Topic: Me Gridlock (Read 11001 times)

jsnlxndrlv · « **Reply #40 on:** October 03, 2013, 05:15:26 PM »

Apparently a Discharge Petition would be one way to force the clean CR bill to the floor, regardless of Boehner and the Tea Party's refusal to budge. There's an internet petition to request that Nancy Pelosi initiate a Discharge Petition going around:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/nancy-pelosi-file-a-discharg?source=s.icn.em.cp&r_by=9054012

Brentai · « **Reply #41 on:** October 03, 2013, 06:17:40 PM »

If I were a Democratic senator I'd drag this bullshit out for as long as possible and soak up every single minute of it, but I guess that's why it's a good thing I'm not a Democratic senator.

Cait · « **Reply #42 on:** October 03, 2013, 08:25:34 PM »

Discharge petitions don't quite work that way, though. Discharge petitions are to force bills that have been sitting in a subcommittee out into the general pool of bills for voting. A clean continuing resolution would still need to be introduced in subcommittee, then languish there for a period of time without being acted on.

jsnlxndrlv · « **Reply #43 on:** October 03, 2013, 11:18:35 PM »

Well, the article does say the process is pretty slow, but I'm not sure whether that requirement is being glossed over or not. I think the other suggestion posted there (that the Democrats should just publicly agree to vote to keep Boehner on as speaker through 2014, removing the Tea Party's leverage) would probably be preferable.

Zaratustra · « **Reply #44 on:** October 03, 2013, 11:27:43 PM »

Quote from: McDohl on October 03, 2013, 10:26:52 AM

I know Gawker links are not good, but...
JUST LOOK AT THIS SHIT.

GOP Congressman makes park ranger apologize for closure of the WWII Memorial.

Well obviously a government shutdown means all government buildings are de-crewed and open for anyone to use.

Büge · « **Reply #45 on:** October 04, 2013, 01:55:13 AM »

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/10/01/federal-shutdown-to-hamper-disease-tracking-clinical-trials/

So, professor, would you say it's time for American citizens to crack each other's heads open and feast on the goo inside?

Cait · « **Reply #46 on:** October 04, 2013, 06:19:43 AM »

Scuttlebutt says that House Democrats has found an existing bill that would suffice for the purposes of getting things running again, so we might see a discharge position sooner than later after all.

Mongrel · « **Reply #47 on:** October 04, 2013, 01:13:39 PM »

Quote from: The Onion

Petty, Shortsighted Americans Outraged At Legislature That Represents Them Perfectly

Holy shit

Mongrel · « **Reply #48 on:** October 04, 2013, 01:15:59 PM »

And other hit: https://twitter.com/kenlowery/status/386186994071511041

Quote from: Ken Lowery

"Is Obamacare the worst law ever?" asks a headline of a nation that was once A-OK with owning people as property

Büge · « **Reply #49 on:** October 04, 2013, 01:56:37 PM »

Mongrel · « **Reply #50 on:** October 05, 2013, 10:45:57 AM »

Okay, unlike "Fuckyo" this secret message was actually legit. And also funny:

http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/04/politics/weather-service-cryptic-message/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Lottel · « **Reply #51 on:** October 05, 2013, 11:06:24 AM »

Quote

Meteorologists at the service's Anchorage office declined Friday afternoon to comment on the possibly cryptic wording, saying they can only speak about weather-related matters.

Catloaf · « **Reply #52 on:** October 06, 2013, 06:42:48 AM »

Posting here because I'm still banned from posting in Thaddeus Boyd's Panel of death, also it doesn't really fit any particular thread anyway:

Recently I've been going through my late Grandfather's* collection of Harper's Weekly**, and I've noticed an odd insult thrown around that applies to EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN MEMBER OF CONGRESS nowadays; 'Caesarist' or 'Caesarism', its meaning being when a politician is more concerned with getting reelected than actually doing their job/acting in at least what they think is the best interest of the country. The reason this merits bringing up is this strongly implies that there was a point in time when politicians in the country, in some significant number didn't all act this way. Giving me the distinct feeling that a good majority of our political dysfunction would be solved if only we could rob them of the collective bad habit.

Another thing that came up for a while, which I have no idea what it means, is the symbol of the "Rag Baby," and no, I'm quite confident it's not something racist--Remember, this was a highly liberal Republican newspaper when it literally was the party of Lincoln and often had a good deal to say damning racists and defending the recently freed blacks and their children.

*Arthur Okun, Notable Economist and chairman (or whatever the highest ranking title was) of Lyndon Johnson's Council of Economic advisers after his tenure as a Professor of Economics at Yale. Died 1980, no doubt saving him a great deal of rage at Ronald Reagan. [/familial pride]

**He had a large number of entire years bound together, then a box of single issues and sometimes single pages/scraps. The latter of which I was tasked with seeing what I could salvage for sale, which mostly meant cutting out a lot of Thomas Nast cartoons, the guy who came up with the Republican Elephant and the Democratic Donkey, the latter of which was originally a Shakespeare reference, also I couldn't help but save all the extremely racist stuff I found--especially the most racist thing I've ever seen, a picture of the 'food vendors of the world for the America's centennial celebration as interpreted by some cartoonists' I kinda want to upload it do the internet, but I don't think that would be a good idea.

TA · « **Reply #53 on:** October 06, 2013, 06:46:30 AM »

No, you should definitely upload it to the internet.

Mongrel · « **Reply #54 on:** October 06, 2013, 07:37:29 AM »

Man, this Esquire op ed is bitter: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/Shutdown_Blues

I can't say I blame them.

Mongrel · « **Reply #55 on:** October 06, 2013, 07:39:14 AM »

Quote from: TA on October 06, 2013, 06:46:30 AM

No, you should definitely upload it to the internet.

Büge · « **Reply #56 on:** October 06, 2013, 07:54:44 AM »

Quote from: http://thenewinquiry.com/blogs/zunguzungu/essentially-vicious/

The US government is also a mean bastard-ass son of a bitch. When a funding shortfalls happen, they have a plan, a plan to make sure that the least among us suffer the most. When the government “shuts down,” it has a plan for how to continue, because things don’t really shut down when there is a shutdown. A shutdown is a state of exception when the government gets to do things it normally can’t do, like close the Environmental Protection Agency, de-fund WIC, close the national parks, send a lot of government employees home, and all sorts of other stuff. A shutdown is a moment in which a choice gets made about which laws to obey and which laws to ignore, when the government gets to decide that some people are essential and some people aren’t.

Mongrel · « **Reply #57 on:** October 06, 2013, 04:09:49 PM »

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/06/obama-shutdown-dont-cave-republicans

Quote

As Jonathan Chait points out, this is basically Mitt Romney's economic agenda. If that name doesn't ring a bell, Romney is the Republican presidential candidate who lost last year's presidential election by around 5 million votes. What Republicans are doing here is basically saying to the president (the guy who won by 5 million votes) "implement our policy agenda or we will cause a catastrophic debt default".

That isn't governing. It isn't democracy. It's a shakedown.

Thad · « **Reply #58 on:** October 07, 2013, 01:06:00 PM »

Quote from: Catloaf on October 06, 2013, 06:42:48 AM

Recently I've been going through my late Grandfather's* collection of Harper's Weekly**, and I've noticed an odd insult thrown around that applies to EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN MEMBER OF CONGRESS nowadays; 'Caesarist' or 'Caesarism', its meaning being when a politician is more concerned with getting reelected than actually doing their job/acting in at least what they think is the best interest of the country. The reason this merits bringing up is this strongly implies that there was a point in time when politicians in the country, in some significant number didn't all act this way. Giving me the distinct feeling that a good majority of our political dysfunction would be solved if only we could rob them of the collective bad habit.

Nicely put, and I learned a new word. Welcome back.

John Oliver's interview with Harry Reid's aide as part of his gun control coverage a few months back was particularly instructive. The guy comes right out and SAYS that getting re-elected is more important than passing legislation. And then when Oliver asks him if he's sure he wants to stick with that answer, he says yes. And he later went on to say he thought that was a good interview.

I think what's even more disturbing than a government of caesarists is a government that's not only unashamed to admit it but will actually tell voters to their faces that they believe that's the way it should be.

(Granted, John Oliver is not a US voter. But there WAS a camera in the room.)

Smiler · « **Reply #59 on:** October 07, 2013, 01:24:59 PM »

Ted Cruz's Chief of Staff just retweeted this

https://twitter.com/JamesGRickards/status/387362299268173826

Quote

The Oct 17th "debt ceiling" deadline is bogus. @USTreasury has plenty of cash. Folks know it. So expect to go through date w/ no resolution.

We are so dead.

News:

Author Topic: Me Gridlock (Read 11001 times)