Reid, Democrats trigger ‘nuclear’ option; eliminate most filibusters on nominees

Video: It's more than just a rule change: The so-called "nuclear option" will fundamentally alter the way the Senate operates - for good.




By Paul Kane, Published: November 21

Senate Democrats took the dramatic step Thursday of eliminating filibusters for most nominations by presidents, a power play they said was necessary to fix a broken system but one that Republicans said will only rupture it further.

Democrats used a rare parliamentary move to change the rules so that federal judicial nominees and executive-office appointments can advance to confirmation votes by a simple majority of senators, rather than the 60-vote supermajority that has been the standard for nearly four decades.




The immediate rationale for the move was to allow the confirmation of three picks by President Obama to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit — the most recent examples of what Democrats have long considered unreasonably partisan obstruction by Republicans.

In the long term, the rule change represents a substantial power shift in a chamber that for more than two centuries has prided itself on affording more rights to the minority party than any other legislative body in the world. Now, a president whose party holds the majority in the Senate is virtually assured of having his nominees approved, with far less opportunity for political obstruction.

The main combatants Thursday were the chamber’s two chiefs, Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who have clashed for several years over Republican filibusters of Obama’s agenda and nominees.

Reid said the chamber “must evolve” beyond parliamentary roadblocks. “The American people believe the Senate is broken, and I believe the American people are right,” he said, adding: “It’s time to get the Senate working again.”

McConnell linked the rule change to the methods used to approve Obama’s health-care law solely with Democratic votes. The normally reserved GOP leader paced at his desk during his speech, often turning his back to Democrats to address only his fellow Republicans.

“It’s a sad day in the history of the Senate,” McConnell told reporters, calling the move a Democratic “power grab.”

The clash ended with a vote nearly as partisan as the times — 52 to 48, with all but three Democrats backing the move and every Republican opposing it.

The vote was the culmination of more than 25 years of feuding over nominations, beginning with President Ronald Reagan’s choices for the Supreme Court and including Obama’s picks for obscure federal regulatory agencies. Each side in Thursday’s debate cited its own statistics to state its case.


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Sit Down, Shut Up - Shut Up and Sit Down

 Fox's Sit Down, Shut Up (2009)

 

Breaking News | Celebrity News | More ABC News Videos

 

Harry Reid Scolds Senators: 'Sit Down and Shut Up'

Majority leader chimes in as presiding senator tries to call order amid chatty lawmakers.
01:00 | 08/01/2013
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He speaks softly...

Harry Truman was known for his famous motto, Walk softly and carry a big stick.

Well, Senator (D) Harry Reid of Nevada, makes me think that his motto ought to be:

He speaks softly, but Harry's a bit slick.

VIDEO of Harry Reid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVAiPTwArM8

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Did Harry Reid 'Steal' the Nevada Senate Election?

Updated: 5 hours 54 minutes ago

David Knowles
Writer
AOL News Surge Desk

(Nov. 3) -- Dirty tricks?

On Tuesday night, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid was basking in the glow of his narrow victory over tea party upstart Sharron Angle. Throughout the course of the campaign, polls had shown the race to be an extremely tight contest, with the lead swinging back and forth between the two candidates all the way down to the wire.

But let's back up to the waning days of the battle, with the contest far from decided. That's when Cleta Mitchell, Angle's attorney, sent out a fundraising letter in which she proclaimed the following:

As Sharron Angle's campaign attorney, I am sorry to report that the Democrats and their cronies are up to their same old tricks of trying to manipulate the election in hopes of skewing the results in their favor.
Mitchell went on to say that allegations that Reid's supporters had offered free food and gift cards to residents in exchange for votes. While those allegations were investigated and discounted by the Nevada secretary of state, the notion that Reid's victory was the result of outright thievery was kept front and center today by none other than right-wing radio provocateur Alex Jones.

At Prison Planet, Jones' Google gaming website, Jones and editor Paul Joseph Watson hatched their latest conspiracy claim.

"A serious investigation into potential vote fraud needs to be launched immediately in Nevada," the authors wrote, "after incumbent Harry Reid beat Tea Party candidate Sharron Angle by a clear five points, despite pre-election polls showing Angle four points ahead, amidst suspicious evidence of vote flipping and other dirty tricks on behalf of the Reid campaign last week that were dubbed 'criminal' by Angle's campaign attorney."
Citing polling data and a report that electronic voting machines in one Nevada county had automatically preselected Reid's name during early voting, Prison Planet argued that the evidence of dirty tricks was all too plain.

On the other hand, the site used only polls that backed up its conclusion, and the very story that Prison Planet used to demonstrate the alleged voting machine tampering contained the following information that Jones and Watson fail to mention:

Registrar of Voters Larry Lomax said those claims were "patently false" and said at no time did any of those voters report the incident to staff at their polling location.

"In fact, although over 160,000 people have voted early in Clark County, those allegations that have been made have gone directly to the media as opposed to the election board officers," he said.
Though her campaign first brought up the prospect of Reid attempting to steal the election, Angle herself made no mention of that notion in her concession speech.

Reid eventually won by just over 40,000 votes.
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Source
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Related:

Stealing the Election
by Pamela Geller

Fifteen Missouri counties have more people registered to vote than they have people who are aged eighteen or older. This is egregious, illegal and contemptuous of the rule of law. And it is just the tip of the iceberg.
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Health Care Reform Debacle

12/23/2009

Hoppy's Commentary For Wednesday
Talkline Host Hoppy Kercheval


Politicians love to reference history to bolster arguments. We are told that the health-reform bill is “landmark” legislation on par with Social Security and Medicare, thus glibly establishing the alleged historical significance.

But history—when it’s not being used as a convenient prop—can serve more precisely as a cautionary tale.

The Social Security Act of 1935 was all of 38 pages, including three pages for titles. It was pretty straight forward; the government would begin collecting a tax from employees and employers then pay benefits to retirees, dependent children, “cripple” children and the blind.

The money paid into the system would be held in a special treasury account then used to pay the benefits. Of course, all that money sitting around was too tempting for politicians who now spend it and replace it with IOU’s.

Medicare’s first budget in 1966 was $3 billion. The government said that by 1990 we would be spending $12 billion on Medicare; the budget that year was actually $107 billion.

This year the government budgeted $453 billion in Medicare and $290 billion in Medicaid.

Each program has been the victim of political expedience. Politicians of both parties have used the Social Security money with little concern over how that will impact future generations. Medicare and Medicaid have been engorged because of rising health care costs and added benefits.

I find it remarkable that the supporters of the current health care proposals can keep a straight face when they say the legislation will actually reduce the deficit. If they can get the public to buy that then they should add to the bill a “Pigs Can Fly” amendment.

Refreshingly, more Americans are catching on to Washington’s ways. Approval for the health plan has dropped below 50 percent in at least seven major polls. An NBC News-Wall Street Journal Poll found that just 32 percent Americans say President Obama’s health-reform plan is a good idea.

Yet the Democratic leadership of the Senate is rushing to pass the 2,074 page bill by week’s end. Christmas Eve may be the deadline for buying presents, but does legislation as complex and comprehensive as this have to be ready to open Christmas morning?

The answer of course is that Harry Reid’s “Cash for Cloture” program could crumble at any moment. Some senators who have not yet gotten their $100 million hospital (Chris Dodd of Conn.) or their $100 million in extra Medicaid money (Ben Nelson of Neb.) might insist on their share.

(A Talkline listener emailed me the suggestion that Senators Byrd and Rockefeller at least ask for an emergency turnaround gate on the West Virginia Turnpike in return for their “yes” votes.)

Health care reform may be the most significant piece of legislation ever to pass with no bi-partisan support. Medicare passed in 1965 with the votes of 13 Republicans in the Senate and 70 in the House. Social Security had the backing of 16 of 21 Republicans in the Senate and 81 of 96 Republicans in the House.

But all that matters is that the Reid has the numbers and this monstrosity will pass. There will be speeches about the “historic” moment. If the legislation or some form of it becomes law then we’ll know this much about history—we’ve learned nothing from it.

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Source:http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=34275

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ALERT: HARRY REID SCHEDULES FIRST OBAMA-CARE VOTE FOR 1 A.M. MONDAY

By Sarah Foster


Posted 1:00 AM Eastern


December 21, 2009© 2009 NewsWithViews.com



Watch Live: U.S. Senate Debates Health Care Insurance Overhaul



WASHINGTON – Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled 1 a.m. Monday for the first of several votes he needs to get his ObamaCare health bill passed by the Senate by Christmas Eve.
That’s “shortly after Sunday Night Football ends and most Americans are in bed,” says Dan Holler at the Heritage Foundation's blog, The Foundry.



Introduced Saturday morning, the senators will have had less than 38 hours to understand the 383-page manager's amendment to H.R. 3590: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which Holler reports introduces several new concepts into the health care debate. For starters:

Read whole article:

http://www.newswithviews.com/NWV-News/news179.htm

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House passes health care bill

House passes health care bill
(AP) – 32 minutes ago

WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled House has passed historic health care legislation to provide medical coverage to millions more Americans.

Most Americans would be required to carry insurance and large employers would be obliged to cover their employees.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Triumphant Democrats steered landmark health care legislation to the brink of passage in the House late Saturday night, spurred by a summons from President Barack Obama to "answer the call of history" and expand coverage to millions who lack it.

After months of struggle, Speaker Nancy Pelosi projected confidence and likened the bill to the creation of Social Security in 1935 and Medicare 30 years later.

"It provides coverage for 96 percent of Americans. It offers everyone, regardless of health or income, the peace of mind that comes from knowing they will have access to affordable health care when they need it," said Rep. John Dingell, the 83-year-old Michigan lawmaker who has introduced national health insurance in every Congress since succeeding his father in 1955.

In the runup to a final vote, conservatives from the two political parties joined forces to impose tough new restrictions on abortion coverage in insurance policies to be sold to many individuals and small groups. They prevailed on a roll call of 240-194.

Ironically, that only solidified support for the legislation, clearing the way for conservative Democrats to vote for it.

Passage would clear the way for a Senate debate expected to begin in several days. Democratic leaders have been working on a self-imposed deadline for passing a final compromise, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid signaled recently that may slip.

United in opposition to the health care bill, minority Republicans cataloged their objections across hours of debate on the 1,990-page, $1.2 trillion legislation.

"We are going to have a complete government takeover of our health care system faster than you can say, `this is making me sick,'" jabbed Rep. Candice Miller, R-Mich., adding that Democrats were intent on passing "a jobs-killing, tax-hiking, deficit-exploding" bill.

But with little or no doubt about the outcome, the rhetoric lacked the fire of last summer's town hall meetings, when some critics accused Democrats of plotting "death panels" to hasten the demise of senior citizens.

The legislation would require most Americans to carry insurance and provide federal subsidies to those who otherwise could not afford it. Large companies would have to offer coverage to their employees. Both consumers and companies would be slapped with penalties if they defied the government's mandates.

Insurance industry practices such as denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions would be banned, and insurers would no longer be able to charge higher premiums on the basis of gender or medical history. In a further slap, the industry would lose its exemption from federal antitrust restrictions on price gouging, bid rigging and market allocation.

At its core, the measure would create a federally regulated marketplace where consumers could shop for coverage. In the bill's most controversial provision, the government would sell insurance, although the Congressional Budget Office forecasts that premiums for it would be more expensive than for policies sold by private firms.

The bill is projected to expand coverage to 36 million uninsured, resulting in 96 percent of the nation's eligible population having insurance.

To pay for the expansion of coverage, the bill cuts Medicare's projected spending by more than $400 billion over a decade. It also imposes a tax surcharge of 5.4 percent on income over $500,000 in the case of individuals and $1 million for families.

The bill was estimated to reduce federal deficits by about $104 billion over a decade, although it lacked two of the key cost-cutting provisions under consideration in the Senate, and its longer-term impact on government red ink was far from clear.

Democrats lined up a range of outside groups behind their legislation, none more important than the AARP, whose support promises political cover against the cuts to Medicare in next year's congressional elections.

The nation's drug companies generally support health care overhaul. And while the powerful insurance industry opposed the legislation, it did so quietly, and the result was that Republicans could not count on the type of advertising campaign that might have peeled away skittish Democrats in swing districts.

Over all, the bill envisioned the most sweeping set of changes to the health care system in more than a generation, and Democrats said it marked the culmination of a campaign that Harry Truman began when he sat in the White House 60 years ago.

Debate on the House floor had already begun when Obama strode into a closed-door meeting of the Democratic rank and file across the street from the Capitol to make a final personal appeal to them to pass his top domestic priority. While the session was private, he later said he had told the rank and file "that opportunities like this come around maybe once in a generation.... This is their moment, this is our moment, to live up to the trust that the American people have placed in us..."

"I urge members of Congress to rise to this moment. Answer the call of history, and vote yes for health insurance reform for America," he said.

Participants also said Obama had referred to this week's shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, in which 13 people were killed. His remarks put in perspective that the hardships soldiers endure for the country are "what sacrifice really is," as opposed to "casting a vote that might lose an election for you," said Rep. Robert Andrews, D-N.J.

As drafted, the measure denied the use of federal subsidies to purchase abortion coverage in policies sold by private insurers in the new insurance exchange, except in cases of incest, rape or when the life of the mother was in danger.

Democratic abortion foes, joined by Republicans, won far stronger restrictions that would rule out abortion coverage except in those three categories in any government-sold plan. It would also ban abortion coverage in any private plan purchased by consumers receiving federal subsidies.

Disappointed Democratic abortion rights supporters grumbled about the turn of events, but appeared to pull back quickly from any thought of opposing the health care bill in protest.

One, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., detailed numerous other benefits for women in the bill, including free medical preventive services and better prescription drug coverage under Medicare. "Women need health care reform," she concluded in remarks on the House floor.

Republicans offered an alternative that relied heavily on loosening regulations on private insurers to reduce costs for those who currently have insurance, in some cases by as much as 10 percent. But congressional budget analysts said the plan would make no dent in the ranks of the uninsured, an assessment that highlighted the difference in priorities between the two political parties. It fell by a near party line vote of 258-176.

It was a theme of Obama's remarks to Democrats at midmorning.

The president said Democrats have a 70-year history of creating and defending programs like Social Security and Medicare, Andrews said afterward, adding Obama had said the day's vote "is going to define the difference between the Republican and Democratic parties for decades."

Associated Press writers Phil Elliott, Alan Fram and Erica Werner contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=36324418

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