Dec 16 2010
Democrat Incompetence Writ Large
I was going to do a post on how historically pathetic the Pelosi-Reid 111th Congress is – but someone at the WSJ beat me to it:
The 111th Congress began with an $814 billion stimulus that blew out the federal balance sheet, so we suppose it’s only fitting that the Members want to exit by passing a 1,924-page, $1.2 trillion omnibus spending bill. The worst Congress in modern history is true to its essence to the bitter end.
…
Democrats have had 11 months to write a budget for fiscal 2011, which began on October 1. But Majority Leader Harry Reid and Appropriations Chairman Daniel Inouye have dumped this trillion-dollar baby on Senators at the very last minute, when everyone is busy and wants to go home for the holidays. No doubt that was the plan. The continuing resolution to fund the government expires on Saturday, so Mr. Reid wants to squeeze Senators against the deadline.
Incompetence followed by extortion. The criminals are still in charge of the federal treasury.
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Yet, the mainstream media chose to ignore this.
Someone suggested that we should block the omnibus bill and allow the continuing resolution to expire unless Reid decides to extend the CR through 1/10/11.
Krauthammer thinks that the Republicans will be blamed for this so he doesn’t think this is a good idea but Stephen Hayes thinks the climate is so different and will work in the GOP’s favor.
If they pass the Omnibus bill, they still have appropriations to worry about. But can the 112th House Republicans begin to defund parts of this bill?
I’m just really pissed off at some of the Senate Republicans. Cornyn certainly did put his foot in his mouth when Hemmer pointed out that Cornyn asked for an earmark. Good.
From The Hill by Michael O’Brien, http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/133805-six-gop-centrists-vote-against-making-tax-cuts-permanent:
snip/”Six Republican senators voted on Wednesday against an amendment to permanently extend the expiring Bush-era tax cuts. A group of GOP centrists voted down a measure sought by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) to set in stone current tax rates. Sens. Scott Brown (Mass.), Susan Collins (Maine), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Olympia Snowe (Maine) and George Voinovich (Ohio) all bucked DeMint on a procedural vote to suspend Senate rules and allow for the amendment. One Democrat, centrist Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), voted with all the other Republicans to extend the expiring tax cuts. “
This Billion dollar omnibus bill, among many other bad this, funds Obamacare for a whole year. And taking back money is almost impossible once it’s been given. If the GOP is serious about pulling back Obamacare, this omnibus bill HAS to be defeated at all costs.
Yes, WWS, it must. Who can we count on to make that happen?
One question for those who may know, if the government is not funded, will social security checks be sent out this month?
all they have to do to keep things funded is to pass the CR (continuing resolution) that Mitch McConnell has filed which would continue everything as is until February. This game Reid has set up is a ridiculous bit of manipulation to try and cheat the new GOP house out of any decision making ability for the next year.
Bill Bennett is proving why Utah GOP voters were absolutely right to toss him out of his seat. (he still claims that there is nothing at all wrong with earmarks) He has proudly stated that he will vote for this monstrosity. How come whenever the decision really counts, it seems that these so-called “moderate” Republicans always end up being big spending, big taxing pork hogs?
Because if this omnibus bill passes, THEY will be the ones who got it through. This is what Reid is counting on – he’s sure that there are still a bunch of GOP Senators that love their Pork far more than they care about doing what the voters actually want.
We’re about to see if he’s right.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2010/12/senate-gop-leader-offers-two-month-spending-bill
The repubs have come back with a two month extension to keep government running until the new congress is seated.
Reid is threatening to keep them in session until the day before the new congress is seated so that he can try to pass every last piece of legislation he can.
http://www.redstate.com/brian_d/2010/12/16/omnibus-earmarks-cost-taxpayers-18-billion/
The bottom line is that the $8 billion in earmarks are being used to purchase the support of just enough Republican Senators to pass the Omnibus. This will cost the taxpayer $18 billion in new spending. Next time somebody tells you that earmarks don’t cost the taxpayer any money, you can point to the Omnibus of December 2010 as an example of $8 billion in earmarks buying $18 billion in new spending.
Senator John Cornyn has really put his foot in his mouth on this omnibus bill with his earmark request and comments before Hemmer’
It’s high time to canvass better candidates to replace Cornyn.
Woo Hoo! The wicked Omnibus witch is dead!
What a surprise!
We should bombast DeMint, Mark Levin, and Mitch McConnell “Congratulatory” emails!
Only because Mark Kirk got sworn in in time! 🙂
Maybe that will embolden Scott Brown into reversing his vote on DADT?
Maybe this will embolden all Republicans into voting against DREAM and START?
ivehadit, that was my first thought exactly! I wanted to do the munchkin dance!!! (maybe I still will!)
In Cornyn’s defense, and some of the other Republicans who had earmarks in that bill – the claim tonight is that the Dems pulled them from old appropriations bills written long before the recent pledge by Republicans to do away with earmarks, as a way to try and either buy or embarrass GOP Senators into voting for this thing. Obviously, that gambit has now failed. The Senators in question are all claiming that they had absolutely no input in the writing of this bill, that this was all done by Harry Reid’s staffers behind closed doors.
Harry looked pretty sour when he had to announce that he was pulling the bill tonight!
I don’t care what their excuse is, spending should be cut: got that? Cut. No earmarks. I can’t stand it that these Repub’s are caving. Let’s vote them out next time and vote in people that understand English.
Yeah, there’s an article at Real Clear Politics that explained how Inyoue tried to force the Republicans into voting for this omnibus bill.
And the very same article explained how some of these Republicans were convinced to sway their nay vote to the aye vote….like Snowe’s vote that allowed ObamaCare out of the committee.
Good grief.
I.do.NOT.want.to see.these.shenanigans.going.on.in.the.new.Congress!!
WWS, I’ll join you in that dance! 🙂
It’s a great day for America. And if this administration thinks it is going to win in ’12 on class warfare, we’ll just see…