Reid Files Cloture On Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell And DREAM, Schedules Cloture Vote For Saturday

[jefferson_dem]

Reid Files Cloture On Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell And DREAM, Schedules Cloture Vote For Saturday

Moments ago, citing a shortage of votes, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unexpectedly pulled the omnibus bill off the floor and instead filed cloture on the stand-alone Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal passed by the House yesterday and the DREAM Act. Reid announced that he will hold a cloture vote on both measures on Saturday:

REID: I’m going to file cloture tonight on the DREAM Act, we’re going to have a vote on that Saturday morning fairly early. We’re going to have a cloture vote tonight on Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell– oh, not a cloture vote, I’m going to file cloture on it tonight. Those will be sequenced for Saturday, whenever we get to them. Following that, I was told by a number of Republican Senators that they need 6 or 7 days to offer amendment on the START treaty.

Watch it:

Reid appears to be following the advise of Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who earlier today suggested that the Senate vote on DADT before moving back START. “I believe instead of going back to the START treaty, we should go to the independent stand-alone repeal of don’t ask don’t tell Saturday night,” Lieberman said. “We can get it done by Monday, maybe Tuesday at the latest, and then go back to the START treaty.”

The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent argued that this is the best case scenario for repealing the policy since “f Reid waits until New START is done before holding the vote on DADT, Senators could start going home once the treaty is resolved, dooming DADT repeal.” “By contrast, if the DADT repeal vote is done first, no Senator will leave Washington before START is resolved. So doing DADT repeal first doesn’t imperil START.”

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/author/Igor

[Clio the Leo]

1. He mentioned discussion on START would being tomorrow morning...

.... but I confess my ignorance on how the whole thing works.

[ruggerson]

2. He's apparently going against the wishes of the WH who want START scheduled first

We'll have to see if that is a wise strategy or not.

[Uzybone]

4. whatever gets it done

wishes or rumored wishes be damned.

[ruggerson]

7. Agreed

I find it hard to believe that Susan Collins would vote against cloture for a stand alone repeal that SHE is co sponsoring.

At this point I don't think anyone cares - just get the damn thing past cloture.

[Uzybone]

5. dupe

[gkhouston]

10. It's not going to make a damned bit of difference. We won't get cloture on either. n/t

[Clio the Leo]

13. START is running parallel to DADT/Dream...

per a couple of Hill reporters I've asked...

"final work on START will likely come after those two." - via @Senatus

"START is running parallel to everything else, so they'd resume with it next week." - via @BrianBeutler

"START debate will continue Friday; cloture votes Saturday on DADT/DREAM" - via @jamiedupree

[Scurrilous]

3. K & R

:thumbsup:

[Bumblebee]

6. Wyden's office says he will be available over the weekend, so it makes even

more sense.

[jefferson_dem]

8. LIEBERMAN PRAISES MOVEMENT ON “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” REPEAL VOTE

LIEBERMAN PRAISES MOVEMENT ON “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL” REPEAL VOTE
12.16.10

WASHINGTON, DC – Tonight, Majority Leader Reid filed cloture on the motion to concur with respect to H.R.2965, “The ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Repeal Act of 2010.” Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) issued the following statement:

“I want to thank Senator Reid for his leadership in bringing the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010’ to the Senate floor for a vote. I am confident that we have more than 60 votes to end this law that discriminates against military service members based solely on their sexual orientation. Repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ will affirm the Senate’s commitment to the civil rights of all Americans and also make our military even stronger.”

http://lieberman.senate.gov/index.cfm/news-events/news/2010/12/lieberman-praises-movement-on-dont-ask-dont-tell-repeal-vote

[Clio the Leo]

9. Barney Frank says (re: Obama's obligation to defend DADT in court)..

.... that IF DADT had been (or is, we're not done yet) filibustered, then the President would be legally absolved of his obligation to defend DADT in court. As you all know, ;) Presidents (via the DOJ) must defend existing law or it establishes a dangerous precedent ..... Barney's clear on this .... but he says that he's talked to Obama since the election and his resolve has been certain. Obama wants DADT repealed. If there had been a filibuster blocking repeal, Barney believes the President would have stopped the appeal process.

Interesting.

[ruggerson]

11. Hopefully we'll never have to find out

and the repeal will get past cloture.

As a side note, the Executive branch does not have to defend laws which have been found unconstitutional - evidently Obama agrees or he wouldn't have privately said what Barney is claiming he said.

[DrToast]

12. So given Republicans just backed out of this spending bill after they promised to support it

Is anyone else worried the same thing will happen on DADT?

I mean, how the hell can you trust anything these clowns say?

[Clio the Leo]

14. I'm not sure they pretended to support it....

.... at least not this week.

The Omnibus was holding up everything else just like the tax bill did before.