Oh for F@#KS SAKE why can't they just call them on this filibuster crap?

[JeffreyWilliamson]

I finish posting in one thread about how bad the economy is and then come back out to be greeted with all sorts of news that public transit, education, food stamps, etc., are getting "bipartisaned" out of the stimulus package and "defense spending" is getting added. Is this compromise?

Then I read that Harry Reid says no vote today, tax cuts in the bill should be reduced if we're going to have other spending cut out of the bill. Well color me stupid, I thought the whole point of the bill was to spend lots of money on stuff to create jobs.

What the hell is wrong with these people? Call them on the bluff and MAKE THEM FILIBUSTER. Then, instead of heading off to some retreat, (after complaining about CEOs doing the same thing), book yourselves on EVERY SHOW YOU CAN FIND and beat them over the head for SCREWING WORKERS and trying to KEEP JOBS FROM BEING CREATED. Call them on it! Harry Reid needs to man up a little and stop this B.S.

"We're not going to call a vote today. The Republicans aren't ready to help us, they may get angry."

Grow a pair, Harry...

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. I agree. Why is Obama holding back on calling them on this?

I'm so sick of the bipartisanship bullshit when it's clearly not working.

[uponit7771]

2. Because Obama can't control Reid who has already said "I don't work for him [Obama]"...

...once.

All Reid has to do is MAKE them filibuster ON THE FLOOR so they'll have to pee on themselves while they conduct other business without the person who filibusters or take the stimulus package through the appropriations route were they can't filibuster.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

6. Harry Reid doesn't strike me as the type who'll make anyone do anything...

Except call it a day and let them go home when they just won't be nice to him. He needs to start knocking some heads here. This isn't Obama's job, it's Reid's, and he's failing. I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in the spirit of bipartisanship and all, but cutting the actual stimulus out of the bill and letting them insert defense spending. Where are all the votes Precious Harry said we had last night before he cut everyone loose for the evening?

I need to read up on the approprations route. You say this would kill their opportunity to filibuster? I wonder why Kindly Gentleman Harry hasn't thought of this, or does he think it may be too forceful? He's starting to strike me as someone who needs to be a little less worried about losing friends across the aisle. And now that I think about that, why the hell haven't I ever seem him on any show arguing our side?

[trueblue2007]

28. I do NOT like Harry Reid. He is failing us. WE won the election. Reid is weak

[rateyes]

3. Harry Reid is as useless as

a snooze button on a smoke alarm.

He is one sorry POS.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

8. How the hell did he win this position?

I mean, was there no one else even remotely qualified to be majority leader? And by "even remotely qualified" I mean anyone with a spine?

[rateyes]

23. You know, come to think of it, Harry Reid IS

a snooze button on a fire alarm.

[progressoid]

27. Yep - eom.

[Hieronymus]

11. Harry's as useless as tits on a bull. Give his job to Barbara Boxer.

[Lost4words]

4. we won the GD election and still no congressional SPINE!

:wtf: It is becoming very clear that democrats (not all of them)and repukes are working together against the people of the USA. What else can we think?

this is nothing short of betrayal.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

7. Sick that's it's really starting to look like that, isn't it?

I'd run and grab my tinfoil hat but at this point I'm more inclined to think they're doing this on purpose.

[Lost4words]

12. I wish my head would just explode and be done with it!

I know! I am trying to be optimistic but my brain keeps interrupting my optimism processor.

I have to say that I dont agree with almost all of the presidents picks for key positions. Establish democrats and repukes isnt gonna get the job done, maybe it cant be fixed or repaired at all.

I just dont understand.

[annabanana]

5. For YEARS I've been begging Harry... LETTEM FILIBUSTER!!

How better to show them all up for the bankrupt obstructionists they are..

[firedupdem]

9. No vote today? I kept checking in waiting for one! You have got

to be kidding me! What was the reason for the fucking election if they are evidently still running things? This is ridiculous. Totally ridiculous. Just fuck it.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

10. That's what I was thinking...

I just read that in another thread, so I guess it's not totally official. I suspect it is though since he's letting this little Republican/Blue Dog "Gang" rewrite the bill and run the whole show. I guess they're not finished GUTTING it yet.

Pathetic.

On edit: Here's where the potential no vote today is coming from:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/02/so_much_for_a_vote_today.php

[JeffreyWilliamson]

13. This is just really, really pathetic and stupid...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/06/stimulus/index.html

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and other Republicans in an early morning meeting told CNN Radio that they've handed over a list of potential cuts to Democratic leaders and are waiting for a response.

"The ball's really in their court," Collins said. A few hours later, Collins walked out of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's office smiling and told reporters, "We're close."

Um, excuse me Susan, pardon me Harry, but the ball's always been in our court. Hello, you're all playing in our court--our VERY DEMOCRATIC court.

The No. 2 Democrat in the Senate, Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois, confirmed Democrats are in a tough debate over cutting what they see as core programs. He singled out education as one of the largest areas of potential cuts -- and one of the hardest for Democrats to swallow.

"It's a painful area for all of us, as Democrats, to make these cuts in education assistance," he said.

Uh, no Dick. It's not a "tough" debate over what core programs to cut, it's just "tough" that the Republicans lost and they need to get over it.

As a handful of Republicans talk compromise, their former flag bearer and presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, warned that the rest of the GOP may not be onboard.

Thanks for your "concern", John. So glad you could parachute yourself in to save the economy again.

PS: You lost. Get the f@#k over it.

Democratic leaders and White House officials admit they are about three votes shy of the 60 needed to pass Obama's economic plan, and it would have been too big a risk to hold the vote and have an embarrassing failure.

IT DOESN'T TAKE 60 VOTES TO PASS THE DAMN BILL, IT TAKES 60 TO STOP A FILIBUSTER. CALL THEM ON IT!

[ThomCat]

14. Harry Reid is allergic to courage.

He hasn't come near the stuff in years! :grr:

[meli224]

15. CSPAN says Reid is

"cautiously optimistic" that there will be 60 "aye" votes today.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

16. Is that kind of like he was sure he had them yesterday?

I remember that little gem yesterday evening. Another of my favorite of his lines from yesterday's episode was how they would "work through the night" if that's what it took. Which apparently means 8:30pm ET according to Fearless Harry.

[meli224]

17. I agree..

I have never been into politics before, but it is obvious that he is extremely useless.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

18. It's getting harder and harder to be as interested in politics as I am

with this crew running the show. They really, really need to realize that they won. It's okay to assert a little authority here. They've earned that right.

[cottonseed]

19. The Dems spent the last decade in the shadows. Partying with Republicans.

Now that they're in power, and supposedly representing us -- I think they're getting a little squishy.

It's just too much money given to too many regular folks. Things are probably getting a little uncomfortable for them.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

21. I'm just pissed after how they treated us when they were in charge...

I get the whole "changing the tone" thing and "not lowering ourselves to their level" sense of ethics. But that doesn't mean when something needs to be done to put out a very seriously raging fire that we should hold hands with our Republican friends and go pick daisies in the park together.

Our side shouldn't be asses like they were, but our congressional leadership should be smart enough to assert a firm hand when necessary--not offer to bake them cookies and clean their room for them if they'll be nice to us.

[Better Believe It]

20. K & R We need 51 votes to pass the bill.

60 to end an obstructionist Republican filibuster, if they dare.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

24. That's just it...

I'm not so sure they'd dare if they were actually called on it. I think they'd slither away back into the shadows out of fear of what will happen to them in the mid-terms when footage of their obstruction were to come out on the evening news.

And even if they were dumb enough to do it, they'll be destroying their election chances for at least the next cycle. It's just so easy to frame what they're doing as trying to kill a "jobs bill". Why is it that every time I turn on some cable channel there's some unopposed Puke staring me in the face framing this however they damn well please?

I was willing to laugh it off--hell I'm used to seeing this crowd cave, even when they are the majority. But handing the stimulus package to freaking Susan Collins and letting her take a pair of scissors to it? SCREW THAT! Who the hell does she think she is, anyway?

Earth to Harry--SUSAN COLLINS IS NOBODY.

[AlinPA]

31. Susan Collins is playing Reid for a sucker. At the last minute she will join the

"No" votes on cloture.

[alwysdrunk]

33. Actually I think we need 60

Because the bill will raise the federal deficit we need 60. Filibuster has nothing to do with it.

[AlinPA]

22. This means the republicans have stopped the bill. It's a good as a filibuster for them.

Next the media will shreik like hyenas: "Stimulus stopped!!! Victory for republicans!!! A major blow for Obama!!!"

[JeffreyWilliamson]

26. Yup, there you go...

If this doesn't get brought up for a vote today, or tomorrow, or it gets brought up for a cloture vote and it fails, they will lay this at Obama's feet.

Thanks for all your good work, Harry.

[progressoid]

25. Reid rarely fails to disappoint.

[BrklynLiberal]

29. When is THE HULK going to burst out of the clothing of Bruce Banner!!!???

Let's get some old-fashioned, red-eyed, pissed-off, RAGE going here Mr. President and Congress!!!
Let them have it right between the eyes!!!

You KNOW if the situation was reversed the repukes would have their boots on our necks and be smiling the whole time.

[JeffreyWilliamson]

30. I'm not necessarily advocating going all Hulk on their asses...

Maybe a little Superman, but not Hulk. We can be polite and forceful.

[Better Believe It]

32. The Democrats can move for a cloture vote, 1, 2, 5, 10 as many times as they want

so long as they don't withdraw their legislation.

And stay in session until they get the 60 votes.

All filibusters end.

[alwysdrunk]

34. It's not about a filibuster. You need 60 votes to raise the federal deficit

Mostly they are doing this now to make Obama look bad. Like he can't get things done. They want to take a few point off his high ratings.

[Life Long Dem]

35. What is it? Less outcry less stimulus?

What about the election? Was that not a big enough outcry that two weeks later we need another outcry? Bullshit!

[JeffreyWilliamson]

36. It's ridiculous...

And the more I think about this the more I'm convincing myself that Harry's getting played, big time.

The Republicans threaten to filibuster, Harry lets them make whatever changes they want, and then they agree to vote for cloture. Bill comes up for a final vote and every one of them votes against it. It still passes and goes from there into conference. I'm looking up the conference process and what I'm seeing is that items can to some degree be added back into the final reconciled bill, but not all of them, and any Senator may object to anything added to the final bill. In other words, the Republicans are only doing this to get all their junk added in and a lot of our stuff taken out, not all of which we can just add back in.

This sucks. Harry's getting owned. He needs to go.

[tbyg52]

37. I've been saying this for years.

I'm sick of this "courtesy filibuster." They seem to think it's their club and they can run it as they like.

[Doctor_J]

38. Reid is a very weak leader

Hopefully we can pick up a couple more seats in 2010 and just overrun the DINOS

[Diane R]

39. I'm furious, too. What more do we need to do? We elected a Dem congress, a Dem president. We .....

...made donations, bought the t-shirts, volunteered our time, called our representatives, raised our kids to go out and vote. What do we have to do to stop letting republicans call the shots?

I'm sick of this. We've got the votes, just call their bluff and let them filibusters. Crap. Stand up for once, Harry.