Lindsey Graham threatens to leave Washington, DC and deny the Senate a quorum

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

Tweet text:
Sarah Reese Jones
@PoliticusSarah
Lindsey Graham threatens to leave Washington, DC and deny the Senate a quorum to block Democrats from passing the reconciliation infrastructure bill.


8:42 AM · Jul 18, 2021

[PortTack]

1. Wouldn't it have to be more than just him?

[hedda_foil]

7. It would have to be all 50 of them. A quorum in the Senate is a simple majority.

[Xipe Totec]

24. And here is the tricky part

The Constitution states that “a Majority of each [House] shall constitute a quorum to do
business.... ” The Senate presumes that it is complying with this requirement and that a quorum
always is present unless and until the absence of a quorum is suggested or demonstrated. This
presumption allows the Senate to conduct its business on the floor with fewer than 51 Senators
present until a Senator “suggests the absence of a quorum.”


Except when the Senate has invoked cloture, the presiding officer may not count to determine if a
quorum is present. When the absence of a quorum is suggested, therefore, the presiding officer
directs the clerk to call the roll. The Senate cannot resume its business until a majority of Senators
respond to the quorum call or unless, by unanimous consent, “further proceedings under the
quorum call are dispensed with” before the last Senator’s name has been called.

https://www.senate.gov/CRSpubs/577d2a5e-2b47-4045-95fa-a76398e41461.pdf

So, if all 50 Republican senators are absent, then there is nobody left to call the absence of quorum.
If any Republican senator remains behind to call the absence of quorum, then, de facto, there will be 51 or more senators present and there will be a quorum.

[ProfessorGAC]

42. Well, That's Interesting!

Requires a quorum except it doesn't, really!
Odd!

[wackadoo wabbit]

45. That's truly funny, and it also shows what an idiot Graham is

Thanks so much for posting this!

eta: Thanks!

[Mr.Bill]

46. So, one more thing

that Manchin or Sinema could threaten to fuck up.

[OneBlueDotS-Carolina]

2. Then the Government of the US...

Should consider, then grant, South Carolina's demand from December 20, 1860, that the state leave the Union.

Bye Lindsey...and Timmy

[elleng]

6. YES!

[PJMcK]

3. Hey, Lindsey!

Leave!

Don't come back.

Thank you.

[Meadowoak]

35. Hey Lindsay!

There is a yuuuuuge sale at the dress barn, take all the time you want, no one cares.

[rso]

4. Graham

What is Ms. Lindsay talking about ? A Senate Quorum is 51 or more Senators present.

[The Magistrate]

5. Didn't Know There Were 49 Grahams, Ma'am

But of course he is more than welcome to leave at the earliest opportunity, and to never return....

[Nevilledog]

8. I'll even pay his traveling expenses.

[The Magistrate]

21. And Even Then It Might Not Work, Ma'am

Senate rules presume a quorum to exist, unless someone questions whether it does, at which point a head-count is taken (doing this incessantly is one delaying tactic).

Even if every Republican did leave, so long as no Democrat raised a quorum call, business would proceed, at least as I understand the matter. I will grant it's an awfully arcane subject.

[Nevilledog]

22. That would be delicious.

[The Magistrate]

28. It Does Illustrate The 'Monkey see, Monkey Do' Principle These Shitheels Operate By, Ma'am

Women seek an end to discrimination in the workplace and the courts?

Nyah, it's men who are discriminated against!

Black people seek equal rights and treatment?

Nyah, it's white people are the real victims!

Gay people seek to live their lives in tranquil peace?

Nyah, that's attacking Christianity!

This crap didn't even work on the playground when I was seven, but that's about the level of development it reflects.



"I'm rubber, you're glue! Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks on you!"

[StatWoman]

37. Adding to that . . .

COVID-19 kills a lot of people?

Nyah, it's the vaccine that kills people, and magnetizes them to boot! (What, vaccinated people aren't dropping dead yet? Well they will in 2 years, just you wait and see!)


Trump is the author of the Big Lie about how he really won the election?

Nyah, the Big Lie is being perpetrated by Democrats, saying that Biden won!


America sure has a lot of racism in its past and present?

Nyah, you're the racist for suggesting that white people haven't always been completely color-blind in this country!


Trump speaks and acts as if his brain is missing a few neurons?

Nyah, it's Biden who has Alzheimer's and is completely controlled by his wife and the VP!

[jrthin]

26. I'll chip in on that fund.

[Mike Nelson]

9. Quick!

... arrest Lindsay before he leaves the country. He can be escorted to the Senate, from his cell.

[malthaussen]

10. Wow, Lindsey, you mean you'd finally serve your country? n/t

[OnDoutside]

11. Presumably the 50 of them would have to leave the United States ?

The only reason Abbott can't arrest the Texas Dems is that Texas law enforcement have no jurisdiction in DC.

[getagrip_already]

14. does the senate have the power to arrest members and haul them in?

The president has the power to call congress into session, but it's unclear how they would do this. Assuming it was already in session, then it would be up to the senate to recall members.

Do they have the power to forcibly recall members using federal forces? TX passed legislation to do that a loooong time ago.

[OnDoutside]

17. I remember during the impeachments people were begging the Sergeant at Arms

to go after those who disobeyed a subpoena, so presumably the same would apply here. The question I would have is what jurisdiction would they have ?

[GregariousGroundhog]

40. Regarding jurisdiction, the Sergeant-at-arms may need the assistance of federal marshals

If I'm interpreting Wikipedia's article correctly, what would happen is that the Senate would file a contempt of Congress charge with the courts. The courts then order the person or people to comply. If they refused to comply with the court order, the court would file a contempt of court charge and issue an arrest warrant.

[GregariousGroundhog]

38. If they could even leave the United States

Federal and state law enforcement agencies can request the State Department revoke someone's passport in certain conditions, one such condition being the existence of an outstanding arrest warrant.

[OnDoutside]

44. That sounds positive, thanks !

[Politicub]

12. He's making stuff up for Magats. Senators and reps miss votes all the time.

He’s chasing the spotlight, and finding it. There’s a lot of news about him this weekend, and all of it is about garbage and noise.

[DFW]

13. Tell you what, Lindsey

Get lost, and we'll get back to you. Don't be in too much of a hurry. Don't calls us--we'll call you.

We'll call you something, anyway.

[Boomerproud]

29. Hi DFW, to change the subject are you and your wife in

touch with what's happening in Germany re the flooding? I pray that your town wasn't affected.

[DFW]

31. Well, our town WAS affected

Luckily, not our house, though. There is a sleepy stream at the bottom of an incline that is adjacent to a really nice park. The park is now underwater, and the stream is a small raging river. Our neighbors took pictures, and and sent them to us. Our house is halfway up the incline, and was thus not flooded. My wife, prescient as she is, had someone come over and do some work on clearing some clogged drainage just before we left for the USA--just in time.

Some towns in the area got really badly hit, and just a bit further south, some of the towns were devastated. Gushing torrents uprooted the cobblestone walking areas and smashed cars together as if a two year old were having a tantrum and started smashing cardboard cars together. Eastern portions of both Belgium and the Netherlands were badly damaged, including the towns of Liège and Verviers, where I regularly pass through on the way to Brussels. Train service to Brussels from Köln seems to have been restored, but to get to Utrecht or Amsterdam, serious detours appear necessary. Erftstadt, near Köln, seems to have gotten some unimaginable damage, with streets collapsing down fifty feet or more. The area is peppered with old underground coal mines, and the earth regularly collapses on top of them, leaving gaping holes in the landscape.

[Boomerproud]

32. All the best to you.

[DFW]

33. Thanks!

Considering the mess all around us back there, we have no guarantees it will stay that way, but for now, we have dodged a major disaster.

[70sEraVet]

15. I noticed that he quickly stopped naming the "liberal wish list"

He caught himself after mentioning "paid family leave". He knows darned well that those programs will be immensely popular; free community college, free preschool, increased care for children and the elderly, increased services for Medicare recipients, etc. He had to resort to the same old scare tactics - IMMIGRANTS!

[GoCubsGo]

16. Please proceed, moron.

While your at it, look what "quorum" means. If you leave on your own, and the rest of your caucus does not join in, then you are actually helping the Democrats, you boob. Have at it, jackass.

[OnDoutside]

18. And he neglected to mention that the tax increase would be for

those earning 400k and above.

[underpants]

19. That'd save Kamala some time. Everything can just be done by unanimous consent

Of course then Cruz Hayley and Rand can stand up and waste everyone’s time.

[lsewpershad]

20. Lindsey is a waste anyway.

Good riddance, nuisance.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

23. Poor Lindsey...Nobody is paying attention to him.

[niyad]

25. Who?

[Make7]

27. Would this "idea" even work? (Assuming all 50 Republicans didn't show.)

If I understand the Senate process, a quorum is assumed unless it is demonstrated otherwise by a roll call. To initiate a roll call a Senator that is present must suggest there isn't a quorum.

If there are no Republicans there, who would request that a quorum be verified?

[Mr.Bill]

47. Maybe the same ones who refuse to

end the filibuster?

[Budi]

30. Flashback to Packwood being carried in feet-1st by Sgt of Arms

Link to tweet

Replying to
@billscher
and
@atrupar
Also it’s procedurally impossible. Even if all 50 Republicans leave (which I can’t see several Republicans agreeing to), Dems can just pass anything by unanimous consent.

If they do decide to leave things would actually get done for once.
The US Senate assumes quorum. Read the Senate rules.

I urge all @SenateGOP to leave town now.

Replying to
@billscher
and
@atrupar
Often there are less than 51 Senators on the floor but a quorum is assumed unless a member calls for a quorum or roll call vote. One Republican would have to be present to call for that quorum vote, thus making the required 51 quorum

I'm betting Murkowski would stay behind as our 1 Republican


Wouldn't they all have to leave the Country to remain outside Federal Jurisdiction?

[KentuckyWoman]

34. Dear Lindsay - Please proceed.

Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

[kentuck]

36. Is the government of the United States collapsing right before our eyes?

Our best hope would be for a benevolent dictatorship.

But the likelihood would be very violent, in my opinion, if something like that were to happen.

[NurseJackie]

39. He's having a little temper tantrum! (Grow-up Lindsey-G!)

Jesus-Lord... I can't stand to listen to him speak with his PHONY "Southern Gentleman" accent and delicate inflections and gestures and expressions. He's a complete FRAUD and everyone knows it! This is the best he can do? What a clown!

[smirkymonkey]

41. Bye Lindsey!

[Mad_Machine76]

43. I seem to recall

that they passed the "Save Terri Schiavo" bill literally with a handful of Senators present. Maybe even less than a handful?