The GOP Shoves Back
By Wyatt Earp | March 16, 2010
House Republicans have announced that they will force a vote on ObamaCare this week in an effort to derail the completely unconstitutional “Slaughter solution.” What’s that? It’s Obama and Pelosi’s plan to pass ObamaCare without an actual up or down vote.
It’s unconstitutional, but desperate Democrats call for desperate measures:
“House Republican leaders will announce this morning a plan to force a vote this week on a resolution that would require the Senate health care bill to be brought to an actual up-or-down vote. If passed by the House, the resolution would prohibit Speaker Pelosi from implementing the “Slaughter Solution,” the scheme by which House Democratic leaders are seeking to “deem” the Senate bill as passed without an actual vote in the House.”
If nothing else, at least the Republicans are united on this issue. Maybe they finally learned their lessons from the mistakes of the past.
According to the latest polling data, more than 60% of the people in this country do not want ObamaCare – at least not in its current form. If you’re one of them, click here to make your voice heard.
Topics: Politics | 26 Comments »
Howdy Wyatt! I do hope that the G.O.P. requires a roll call vote on the Slaughter Solution.
I don’t know how it would turn out (the vote, I mean) but I’d love to have a written record as to who voted for the Slaughter Solution and who voted against it.
Might come in mighty handy this November.
Realwest – Howdy, Real! I want to see that, too, so I know who to vote for – and work against – come election time.
While although I hope the bill fails miserably because of the scuminess of it all, Republicans talk as though Democrats are the only ones who use the “self-executing rule”. When in actuality, Repubs. have used it more the Dems.
They’re ALL a bunch of hypocrites; don’t worry, as soon as Republicans take control again and they will), they will quickly take the same procedures you are now denouncing to new heights and you can then praise their fortitude for doing so.
For teh record, I think everyone in Congress (and probably Washington) is a friggin’ scumbag.
Randal – I’m not sure, but I think I just wrote:
I am pretty sure I have written this a bunch of times in the last year:
I am also very sure that I rip Republicans here much more than the average conservative blog. See also, John Ensign, Larry Craig, Mark Sanford . . .
Unfortunately, very few of them will ever learn from their mistakes.
(oops hit the send button too soon)
The Democrats had the perfect opportunity to learn from the Republicans mistakes when they took control of Congress back in 2006 (I think). What did they do…F- up just as bad. It’s a vicious cycle that will probably never end. You just have to hang on for the ride and hope you don’t get spit out the back.
Hmmmm…the Slaughter Solution, has a nice ring to it as long as it pertains to both sides equally. Its only a metaphorical description you say? Dang!
Randal – Oh that, we are in complete agreement.
Jon – They don’t have the guts to end their careers. Although this vote could be political suicide for a lot of them.
Regarding ObamaCare: ANY, let me repeat that, ANY form of this bill passing WILL result in an outright BLOOD BATH, figuratively, at the polls, and possibly, quite literally, in the streets of this nation…
I am NOT advocating violent civil insurrection against the elected government of this nation, but there are those that do, and I am not going to rule out joining them either…
What the hell will we have left to lose??
I’m not a Threeper, and really wasn’t all that interested in politics until the last few years, but I know I’m tired of the way things are being done.
I have heard a lot of ordinary people that are talking about revolution in the past couple of years. I know people were getting more and more fed up even before the last Presidential election, and Obama seems to want to keep the same policies people were mad at Bush over.
I certainly hope that we can find a political solution that sidesteps the civil war that I’ve seen brewing. I have a 4 year old son, and I’d love to see him grow up in a country that hasn’t torn itself apart, and I’m afraid that if things keep getting worse, I won’t see him grow up at all.
But I also know that things can’t keep on the way they’re going.
TexasFred – One civil war is enough for this country, in my opinion. This country has suffered (and lived through) worse than this. My oath is to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution, and I will do so as long as the democratically-elected POTUS is in office.
PhillipC – I agree, but the good thing is that we can effect CHANGE! at the polls in 7 months. Be vigilant, but be patient.
So out of curiosity, Wyatt, what happens if the party in power decides we don’t need no more stinkin’ elections? A lot of people were concerned that Bush would pull that, and even more people are thinking that Obama will. I’d like to think that won’t happen, but I know that power can be very tempting and addictive.
And even more likely to happen, where do you stand on enforcing a law that is completely counter to that Constitution?
PhillipC – The elimination of elections would be counter to the Constitution. I would like to think that enough people would fight that tooth and nail. I don’t intend to become a member of the SS. That being said, I would only consider aligning myself with freedom fighters if you will at something so blatantly unconstitutional. Just because I am not fond of the person in the White House does not mean I am ready (or willing) to take up arms. Those people, in my opinion, are dangerous.
Re: #3 Randal
Care to provide us with a list of all the BILLS AND OR LAWS that have been passed under self executing rules?
From the 95th to 98th Congresses (1977-84), there were only eight self-executing rules.
In the 99th Congress, there were 20.
In the 100th Congress, there were 18.
In the 103rd Congress, there were 30.
In the 104th Congress, there were 38.
In the 105th Congress, there were 52.
In the 106th Congress, there were 40.
In the 107th Congress, there were 42.
In the 108th Congress, there were 30.
an the list goes on…
I’ll let you do the rest of the legwork to find where they were used. The point was OBVIOUSLY that this is nothing new; jackoff politicians only complain when the rules don’t favor them.
Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) is your typical political a-hole. He bitches when he’s not benefitting. Just look him up. Oh, and don’t worry, I’m sure in a few years, they’ll be a Dem. who’s just as much (if not more) an a-hole as Drier.
I agree with you, Wyatt. I think we’ve gone far away from what the original intent of the Constitution was, but I also believe that we can still fix it using the system we have in place, as long as everyone plays by the rules.
I also think that this country can withstand four years of any one man in office, or even more. I remember people whispering and sometimes shouting that Bush would manufacture some national emergency and use it to declare Martial Law and suspend elections. I think it amazed some of those people when he seemed happy to turn over the keys.
I also know enough history to know that we’ve had a number of very bad presidents, and the Nation has survived and prospered regardless, so whatever Marxist/Fascist/Socialist/UltraConservative/Libertarian/Martian we have at any one point isn’t going to destroy us.
However, I think there are battle lines that every true American has that will draw them into a battle against the Powers that are attempting to take our liberty. One thing that reassures me is that our Armed Forces are also made up of people who are Americans first, and will disobey an unlawful order.
Now as long as we can all agree on the right time to say ENOUGH, we’ll be in good shape. For me it’s something major like suspending elections or doing away with due process. I’d really prefer they do away with that Patriot Act, because that’s too close to elimination of Due Process to me.
Randal – Or someone who is a whore, like Dennis Kucinich. Against the bill for a year, then flipped today after Obama scolded him. Good job, Ohio!
PhillipC – I remember hearing about how “Bush divided the country.” Obama, they said, would “bring everyone together.” Yeah, how’s that working out for ya?
Okay, I laughed out loud for that one.
I guess it’s not obvious enough that I don’t care for any political party, but I try to be even handed and not hate just based on the D behind the name. I’m fairly conservative on a lot of issues, and relatively liberal on several. I’m sort of libertarian, but some of the ideas they have are a little nuts too.
I just don’t want to come off as “It’s all Obama’s fault!!!” when I think the problems have just been growing for a long time. He certainly is an easy target to blame, but it’s a much broader problem that was created on both sides of the aisle. Obama certainly isn’t doing anything to help though.
Although Randall and I once got off on a bad foot when I started posting here awhile ago, I totally agree with his #3 post. Reminder to self: Must seek psychiatric help for agreeing with Randall. The greatest revolution that ‘We The People’ can undertake right now is to reelect no-one in the next few crucial elections. True, valuable experience goes down a rathole in ‘some’ cases, there will also be vast confusion in the halls for awhile until the FNG’s learn the rules of order in the vacancies in the power structures, created by US. But a clear and distinct message will have been sent without a shot being fired…yet.
If it ever came down to violence in the streets, and I for one do not wish it to ever come to that, nor, would I run away if it did, we would need Wyatt more as a “Francis Marion” type anyways. Wearing that SS uniform but feeding us info like where the next raid was coming from
and good times and places for ambushes and other PC (Patriotically Correct) actions
As an addendum to Post #19, the Francis Marion portrayed in the TV show ‘The Swamp Fox’ was that of an aristocrat who seemed to be a British sympathizer while supporting the Revolution. In actuality he was much much more of an actual boots on the ground soldier.
He was so successful at Hit-and-Run guerilla tactics that he was labeled as a ‘terrorist’ by the British.
Re: #15 Randal
Your response was pretty much what I expected. The number of uses, no specifics on what legislation was passed using this “technique”.
The tactic — known as a “self-executing rule” or a “deem and pass” — has been commonly used, although never to pass legislation as momentous as the $875 billion health-care bill. (Washington Post article 3-16-2010)
The House Speaker is quoted as saying “I like it because people don’t have to vote on the Senate bill”
But former federal circuit court judge Michael McConnell says:
“Under Article I, Section 7, passage of one bill cannot be deemed to be enactment of another”.
“The Slaughter solution attempts to allow the House to pass the Senate bill, plus a bill amending it, with a single vote”. “The senators would then vote only on the amendatory bill”. “But this means that no single bill will have passed both houses in the same form”.
“As the Supreme Court wrote in Clinton v. City of New York (1998), a bill containing the “exact text” must be approved by one house; the other house must approve “precisely the same text.” http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/2010/03/16/if-the-house-enacts-the-senate-health-care-bill-without-voting-on-it/
Oh, and by the way, I did check to see what the Republicans used the self executing rule for and the amendments to the legislation ranged from prohibiting smoking on domestic airline flights to changes related to asylum law. So far I haven’t found one instance where the Republicans have used it to fundamentally change our way of life.
But I’m sure that to you, it makes no difference.
Re #21: Pale Horse, and your response was just the same. Hey, look at me; I can use words big like “momentous” and scary phrases such as “fundamentally change our way of life”. This way I’ll make Democrats look like the enemy and we, the Republicans, will be the good guys.
Hey Einstein, it doesn’t matter!!! Either way, any way, both ways are WRONG.
They’re ALL bad: Democrats, Republicans, politicians in general; 99% of the politicians in Washington are scumbags who are looking out for number 1.
Once all of the current morons are voted in November, a new group of morons will move in right behind them.
Randal – The only thing I would add to that is that the president and vice-president fall into that scumbag/moron category. Along with 99% of every politician – of each party – in Washington.
I wasn’t limiting it the Congress. “99% of the politicians in Washington”
Randal, I think we all agree on that.
I’ve known a few politicians (a very few) personally that I thought of as decent, upstanding, hard working guys. One was a former police officer, the other was an American Government teacher in my first college in WV. Those were both state level politicians, though, and it’s a little harder to escape repercussions when you spend a decent chunk of your year in your district.
Other than that, I’ve met a bunch of arrogant, conceited, self-centered blankity-blanks that would make me check to see if my wallet was still there afterwards.
Normally I wouldn’t respond to comments made on a dead thread but in this case I thought I owed it to Randal to respond regarding my obvious loss of focus on his original point that all politicians are “scumbags”.
Re: #22 Randal:
My apologies for using mulitsyllabic words in my previous post. (Oops, sorry, I meant to say “big” words). I should have been more sensitive to your apparent self admitted inability to process words beyond four or five letters. Oh and by the way, in case you hadn’t noticed, which apparently you hadn’t, my first use of a “big” word “momentous” was a QUOTE, not my usage although, as you have observed, I do tend to use “big” words to express myself and have, in fact, used it many times.
As far as “make(ing) Democrats look like the enemy” I prefer “exposing Democrats AS the enemy”.
Your attribution of “Einstein” to me, although appropriate, was taken as a rather snarky personal aside. Not a good debate technique Randal. You lose that point.
Regarding the politicians in Washington, I agree with you to a certain degree although we may disagree on the percentage of the “scumbags”. 99% seems a bit high but I’ll defer to your obvious inside knowledge as to the numbers although I’m having trouble figuring out how 99% equates to “ALL”.
From your #3 post there is one thing on which we can and do agree and I’m happy to see that you don’t want to see this legislation passed but then you go on to the moral equivalency argument that both parties have used the self executing rule and that whoever it’s being used against protests its use. I understand that your “point” was that all politicians complain when the rules don’t favor them but then you go on to imply that Republicans have no reason to complain since; “When in actuality, Repubs. have used it more the Dems”.
I guess it was then that I got off your point of “all politicians are scumbags” and was interested in what I perceived as your intimate knowledge of the specifics of legislation passed by SER.
Sincerely sorry to have gotten your panties all in a wad by misunderstanding your position and my exceptional use of the English language. Please accept my apology.
And sorry about all the “big” words. I just can’t help myself. Call it a gift.
Have a nice day!