Democrats to start WITHOUT GOP influence, on cspan

[Philosoraptor]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/01/AR2007010100784.html

This will be a lot of fun to watch this year, if you can stand it. Really though, why should we play nice and cooperative with these pricks, did they play fair over the last six years?

Fuck no.

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As they prepare to take control of Congress this week and face up to campaign pledges to restore bipartisanship and openness, Democrats are planning to largely sideline Republicans from the first burst of lawmaking.

House Democrats intend to pass a raft of popular measures as part of their well-publicized plan for the first 100 hours. They include tightening ethics rules for lawmakers, raising the minimum wage, allowing more research on stem cells and cutting interest rates on student loans.

But instead of allowing Republicans to fully participate in deliberations, as promised after the Democratic victory in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, Democrats now say they will use House rules to prevent the opposition from offering alternative measures, assuring speedy passage of the bills and allowing their party to trumpet early victories.

Nancy Pelosi, the Californian who will become House speaker, and Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, who will become majority leader, finalized the strategy over the holiday recess in a flurry of conference calls and meetings with other party leaders. A few Democrats, worried that the party would be criticized for reneging on an important pledge, argued unsuccessfully that they should grant the Republicans greater latitude when the Congress convenes on Thursday.

[mikehiggins]

1. If the people wanted things to keep going the way they were

they wouldn't have voted the Dems in and the 'pukes out.

I have the vision in mind of an abused spouse getting kicked in the crotch once again, even after the inevitable "protective" order has been issued. There is no reason for our side to simply give the other side the opportunity to screw us yet again.

Every dem should keep uppermost in his or her mind the picture of a Democratic lawmaker forced to hold hearings in the Capitol basement because the 'pukes would not provide an appropriate venue in which to conduct the people's business.

They have showed us how they think things should be done. Are we supposed to think ourselves "better than that" when these same people are still around and still hot to do whatever they can to subvert Democratic initiatives. These are not innocent participants in a friendly debate match, after all. They are a cabal of cold-blooded ideologues who would like nothing more than to see the Democratic party crash and burn for all time.

If THAT is what some Democrats think is preferable to kicking the 'pukes in the teeth with exactly the same kind of treatment they doled out to our side since King George was appointed, then I think a good dose of "reality" is long overdue for them.

Go, Nancy, go!

[MadHound]

2. Don't get me wrong,

Ethics reform, minimum wage, student loan rates, etc. are all issues that need to be addressed. But frankly the real reason that the Dems got their majorities is because the American people are sick of the direction this war has taken, and they want it to come to an end. Yet I see nothing here that indicates that the Dems are going to address this issue.

They need to remember the real reason that they were elected, and act accordingly. End the war NOW.

[Skidmore]

3. Did you notice that there was not much objection to this move

among the callers. Only mild comments, considering the vitriol on the right over the past few years. In fact, some of the Rs calling were essentially saying to give Dems a chance to do something. One guy wanted to give the chance so Dems can be blamed for screwups, but some of those Rs actually sounded relieved that there was an alternative to the Delay Gang in there.

[Cassandra]

4. That's because they divided the phone lines into Republicans...

and Democrats rather than Bush supporters and Democrats. Notice the smaller number of frothing-at-the-mouth wingnuts on the phone.

[MGD]

5. America put their noses in the corner, not Nanci Pelosi and they all know it.