HA! HA! HA! Pandemonium! Dems Jam Republicans With Even More Conservative Budget

[FourScore]

Pandemonium! Dems Jam Republicans With Even More Conservative Budget
Brian Beutler | April 15, 2011, 12:29PM


What was supposed to be a routine vote in the House -- to knock down an amendment authored by conservative Republicans -- turned into pandemonium on the House floor Friday, as Democrats tried to jam the plan through, and hang it around the GOP's necks.

The vote was on the Republican Study Committee's alternative budget -- a radical plan that annihilates the social contract in America by putting the GOP budget on steroids. Deeper tax cuts for the wealthy, more severe entitlement rollbacks.

Normally something like that would fail by a large bipartisan margin in either the House or the Senate. Conservative Republicans would vote for it, but it would be defeated by a coalition of Democrats and more moderate Republicans. But today that formula didn't hold. In an attempt to highlight deep divides in the Republican caucus. Dems switched their votes -- from "no" to "present."

Panic ensued. In the House, legislation passes by a simple majority of members voting. The Dems took themselves out of the equation, leaving Republicans to decide whether the House should adopt the more-conservative RSC budget instead of the one authored by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. As Dems flipped to present, Republicans realized that a majority of their members had indeed gone on the record in support of the RSC plan -- and if the vote closed, it would pass. That would be a slap in the face to Ryan, and a politically toxic outcome for the Republican party...

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/pandemonium-dems-jam-panic-republicans-with-even-more-conservative-budget.php

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[cali]

2. haha. brilliant.

[highplainsdem]

Love it! K&R

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Gotta love those Dem House members!

[dana_b]

6. loving them more each day

they are outsmarting the Repubs and putting them into panic mode. Haha!! :evilgrin:

[roguevalley]

54. rhey have anthony weiner. how can they lose.

[MadMaddie]

76. Anthony and Nancy Pelosi

Both know the rules inside and out.

[zbdent]

4. YES!!! But ...

will this get any coverage in the "liberally-biased media"???

[Renew Deal]

5. lol

:rofl:

[City Lights]

7. Ha!

:rofl:

[Maeve]

8. I think the game may have changed....

From Politics as Usual to Rope-a-Dope...

[highplainsdem]

9. The article says they'll have video of the chaos soon, but it isn't there yet.

I'll keep checking...

[dixiegrrrrl]

19. Please do and would you pls. post in new thread if you find it?

So we can spot it easily?
Pretty pls?

[highplainsdem]

21. Sure!

:hi:

[Skidmore]

10. They are replaying it on CSPAN 1 now.

[PA Democrat]

11. Anyone have details of what was in this gem of a piece of legislation?

I am dreaming of the campaign commercials that could be produced based upon the votes of those 100 plus teabaggers.

[Skidmore]

13. I want a before and after count.

[Juche]

39. A variety of things that make even the Ryan plan look 'moderate'

Sadly the overton window keeps moving to the right. On Rachel last night a Dem congressman said some tea party members of the house are worried about being primaried from the right in 2012. So it keeps going. Naked plutocracy isn't even controversial anymore in the GOP, in the past they used to pretend it was about 'trickle down' but now they don't even need to do that. Within 10 years Tim McVeigh or openly fascist/authoritarian style republicans won't even be extreme if the overton window keeps moving.


It creates the 'medicare voucher system' for anyone 59 and under, the Ryan plan does it for 55 and under.

It raises the medicare minimum age to 67 by 2030 (the Ryan plan does that in 2033).

It cuts and additional $1 trillion from discretionary spending (I assume non-defense discretionary spending, no idea how they'll achieve it though).

It cuts an additional $700 billion from medicaid over the Ryan plan.

It cuts $1.2 trillion from medicare over the Ryan plan.

It keeps the $500 billion in cuts to medicare advantage (the cuts the GOP ran on in 2010 to win support from seniors), but repeals the rest of the health reform act. I think both GOP bills do that.



http://www.badcartridge.com/index.php?/topic/10508-conservatives-unveil-alternative-budget-with-91-trillion-in-cuts/

Additional cuts of $1 trillion would come from discretionary accounts such as agency budgets, and another $1.2 trillion would be slashed from Medicare. Another $700 billion would be cut from Medicaid. Basically just cut the hell out of non-defense discretionary spending and health care, and 'too fucking bad' to all the people who are hurt, all the economic damage and all the inability of the gov. to function.



No idea where the other $400 billion will come from, but 2.9 trillion is cuts to medicare, medicaid and discretionary on top of what Ryan proposed.

[PA Democrat]

44. Thanks. I hope that campaign ads detailing the cruel cuts in this bill

are run against every single hateful cretin who voted for it.

[Hawkowl]

12. More of this!

Politics ain't beanbag.

[Zenlitened]

15. "Politics ain't beanbag. " Exactly! - n/t

[Zenlitened]

14. Sweeeet - n/t

[Historic NY]

16. Hoisting themselves on their own petard, Great move.

[madrchsod]

17. ahhh,the old dish best served cold.....

[JHB]

18. Ok, who orchestrated that, and who took part?

That's the sort of hit-them-back tactics that would send me digging around to find some way to support their campaigns come election time.

[davidwparker]

100. +1

[highplainsdem]

20. I was amused by what RSC chairman Jim Jordan posted on Facebook.

"Our Republican Study Committee (RSC) balanced budget came within 18 votes of passing on the House Floor today. I am disappointed we did not win, but this is the closest we have ever been to passing our balanced budget. I am motivated to keep fighting to balance the budget and begin paying down our national debt."

He must have had it written in advance, just waiting for him to fill in the number of votes it failed by.

And he must have been in a panic when it looked for a few moments as though it might pass...

[aquart]

They woke up feeling wicked? I love it.

[KittyWampus]

22. Thanks for posting this. It was so funny, had to read it a second time. Will wait for video

[Taverner]

23. I must be missing something, why is this not a Republican win?

They pass their budget - someone explain how this is not a GOP victory

[leftynyc]

25. It didn't pass

And it went to prove that they really didn't want it to pass.

[FourScore]

26. Because they knew it was too extreme.

They were posturing and it almost passed -- which would have been TERRIBLE for the Republicans. There was no danger in doing this because it would never pass the Senate.

[Taverner]

38. OK that makes sense. Thanks.

[NewJeffCT]

91. The Ryan plan is already very extreme

in the eyes of everybody outside the beltway media.

[seabeyond]

27. if you throw out crap knowing it wont pass, yet the crap ends up stuck on your face

for all to see

not a pretty picture

would never get thru senate.

[joshcryer]

89. Because they scrambled like fools when they realized it would've passed.

They did not want their insane budget to pass, they just wanted to be able to say to their constituents that they "tried" to have an insane budget.

[BobbyBoring]

24. This is too funny

The far right fringe is running the republican party. First, they were determined to be the ones that decided who was a "Real American". Now, they're deciding who is a "Real republican" and the media is helping them. It's a shame there's so much at stake!

[pinto]

28. LOL.

:kick:

[Tatiana]

29. So Dems do know how to use their noggins?

I actually like Nancy Pelosi a lot more as minority leader.

[bluestate10]

64. Brilliant move on the part of House democrats. I want more well thought out

moves like the one today. Even if the bill had passed the House, Harry Reid would have bloodied House republican and any Senate republicans voting for the bill before chopping the bill to pieces on the Senate floor while putting republicans like Scott Brown on a hot seat.

[sofa king]

67. Anything you have left is thanks to the Dems using their noggins.

You tell me how George Bush failed to run away with your Social Security in 2005, when all the Dems had was Joe Lieberman's vote in the Senate.

[malaise]

30. As Obama said last night (on that open mike)

What do they think we are...stupid!!

Bravo Dems!

[footinmouth]

31. Thank you for the explanation

I turned it on during the vote, so I had no idea what they were voting on. I was very confused with the vote changes. Now I understand what was going on. It's pretty sad when I watch this stuff live and still don't have a clue.

[Green_Lantern]

32. HERE IS VIDEO

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/15/house-democrats-republicans-budget_n_849715.html

[Pacifist Patriot]

34. Brilliant! Thanks.

[highplainsdem]

35. Thank you! I posted that in a separate topic because dixiegrrrrl had asked me to, once the video

was online, and TPM still didn't have it.

But I linked back to this topic and gave you credit for finding that video at HuffPo.

Here's a link to that topic:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x898972

[Solomon]

33. Good. I was watching House debates yesterday on C-span

and the democrats were cleaning republican clocks. We have the high ground for sure.

[ljm2002]

36. Way to go, Dems!!!

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

About time our side became more adept at using the power we do have. Now, a lot of Republican representatives will have to justify their "no" votes on the bill to their more extreme constituents... They thought they'd be safe.

Nowhere to hide, fools.

K&R

[frazzled]

37. I hope those of you who criticized "present" votes

back during primaries, trying to use it as a cudgel against Obama, who occasionally used the tactic in the Illinois Senate--most often in the same way it was used here, to force Republicans into embarrassing situations (and not, as so many claimed, to avoid a position)--will silently admit to your wrongness back then. No verbal apologies required.

We explained to you then that this was a common tactic used in the Illinois legislature, but you chose to disregard that and use it as a weapon.

[blondeatlast]

49. +1--but I'm doubtful they will. nt

[ieoeja]

55. "Present" in the Illinois legislature has serious meaning.

If the majority vote "no" on a bill, the bill must be tabled for a full year.

If neither "no" nor "yes" get a majority, the bill goes back to committee, gets moderated, then voted on again by the full chamber.


So most Illinois legislation hits the full chamber twice. The first version is full of radical stuff from both sides** and receives less than a majority yes-no vote. Those legislators who voted "yes" can safely tell their radical constituents that they got whatever to a vote, but were defeated. The second version cuts out the radical stuff and is passed.


** It doesn't matter who has a majority. Knowing the first bill is for show, they allow radical elements from both sides to have their "win".

[frazzled]

69. Thank you for the details

It is indeed a "tactic" to force the parties to moderate their demands.

[GETPLANING]

40. Now that's more like it!

When Democrats actually fight for what's right, they win. Keep this up, and Republicans will be wiped off the electoral map next November.

What the House Democrats actually did was use Mitch McConnell's own strategy against the House Republicans. That is, Oppose Everything the other party wants, or simply stand aside. That way, all the responsibility falls on the majority party. It also allows the minority freedom to criticize everything from the sidelines.

[Obamanaut]

41. I just cannot help but wonder how a budget bill would have progressed

if it had been done when it was due - last year.

Before the Nov. elections.

Before the new people were sworn in.

When the Dems had the Senate, the House, and the WH.

And before you remind me of the possibility of a filibuster on a budget bill LAST YEAR, recall that a filibuster was/is only a possibility, never a guarantee.

My point is, the budget was due last year, and there is another one due before October 1 of this year.

[ieoeja]

58. FYI: this vote was for FY12.

The 38B cut in authorization (only 0.4B cut in spending) was the final budget for this fiscal year.

Were the Senate to pass this budget (not going to happen), then the House would not need to vote on a budget again until October 1 of next year.


But you are correct. When we had both chambers and the presidency, we passed only one budget. They gambled on retaining the House and growing the Senate majority and lost badly (which all the polls said would happen compounding their stupidity).

[Obamanaut]

68. There was no fiscal year 2011 budget passed by the September 30, 2010

deadline.

There have been seven continuing resolutions, the last one of which is about to expire.

So, I ask again -?

This budget fiasco began in Feb of this year, taken up by the new congress which had the newly sworn in members. IIRC, it was listed as HB1.

Edited: I found some more stuff. It was HR1, not HB1, and was the spending bill for the remainder of the current fiscal year. The problem I have with all this is the Pres presented in budget request as required in Feb (that was in 2010), but congress didn't do anything because, IMO, they were concerned about damaging their reelection chances by doing a budget, so they did nothing.

[louslobbs]

42. K&R, they can dish it out those Thugs, but they sure can't take it lol. Listen to them cry and moan

in the video lol.
Lou

[LaurenG]

43. That is what they get - they are politically toxic to start with. Smart move!

[cui bono]

45. Looks like they may have got inspired by the Wisconsin 14.

It's about time!

[emsimon33]

46. OMG! Our elected Democratic officials can have strategy and spines!

[myrna minx]

47. You have to love the House Dems. n/t

[Obamanaut]

53. Where were the House Dems when the budget was due last year? nt

[myrna minx]

59. The Pelosi and the House Dems did all of the heavy lifting for the first two years of Obama's

Presidency. They passed amazing legislation that wasn't championed by the President and was allow to fester in the Senate. Both Nancy and the House Dems were punished in 2010 imho, for the sins of the Senate and the Executive.

[MadMaddie]

77. 300 Bills sat on the doorstep of the Senate

Nancy had a lot of things we wanted in those bills but the Senate Repugs stopped them.

[ieoeja]

63. Fooled by DLC, Blue Dogs and New Democrats.

Had moderate Democrats been re-elected, they would have been two years from the next election letting them pass a more Liberal budget. Moderate Democrats who were defeated had even less reason not to vote for a momre Liberal budget.

Problem is, they were not moderate Democrats "because that is the only kind we can elect in their districts". They were true Conservatives. They pretended to moderation to fool Liberals, not Conservatives.

[mlevans]

48. I wonder if Anthony Weiner instigated this.

He was on NPR this morning saying he'd do anything he could to stop the Ryan fiasco. And he's a very clever guy.

[Pirate Smile]

56. Hoyer thought it up. Here you go:

How Democrats Railroaded Republicans Into Almost Passing A Budget Too Conservative For Them


When House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) heard Republicans were going to hold a vote on the extremely conservative Republican Study Committee budget, a lightbulb turned on in his head.
"I thought to myself the Republican leadership is probably thinking we're going to defeat it for them," Hoyer told me in a phone interview Friday. "I said to myself I'm not interested in seeing that happen. I want the Republicans to show what they believe. And if a majority of them believe that that's the kind of budget they want the American people need to know that."

The RSC is a very large bloc of conservative Republican House members. They introduced a 10-year plan for America that makes the already far-reaching House budget look fairly moderate. It was supposed to be a symbolic vote -- one that allowed conservative members to go on the record in support of slashing $9 trillion in spending knowing full well it would never be adopted as the official position of the House and the Republican Party. Hoyer figured them out.
"I also knew that if we telegraphed that early, they would obviously try to anticipate it, work their caucus early," he said. "As a result I did not have a whip meeting on this -- I did discuss it with the Leader , I discussed it with the Democratic leadership. I told them it was my plan. And they were all for that."

If he'd briefed his caucus on the tactic days ahead of the vote, word might have leaked. So he gave them just about five minutes notice.
"Then today, I had a meeting with my senior whip team, assigned them around the floor, and then just before the vote...we sent out an email to the BlackBerrys of our members saying that a). we want you to vote late, b). we want to vote present," Hoyer explained. "And then on the floor, my whips explained to members why we were doing that."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/04/how-democrats-railroaded-republicans-into-almost-passing-a-budget-too-conservative-for-them.php?ref=fpa

[blondeatlast]

60. Well played, so very well played. Sadly, the tactic most likely can't be repeated,

but but damn glad it worked this time.

May I suggest you post this as a stand-alone thread?

[blondeatlast]

50. AWE to the SOME!!! nt

[JBoy]

51. Tag this one with "school lunch".

The republicans got schooled and the Dems ate their lunch.

[colorado_ufo]

52. Check and MATE!

[Motown_Johnny]

57. It sounds like they should have voted "No" at first, then flipped to "Present"

at the last moment


The (R)s were given time to catch on and then switch their votes. Maybe next time they will foll into the trap.

[bluestate10]

61. keep it up Nancy, you are finally teaching House democrats how to fight.

Take republican bastards into a mosh-pit and kick their asses. Republicans are used to living in mud, but can't fight there.

[JoePhilly]

62. Awesome.

[AsahinaKimi]

65. All I could think of was...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIrhVo1WA78

[Zambero]

66. So is Boehner having fun yet?

Not sure about that, but perhaps Pelosi is one days like this!

[n2doc]

70. And yet, what was really accomplished?

We still are going to only see a deceptive Repub budget passed eventually from the house. 99.99% of all voters will never hear of this. Fun political action, but not important.

[Lasher]

79. Republicans were exposed as the hypocrites and extremists they truly are.

And the adults in the GOP had to go on record against teabagger legislation.

[n2doc]

94. People already know that they are liars and hypocrites

At least, anyone who cares to learn and watch them. Maybe this helps break the t-baggers away from the main party, who knows? I just find the celebration here a bit silly.

[freshwest]

71. K & R! Get them on the record.

[inna]

72. what am i missing? sounds like an incredibly risky and irresponsible action,

accomplishing nothing.

what if the damn thing had passed?? it needed only a few more votes.

i don't see anything positive at all in "Dems taking themselves out of the equation".

:wtf:

[GOTV]

74. I think it was genius, and unlike the Dems to be so gutsy and clever ....

If the damn thing passed then Paul Ryan would have been dealt a humiliating defeat and the budget could have been defeated in the Senate or vetoed by Obama and in the meantime this much worse bill could have been hung around the necks of the GOP.

But it didn't pass and to prevent passage the GOP had to go at each other.

Beautiful.

[hfojvt]

81. the really beautiful thing is that it now can be hung around the necks

of those who voted for it. Making them suddenly scramble to defeat it was just hilarious.

[ohheckyeah]

85. It would never NEVER

pass in the Senate.

[joshcryer]

88. If it passed it would've been vetoed or just swept away in the Senate, no loss.

It was a brilliant move, the fact that the Republicans scrambled proved that it was a brilliant move.

[underpants]

73. Republicans don't know how to goooovern! Republicans don't know how to goooovern!

Republicans don't know how to goooovern!

[Kablooie]

75. If the GOP throws crap on the floor they SHOULD be held responsible for it..

Seems like that's what has happened.

[toddwv]

78. That's beautiful

We should look through their bill and call them for voting against whatever's in it.

[Pakid]

80. Hot Tar

Every Republican who vote for either budget plan should get to enjoy a cure that was once practice on things ( Calling them people is an insult to decent people) like this. A bucket of hot tar a bag of feathers and a rail.

[Blue-Jay]

82. The Dems just said "Go ahead. Choke on it, you fuckwits."

And choke they did.

Dear lurking teabaggers: Do you still think these idiots give a shit about you? How does it feel to be played for fools?

[Blue_In_AK]

83. That's pretty funny.

The Dems should keep on exposing them like that.

[JohnnyRingo]

84. Better than watching the World Series.

I love political gamemanship, it combines baseball strategy and chess board moves.

[Warren DeMontague]

86. Folks, I think we're watching the Republican Party get rope-a-dope'd.

Just sayin'.

[joshcryer]

87. I can't believe I missed out on this! So awesome! Wow! Aaaahahahahahaha!

[Corruption Winz]

90. I know I'm not the only one...

But I find this hilarious. Great, strategic move. Thankfully, it paid off.

Just shows that right-wing politicians in particular love it when they can hide behind their words, when their actions would obviously negatively effect the people they are SUPPOSED to represent if allowed.

[Hannah Bell]

92. like passing the ryan budget isn't already toxic. i don't see what the big win for the dems is.

[mmonk]

93. It isn't in reality.

Just a political game that exposes how radical the Republicans are. Of course it also reveals that the right postures and that Democrats have been conceding pushing us into budget cutting debates in an economy devastated by tax cuts and budget cuts already. Any victory was merely tactical. Afterall, the president's budget that cuts $4 trillion in the next 12 years is now touted as progressive. It's a pick your poison world Americans are now living in.

[CanonRay]

95. The old phrase "Hoisted on their own Petard" comes to mind

About time we started fucking with their minds.

[ck4829]

96. This is telling, Republicans want to slash the safety net, but they don't want to look 'own' it

K&R

[WhiteTara]

97. I'll bet that was a Nancy!

She is a brilliant political player. That move has her fingerprints all over it.

[WillyT]

98. Hee Heeeeee...

:evilgrin:

:kick: & Rec!!!

[Blue Owl]

99. Stick it to 'em

Wait -- they're sticking it to themselves!

:rofl: