Comity Or Comedy: The Series

Showing its accustomed public spiritedness, the wingers in the Senate yesterday stopped all action altogether by demanding the reading of a 400 page bill, because they could. This congress has been stalled repeatedly by disastrous truculence that seems the only face the Senate's clowns have felt comfortable with. Once they were in the minority, but not minor enough to be overridden, the right wing became a roadblock to anything that might have served the nation they are sworn to .... serve.

Democrats tried to bring up the Climate Security Act, which would institute a "cap and trade" system to stem greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

Republicans had voted with Democrats to consider the bill earlier in the week. But, that doesn't mean considering it will be easy. When Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called up the bill today, part of the Senate's archaic rules require that a clerk read the bill. Generally, Reid would ask that both sides agree to waive the reading and it is entered into the record as a written document.

But not today. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, objected to waiving the reading. So the clerks of the Senate are taking turns actually reading the Climate Security Act out loud. It's 400 pages. It'll take 4-5 hours. And then they can consider debating it.

But, even after the bill-reading is completed, will the debate prove an effective use of time? Republicans would point out that it's unclear if the bill has the 50 votes it would need to pass, much less the 67 needed to override a promised presidential veto. Therefore, some have argued that the whole debate is a waste of the Senate's time.

More to the point, McConnell and Reid have been sparring over a legislative matter that has nothing to do with the Climate Security Act - judicial appointments.

Republicans have complained that Democrats have not moved to schedule votes on a number of federal circuit court nominees despite a pledge earlier this year by Reid that three (one from Virginia and two from Michigan) would get votes by the end of May. The month of May came and went and only one judge got a vote.
(snip)
“More generally, Senate Democrats have treated President Bush’s judicial nominations with far greater deference than President Clinton’s were afforded by a Republican-controlled Senate that denied hearings or floor consideration for almost 70 Clinton nominees. Three-quarters of President Bush’s court of appeals nominees have been confirmed, while only ha­lf of President Clinton’s appellate nominations were confirmed. Last year the Senate confirmed 40 judges, more than during any of the three previous years with Republicans in charge, and today’s federal judicial vacancy rate is the lowest it has been in years,” he (Reid spokesperson Morley) said.

It was close to 10 p.m. when the wingers' skit finally ended, and they drew full pay with benefits for that whole time, more's the pity.

The cancer on the system of government that the right has become violates their oath of office, taken in order to get their position as representative, to assume the position as public servants. The only possible cure for this malady is election of progressives. This country cannot continue to be stalled out by such nonsense masquerading as representational government.

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A really funny moment this morning, in eschaton comments in the early hours, when the 25% who could still answer a poll saying they agree with the cretin in chief, was referred to by montag as under study;

For example, take the following statement: “Once our government leaders and the authorities condemn the dangerous elements in our society, it will be the duty of every patriotic citizen to help stomp out the rot that is poisoning our country from within.” Sounds like something Hitler would say, right? Want to guess how many politicians, how many lawmakers in the United States agreed with it? Want to guess what they had in common?

Or how about a government program that persecutes political parties, or minorities, or journalists the authorities do not like, by putting them in jail, even torturing and killing them. Nobody would approve of that, right? Guess again.

The Authoritarians are among us, and growing ever more irresponsible in the effort to bring us DFH types under right wing control.