McConnell Filibustered His Own Bill

 Posted by at 6:41 am  Politics
Dec 072012
 

Mitch McConnell (R-KY) thought he was pulling a fast one on the Democrats.  His plan was to offer a bill that Democrats wanted to pass, but would have to block, because they did not have the votes to pass it, or so he thought.  To his chagrin, Harry Reid agreed to bring the bill to the floor, catching McConnell with his pants down.  What followed is legislative history!

filibuzzardsSenate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) wanted to prove on Thursday that Democrats don’t have the votes to weaken Congress’ authority on the debt limit. Instead they called his bluff, and he ended up filibustering his own bill.

The legislation, modeled on a proposal McConnell offered last year as a “last-choice option” to avert a U.S. debt default, would permit the president to unilaterally lift the debt ceiling unless Congress mustered a two-thirds majority to stop him. President Obama has championed the idea.

McConnell brought up the legislation Thursday morning. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) initially objected, seemingly proving the Republican leader’s point that it cannot pass the Senate. But then Reid ran it by his members and, in the afternoon, agreed to hold that same vote. This time it was McConnell who objected.

“The Republican leader objects to his own idea,” Reid declared on the floor. “So I guess we have a filibuster of his own bill.”… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <TPM>

Oh My!  Is Bought Bitch Mitch an idiot, or what?

Lawrence O’Donnell called McConnell on the extent of his stupidity.

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Claire McCaskill is blameless for the slight breach of decorum, because of the extreme shock, she suffered. Bought Bitch Mitch has truly earned an award as GOP Hypocrite of the Year. He has shamed himself and the Republican Party. He has held up the US to the world as a laughing stock. He is not qualified to be the Senate Washroom Attendant, let alone Minority Leader!

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  16 Responses to “McConnell Filibustered His Own Bill”

  1. Rixar13 says:
    December 7, 2012 at 9:27 am

    Oh My! Is Bought Bitch Mitch an idiot, or what?

    Lawrence O’Donnell called McConnell on the extent of his stupidity.

    Whiplash….!

     

  2. Jim Phillips says:
    December 7, 2012 at 9:45 am

     
    The people, voters, in Kentucky, must know about this "fact" immediately so they can
    boot his stupidity out of Congress.
     
    "“The Republican leader objects to his own idea,”" McConnell tried to filibuster his own bill!
    .

  3. Jerry Critter says:
    December 7, 2012 at 10:19 am

    The fact that he filibustered his own bill proves that the bill was only politically motivated and that he had no interest in the merits of the bill.  Politics was the ONLY consideration.  The only purpose was to make the Democrats and Obama look bad.  It was a complete waste of taxpayer money. 

  4. Yvonne White says:
    December 7, 2012 at 10:49 am

    Did unemployed Soap Opera writers get work with the CONgre$$? Convoluted scripts & characters who can't remember what they did the day before, who should have been voted off the island last election, who serve NO purpose & are not even entertaining are all over the place! It's not funny, it's not safe for us & this country, it's time for a Major Reform!

  5. Phyllis says:
    December 7, 2012 at 2:06 pm

    Egg on a Ass !! Wonderful!!!

  6. Patty says:
    December 7, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    What a bloomin' idiot! He has just proven that they are all too stupid to hold office.
    I laughed hysterically when I saw it on the news. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears.

  7. Lynn Squance says:
    December 7, 2012 at 4:36 pm

    From the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/07/us/politics/at-boehners-request-he-and-obama-negotiate-alone.html?_r=0

    On Capitol Hill, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, moved Thursday to vote on Mr. Obama’s proposal, in his broader deficit package, to permanently diminish Congress’s control over the federal government’s statutory borrowing limit, assuming that Democrats would break ranks and embarrass the president. Instead, Democratic leaders did a count, found they had 51 solid votes, and took Mr. McConnell up on what Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate majority leader, called “a positive development.”
    Mr. McConnell then filibustered his own bill, objecting to a simple-majority vote and saying a change of such magnitude requires the assent of 60 senators.
    “I do believe we made history on the Senate floor today,” Mr. Durbin said.
    The government is expected to hit its borrowing limit in late January or early February, and it is an added complication in the deficit talks because some House Republicans say they will demand further spending cuts before they lift the debt ceiling. Mr. Obama has said that any deal on taxes and spending must ensure that there will not be another crisis over the debt ceiling early next year.
    But the White House on Thursday gave Republicans assurances the president would not employ a potent weapon to get what he wants. Some Democrats, including former President Bill Clinton, have theorized that the Constitution gives the president the authority to raise the debt ceiling unilaterally, citing a clause in the 14th Amendment guaranteeing that the nation’s debts “shall not be questioned.”
    Mr. Obama renounced such an assertion of authority on Thursday through his spokesman. “I can say that this administration does not believe that the 14th Amendment gives the president the power to ignore the debt ceiling,” Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, told reporters, reading from language that had been prepared for him.

    Shamed and out manoeuvred by Harry Reid and the Democrats, AND his own arrogance and stupidity!  McConnell better crawl back into his turtle shell.  Is this what he thinks of the American people — pawns in his little games?
    I loved McCaskill's reaction even though it might not meet decorum:  "Whiplash!"  LMAO!

    • TomCat says:
      December 8, 2012 at 6:01 am

      Excellent summary.

    • Rixar13 says:
      December 9, 2012 at 7:24 pm

       It adds complexity as the two negotiators consult separately with the leaders not in the room. But it also minimizes the number of people who need to say yes to an initial agreement.

      Perhaps if Boehner can escape the crazy Tea-Bags, progress is possible…

  8. John Dasef says:
    December 8, 2012 at 4:17 pm

    In law school they teach aspiring attorneys, no matter which side – prosecution or defense – they may choose, to "never ask a question you don't know or can't deal with the answer to." Evidently, Mr. McConnell forgot that basic truism. I'm thinking the Democrats may have actually started to grow a backbone. One can only hope this is the first of many instances where the Republicans will be hoist by their own petard.

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