Defending this...?

halfway · Post by **halfway** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 10:02 am

I can no longer brain-wash myself into defending these actions.

This is outrageous. It is abuse of power and avoidance of responsibility. It is illegal according to fiscal law. And it doesn't matter the reason, leadership moves ahead and fixes the issue. We are becoming very disappointed with this fractured party and the inability to focus on the good of the country as a whole.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has stopped the Senate from producing a budget for 1,362 days (almost 4 years!).

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 10:44 am

Reid is a smart, shrewd politicians. He doesn't make mistakes, which means that he has a strategy. I wonder what it is.

AnneBoleyn · Post by **AnneBoleyn** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 10:45 am

Care to speculate?

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 1:32 pm

How can one member stop the senate from producing a budget?

I know of no body where the budget has to be unanimously agreed so does he have a veto by virtue of being "Majority Leader" (and what is the Majority Leader)?

halfway · Post by **halfway** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 2:42 pm

Bryn Mawr;1417322 wrote: How can one member stop the senate from producing a budget?

I know of no body where the budget has to be unanimously agreed so does he have a veto by virtue of being "Majority Leader" (and what is the Majority Leader)?

The majority leader establishes what gets debated and produced, brought to the floor. This shows a clear lack of priority with the US budget. The House has been pretty consistent and within the laws.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 3:06 pm

halfway;1417341 wrote: The majority leader establishes what gets debated and produced, brought to the floor. This shows a clear lack of priority with the US budget. The House has been pretty consistent and within the laws.

A deliberate block does not show a lack of priority the implications are totally different.

How can one member block a bill that is a legal requirement - would that not be an illegal action?

halfway · Post by **halfway** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 4:47 pm

Bryn Mawr;1417350 wrote:

How can one member block a bill that is a legal requirement - would that not be an illegal action?

That has been the point and the source of the outrage over the whole issue. Arrogance. Avoidance of responisbility. Deliberate blocking of a budget from the Senate.

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 4:50 pm

halfway;1417361 wrote: That has been the point and the source of the outrage over the whole issue. Arrogance. Avoidance of responisbility. Deliberate blocking of a budget from the Senate.

If it is an illegal action by a member of the government then do him for it and he'll be disbarred from office - or does it not work that way on your side of the pond?

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 5:31 pm

AnneBoleyn;1417309 wrote: Care to speculate?
I would, but I'm honestly baffled. I don't see a positive in his dragging this out for so many years. Didn't he nearly lose his reelection because of his supposed incompetence?

Ahso! · Post by **Ahso!** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 7:50 am

Here's a good article addressing this issue.

Republicans have relentlessly harangued the Senate's Democratic leadership for failing to pass a budget resolution. "1,000 days without a budget," was the title of a typical missive last month. On the weekend Jack Lew, who has just been named Barack Obama's chief of staff after serving as his budget director, defended the Senate by saying it couldn't pass a budget without 60 votes, i.e. without the cooperation of some Republicans. Republicans jumped on Mr Lew, pointing out that under Congress' budget procedure, a budget resolution cannot be filibustered and thus only needs a simple majority vote - typically 51 votes - to pass. Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post's fact checker, awarded Mr Lew four Pinocchios, the top score, for fibbing.

In fact, Mr Lew, while wrong on the narrow wording, is right on the substance.

Parliamentary procedure: Why the Senate hasn't passed a budget | The Economist

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 11:13 am

The senators are so lazy that they have something called the "silent filibuster". We have a Jimmy Stewart image of a guy talking nonstop for hours or days, taking up time. This is no longer the case. Here is a famous filibuster where Sen McConnel filibustered his own bill:

The whole thing, including filibuster and complaint about the filibuster, is only three minutes!

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 11:15 am

Here is some background on the silent filibuster:

In video:

Larry Cohen on Eliminating the Silent Filibuster | Moyers & Company | BillMoyers.com

In pdf:

http://www.ou.edu/carlalbertcenter/exte ... /Koger.pdf

Saint_ · Post by **Saint_** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:16 pm

Now that the election is over, I'm going back to my stress-free life of not caring at all what's going on politically in my own country. Sorry, I'm working four jobs and I have enough to worry about.

Life is a dream.

halfway · Post by **halfway** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 12:21 pm

Saint_;1417411 wrote: Now that the election is over, I'm going back to my stress-free life of not caring at all what's going on politically in my own country. Sorry, I'm working four jobs and I have enough to worry about.

Life is a dream.

We are counting on this level of attention for the next vote!!

Vote often.