Boehner says that "not one member of Congress" read the Stim. Bill

[Clio the Leo]

I'm watching CSPAN's review of the days events. Boehner makes this big show of putting the Stim bill on the podium in front of him, "all 700 pages of it ..... a billion dollars for every page." and of course the thing is a foot high.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/29187445#29185695

Then he said, "I can promise you not one member of Congress read {the bill}."

Granted, it's not practical to expect them to sit down at their desks and read the thing cover to cover. That's why they have staff. But WHY admit that? It's just admitting that they were (seemingly) uninformed.

Sheesh.

Oh, and by the way, apparently they all tried to act in a bipartisan manner and the mean old President wouldn't let them. That's the Reader's Digest version anyway.

[jillan]

1. Not according to Louise Slaughter - she said that the door was opened and they didn't bother to show

up.

Boehner - go have another martini. I swear that man is drunk out of his mind 24/7.

[Clio the Leo]

4. I think this just gives further support to the Presiden'ts strategy....

..... which I'm now convinced is not so much to actually WORK with the GOP, but to show the American people that he is trying.

If the GOP is standing up in front of the press going, "no WE tried to be bipartisan and THEY didn't!" (paraphrasing)

Well ..... I think the President is on to something, lemme just say that. ;)

[Spazito]

36. I agree, I believe that is his strategy as well...

It is a win/win strategy, imo. The Obama Administration wins if the repubs, as they just did, continue with an obstructionist agenda because the American people voted for a CHANGE in how things are done and the Administration wins if the repubs were to actually work FOR CHANGE.

No downside either way.

[KittyWampus]

22. OMG! You pegged him. He looks like a 60's style lounge lizard.

[kcass1954]

35. All he needs is a leisure suit, preferably in light green. n/t

[zulchzulu]

29. I call him Congressman Undercoating

He looks like a sleazy cars salesman.

[FrenchieCat]

2. The willfully uniformed is what this guy represents.

Ready to slime a bill he didn't even bother to read! Sounds familiar.

[Lasher]

3. I guess Boner forgot to mention they don't read most of the bills.

Which is a problem but not one that is unique to the bill in question.

[davidinalameda]

5. thank you!

I just said the same thing on one of the WVU boards

[AtomicKitten]

51. They didn't read the Patriot Act either. They just saluted sieg heil.

[libodem]

6. I really feel like writing something really profane

obscene, filthy, and disgusting in reply to this but it would reflect poorly on my favorite message board. I need to take up meditation again because the hatefulness that boils up in me can't be hurting THEM much. I do wish I could send a magic mojo conjure on his ass....something really awful.

[cliffordu]

7. It was my understanding that they broke it up into sections and groups of

shitheels read each section....and then played show and tell...

Unlike the patriot act which no one read.....

[CitizenPatriot]

46. Yeah, remember that one? It was kinda important.

Or how about that mortgage change a republicaint put into a bill at the very last minute (it was 250 pages or some such nonsense). No one could read it , which is how they managed to put one over on us.

[cliffordu]

49. I believe they are criminals in every sense of the word.

[Danger Mouse]

8. It's funny cause he's trying to destroy the country.

[Clio the Leo]

9. added the video to the OP. NT

[firedupdem]

10. This puke along with cantor are the worse one's to listen to...

I can't stand boner with those big goopy eyes and that spray on tan. He reminds me of some drunk that would bug the shit out of you at a party or something. Ick! Every time I see him I remember him passing out cigarette lobbiest checks...just saw a video someone posted on that the other day.

What a jerk! (I'm trying to stop saying douche)

:puke:

[libodem]

41. (What a terrific picture of our First Family)

(I love them so much)

[Historic NY]

11. Why ? What the hell do they do for the money we pay them then?

Can't we just fire the whole entire kit & caboodle.

[DRoseDARs]

12. And what's your excuse, Boehner? Too busy being a goddamn crybaby all the time?

Stick a bottle of warm milk in it, motherfucker. :eyes:

[Jennicut]

50. WAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

[4lbs]

13. Stupid excuse. Where was all this concern from the GOP when Congress was given the 1000+ page

Patriot Act back in October 2001 and not enough time to read it before passing it?

[Raineyb]

14. Like he gives a shit

I'm sure he didn't read the (Un)Patriot act either. He damn sure hopped up to sign that piece of shit legislation.

Regards

[TahitiNut]

15. So, Boehner doesn't know anything about what he's against.

Figures. :shrug:

[and-justice-for-all]

17. LOL!! Do those goons know anything??..nt

[and-justice-for-all]

16. What is the word I am looking for...Oh, BULLSHIT..

Bone'r and McFuckwad II can suck it.

[JCMach1]

18. The only thing he is right about- now what is the total number of bills he read last year?

answer= 0

Besides, that's what staffers are for...

[TheBigotBasher]

19. Does that include him?

Does that mean he is not doing his job? How does he know it is a "pork bill" then?

Another example of Republican stupidity.

[Clio the Leo]

21. Exactly. Nor did the....

... gaggle of whining GOP Reps behind him who followed up by saying "I didn't get my way! WAH WAH WAH!!!"

[no_hypocrisy]

20. Two things:

1. Does that mean Boener and other republicans deferred, refused, or just decided not to read the bill on a willful basis?

2. Nobody read the PATRIOT ACT as it was shoved up Congress' ass and its passage demanded within 24 hours. Nobody was talking debate for THAT emergency legislation.

[NorthCarolina]

23. I'll wager that Kucinich read it n/t

[Honeycombe8]

24. What he doesn't say: They NEVER do. They read summaries & get info from staffers, etc.

Bills are hundreds of pages thick, or longer. This stimulus bill is as thick as a book and is written in legalese. And, for instance, if the bill changes ONE PROVISION of an existing statute, the bill may contain the entire statute from the law books, with that one changed provision in it.

If no one read the bill, that means that BOEHNER didn't read it, either. I can promise you that BOEHNER hasn't read ANY of the bills that he ever voted on.

[pdxmom]

25. Call me crazy, but it seems to me that someone must have read it, if they

have come up with all these provisions that are in it that they are railing against. How do you cite specific examples of what is in a bill that you are against if you haven't read the bill? How do you have specifics about "pork" if you admit you don't even know what is in it?

So either he's lying or the Republics have been obstructionist right out of the box, with no real reason to be.

[ellie]

26. They're ignorant!

And proud of it!

[EffieBlack]

27. Speak for yourself, Congressman . . .

And, by the way, would you care to share with us how many bills you read when Republicans were in control?

[acmavm]

28. If no repubic read it then how did they manage to strip the money for

Head Start, food for the poor, money for the infrastructure, and all those things that would help the American public out of it? And how did all those tax cuts for the rich get in?

Who did that then?

[TankLV]

30. I was especially enamored of his definition of pork:

The proposed high-speed maglev train from LA to Vegas is pork because aparently it doesn't help in any way shape or form create jobs in HIS district...

he actually said that yesterday...

[Proud Liberal Dem]

31. Did Boehner care about how many people

didn't read The Patriot Act before it was (nearly) unanimously passed and quickly sent to Bush post-9/11? :shrug:

Didn't think so.

[Mudoria]

32. That's what their staffers are for..

put 'em to work. Not like the majority of either parties Senators read 75% of what they vote on anyway.

[Dappleganger]

33. Grandstanding...

we all know that only Democrats can read.

:rofl:

[cherish44]

34. Wow Boner is quite the little drama queen

See him slam the bill down on the floor? As your party leader Boner, you need read that puppy. Get busy.

[treestar]

37. So that includes him, too

Moran.

[Odin2005]

38. Boner, you're irrelevant. STFU.

[lunatica]

39. So how does he know what's in it?

What part of the bill, which he didn't read, did he object to?

[TeamJordan23]

40. sadly, the MSM picked this up. I saw it discussed on CNN yesterday. nm

[AtomicKitten]

42. Hey, they can neatly stack the stimulus cash, climb up, and ask the sky fairy for a loan. n/t

[Parker CA]

43. That performance by Boner was just that, a performance. I'm sure he and his staff and many other

pukes are/were well aware of what was in that bill. I'm sure they had an idea that certain things were slipped in, like Dodd's pay limitations and other things they will surely find unacceptable. It is nothing more than dramatic posturing to further highlight the puke points of contention they feel they have regarding their exclusion from the process. All a complete load of crap.

[question everything]

44. Right. The way Republicans always read every piece of crap sent to them

by Karl Rove. Like the one about Iraq and 9/11, Iraq and WMD?

All the "tax cuts" while the country was bleeding.

Sheer chutzpah.

[yourguide]

45. Oh please.

They've had 95% of the bill for weeks. The senate version passed on the 10th, the house revisions (a measly 6 pages) were available on the 11th. So at a minimum they had 48 hours to "read" the bill.

Why hasnt anyone asked how they were able to read, research, and come out against the first draft of the bill less than 24 hours after they got it but werent able to research a miniscule percentage of the bill that was new in 48 to 72 hours?

[ProSense]

47. This excuse always cracks me up.

Has anyone ever seen a PDF of a bill? It's in huge type, double-spaced with huge margins. It's takes at the less than a minute to read each page. It's possible to read an 1,100 page bill in one night or over a couple of nights. Here is an example of the amount of text on a full page:

1 funded: Provided further, That priority for awarding such
2 funds shall be given to activities that can commence
3 promptly following approval: Provided further, That the
4 Department shall submit a report on planned spending and
5 actual obligations describing the use of these funds not later
6 than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and
7 quarterly thereafter until all funds are obligated, to the
8 Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representa9
tives and the Senate.
10 SEC. 102. NUTRITION FOR ECONOMIC RECOVERY.
11 (a) MAXIMUM BENEFIT INCREASES.—
12 (1) ECONOMIC RECOVERY 1-MONTH BEGINNING
13 STIMULUS PAYMENT.—For the first month that begins
14 not less than 25 days after the date of enactment of
15 this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in
16 this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall increase the cost
17 of the thrifty food plan for purposes of section 8(a)
18 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
19 2017(a)) by 85 percent.
20 (2) REMAINDER OF FISCAL YEAR 2009.—Begin21
ning with the second month that begins not less than
22 25 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and
23 for each subsequent month through the month ending
24 September 30, 2009, the Secretary shall increase the
25 cost of the thrifty food plan for purposes of section

There is no excuse for not reading a bill when the core text has been available for weeks.

[Terran]

48. What BS

I had to read a good 20% of the earlier Senate version for work to do an analysis of what my state agency could do with the money. Legislators on the whole are lazy, and a lot of them are just stupid.