]

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>we will all pay for what is happening, including the democrats.

Very true. God knows we are paying for the past eight 16 years now.

Fixed it fer ya.

HAMMER:
Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a
kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the
object we are trying to hit.

[Andy9o8 2]

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Actually, if someone could post the text of the proposed rule change, then that would be cool. We could read it and come up with our own conclusions.



But the responses here are amazing in themselves. That, and the fact it's not a poll.

Curiously, I'm actually offended this isn't a push-poll. I suggest the following language:

___ YES, I support a return to the fairness, not to mention that down-home folksy style, ushered in by one of the great men of our time, and a real American, Newt Gingrich.

____ NO, I'm an America-hater and I support Pelosi's insidious plan to feed live kittens to children.

[rehmwa 2]

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____ NO, I'm an America-hater and I support Pelosi's insidious plan to feed live kittens to children.

liberal press cover story -

"Democrats Stalled by Evil Empire in Program to Provide Humane Population Control for Pets"

Page 2

"Republicans Block Democrat Program to Provide Meals for Underprivileged Children"

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[nerdgirl 0]

Did anyone find the actual text of the proposed rules changes?

Reading what was circulated on the internet, including the letter signed by GOP House leadership, the issue seems to be term limits on committee chairs and unspecified changes to legislation on taxes. It’s not clear how what’s stated in the letter differs substantively from previous House rules of order. They have to be re-submitted and voted on at the opening of every session of the House. And it is the Speaker of House's responsibility to propose them.

Less partisan article from the Associated Press.

Sort of devil’s advocate argument: If one accepts the blog text being circulated round the 'net as completely factual, it suggests a provocative scenario. Rep Pelosi, who is already vilified by parts of the blog-o-sphere, is the ‘bad guy’ … or ‘bad girl’ in this situation. If one wants to craft a grand sort of strategy (or conspiracy theory … depending on one’s perspective) this might be ingenious. Focuses all of the attention on Congress.

Of course, to accept that one would have to believe in higher level of coordination between the executive and legislative branches than I have ever observed. Inside the beltway, the main divide is not GOP v DEM, it's Executive v Legislative. The latter consider the budget to be their money that the former isn't spending the way they want; the former consider the budget to be their money that Congress won't give them. The Beltway Bandits don't care and just want it to get to them as quickly as possibility, e.g., earmarks.

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[Andrewwhyte 1]

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Inside the beltway, the main divide is not GOP v DEM, it's Executive v Legislative. The latter consider the budget to be their money that the former isn't spending the way they want; the former consider the budget to be their money that Congress won't give them. The Beltway Bandits don't care and just want it to get to them as quickly as possibility, e.g., earmarks.

VR/Marg

Well, Well, Well. I guess the revolution didn't change that much after all.

[mnealtx 0]

Quote

Quote

News:

...

Pelosi’s proposed repeal of decades-long House accountability reforms exposes a tyrannical Democrat leadership poised to assemble legislation in secret, then goose-step it through Congress by the elimination of debate and amendment procedures as part of America’s governing legislative process.

hahah - I like how you preface this with "News" when it's so clearly partisan. I hope you actually knew this, too.

Definitely a doublespeak award for claiming the GOP side of the aisle has represented fairness before, during, and after the Newt Revolution. They had the same notion of fairness that Pelosi has now.

Yeah, right - those same rules that let the Repubs supposedly 'rule the Senate' are now too constricting for the Dems? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot - 'bipartisanship' is only for when the Dems are the minority, isn't it?

"The most open and ethical Congress in history" - what a crock of shit.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[kelpdiver 2]

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Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot - 'bipartisanship' is only for when the Dems are the minority, isn't it?

The only examples of "bipartisanship" I can recall is in 2001 and in 1981 when the Democrats were cowed into playing along with whatever the President wanted. Beyond that, it's a bullshit phrase like "world peace."

[JohnnyD 0]

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Actually, if someone could post the text of the proposed rule change, then that would be cool. We could read it and come up with our own conclusions.



But the responses here are amazing in themselves. That, and the fact it's not a poll.

And it apparently has nothing to do with the UK

[billvon 3,107]

>Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot - 'bipartisanship' is only for when the Dems are
>the minority, isn't it?

When the republicans are in the majority, they make a slight change to that term, and replace it with "go fuck yourself." Of course, with Delay gone, perhaps they will learned a thing or two about compromise. (Which is good; they'll need that skill.)

[JohnnyD 0]

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Yeah, right - those same rules that let the Repubs supposedly 'rule the Senate' are now too constricting for the Dems? Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot - 'bipartisanship' is only for when the Dems are the minority, isn't it?

"The most open and ethical Congress in history" - what a crock of shit.

Interesting.

It also would be easier to object to so-called "air drop" earmarks: special projects added to legislation by House-Senate conferees after both houses already approved legislation.

Isn't that what we call "pork"? That's a good thing, right?

If the house was R controlled and passed that, the "liberal" media would be absolutely gushing about the positive changes being made. Seems to be a pretty good example of how unbelievably false the "liberal media" label is.