Waxman Says There May Be No Alternative To Bypassing His Committee

[Cronopio]

Source: Talking Points Memo

By Brian Beutler - July 24, 2009, 11:56AM

House Energy and Commerce chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) says his panel's Blue Dogs must relent, or he and leaders will move health care legislation directly to the floor, bypassing the committee altogether.

This morning, he told reporters that Blue Dogs are trying to "eviscerate" the landmark legislation. "I won't allow them to hand over control of our committee to Republicans," Waxman said.

"I dont see what other alternative we have, because we're not going to let them empower Republicans on the committee."


Read more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/waxman-says-there-may-be-no-alternative-to-bypassing-his-committee.php

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We need one less Senator Reid, Pseudo-Majority Leader and one more Senator Waxman, Real Majority Leader.

[No Elephants]

1. Go, Waxman, go!

[DBoon]

2. does Waxman have an email

I'm in a neighboring district, but still want to send him my support (can't call, I'm a cube rat with restricted long distance)

[kestrel91316]

3. Waxman in 2016. I don't give a damn HOW old he'll be, either.

[dugaresa]

4. is there a list of the blue dogs ?

[sutz12]

5. It's about time...

Lead, follow, or get the fuck out of the way.

I smell some Blue Dogs that won't be getting national funding or support. I hope.

[kristopher]

6. I'd like to know how this faction got control of this committee in the first place.

WTF is going on that Dems put this crew in charge of ENERGY legislation? I know Dingle was a berry, but did he have complete authority to stack stack the committee with DINOs?

[Iowa]

7. They aren't "blue dogs"; they're Republicans. And they should be treated as such...

Name them, publicly humiliate them, strip them of their power, and defeat them in 2010. And call them what they are... Republicans.

[cascadiance]

8. Or more descriptively "CORPORATISTS"!

That's what both the Republicans and these Blue Dogs are, and it is that coalition of *corporatists* that are screwing over America in favor of their "corporate person" constituents!

We need to take out the money representation in politics and put back people representation! Health care IS the issue to mobilize most of the people to start the battle that will still be needing to be fought even if we can get some reasonable health care legislation (or perhaps insufficient health care legislation) through the congress.

The health care legislation efforts and the difficulty we've faced against ANTI-People representation DINOs and Republicans should be used as the campaign rallying cry for the ultimate need and goal of putting in place public campaign financing to get rid of the institutionalized bribery system we have in place now and all of the criminals that have been empowered and put in place by this mafia-style mess.

[nashville_brook]

9. actually -- it's a worst case scenario in that they caucus with dems, and therefore

exercise more control/power over our initiatives than the GOP's. They hold way too much power as it is, always being the "swing" votes. I bet their pockets are lined mightily with the booty of negotiations.

[Old and In the Way]

11. They are stealth Republicans.

With official Republicans fading fast, they are the last line of obstruction. When the 'Pubes were in the majority, it didn't really matter. Now that we have the numerical majority, it does. And we need to start holding Blue Dogs and their voting record accountable by running real progressives against them in primaries.

Someday soon, I see a migration of Blue Dogs back to the Republican Party...or perhaps a Democratic Conservative Party that will become the ideological home for anti-progressives.

[Warpy]

25. Our party has always been plagued by conservatives

Back in the 50s and 60s, they were mostly southerners and were called "boll weevil Democrats" since they tended to bore into legislation and rot it from the inside.

Most of the worst southern conservatives have fled for the GOP, but a few are still left. They've been joined by wingers from the upper midwest and California.

This is nothing new for the Democrats and it's likely to get worse as GOP "moderates" desert their party for ours.

In the past, the party that has splintered off from the Democrats after the Hamiltonian party has gone defunct has been a more progressive one.

It will be interesting to see if history repeats itself again.

[coffeenap]

10. Yes!!!!! k and r

:fistbump:

[Seeking Serenity]

12. Something tells me that the general consensus here wouldn't be quite so positive

if this were a Republican committee chairman, say, Ways and Means, making a similar statement about, say, a tax-cut bill at risk in his committee, whether by members within his party or without.

I suspect there would be a great hew and cry about such a strategem employed by a GOP committee chairman.

Just playin' Devil's advocate. The weapon we use today will be used against us tomorrow.

[Doremus]

14. Waxman is using this "weapon" against (supposed) Dems.

The repukes are free to borrow it should any of their obedient sheep ever get an independent thought in their peabrains. ;)

[Seeking Serenity]

15. Yes, but in such a case,

those "disobediant sheep" Repubs would be agreeing with the Democrats and against their own party. So if a GOP chairman were to pull this, the DU consensus would be mighty hostile.

[Doremus]

16. I think it's all moot anyway.

There is a greater chance that God will strike us dead than ever witnessing a group of repukes defying the will of their leaders.

eom.

[24601]

18. Welcome to "dead":.. I remember when they ousted both

Gingrich and Livingston.

[HughMoran]

21. way back when Republicans weren't completely insane

That's ancient history for the party of NO

[24601]

26. I'd disagree with "ancient history" when a sizable number of

the members at that point remain serving in the House & Senate.

I'd propose we draw the ancient history line based on some of our esteemed members still active today.

We could draw it several places:

Senate
BB (Before) Byrd, Bob (1959) Longest serving senator ever and Pres Pro Tempore (3rd in line for Presidency)
BK Kennedy Ted (1962)
BI Inouye, Dan (1963)
BB Biden, Joe (1973) President of the Senate & VP
BL Leahy, Pat (1975)
BL Lugar, Dick (1977)

Time served for the half-way point #25 # #26 is 1989. Almost 10 years before the removal of Gingrich & Livingstone.

Senate
BD (Before) Dingle, John (1955) Dean of the House
BC Conyers, John (1965)
BO Obey, Dave (1969)
BR Rangel, Charles (1971)
BY Young, Bill (1971)
BS Stark, Pete (1973)

Time Served for #s 217 is since 2001.

To recap, in the Senate, 70 of 100 members were there at the time and in the House, 208 of the current 435 members were present. Overall 278 of 535 members of congress were serving at that time. I'll suggest that some members could easily be characterized as ancient; however, not the mean point - and that 1998-1999 does not qualify, especially since a majority of the members were serving in congress at the time.

[Egnever]

29. I am not so sure

Bring it to the floor and let our reps vote on it I have no problem with that at all. It can still be philibustered or amended or whatever on the floor. The idea that something needs to bypass a comittee before seing the light of day isnt really something I cheer for though I do understand the usefulness for organizational purposes.

If anything I would like to see more bills come to the floor so we could get a better idea of how these reps actually voted.I can think of quite a few things I would like to see voted on even if they were voted down.

[Psephos]

17. What comes around goes around...we should keep an eye on the future

It's just good politics.

Short-term maximization of profit is what wrecked the titans of US manufacturing. There's a lesson in there.

[HughMoran]

20. perhaps this being the most important legislation in out lifetimes says otherwise

Unless you think my family should be deprived of reasonable healthcare alternatives due to traitors within our party.

[ShamelessHussy]

22. Depends on the issue at hand and what the vast majority of the people wanted

Besides, opening it up vs keeping it closed to a select group is typically what liberals stand for so I have NO PROBLEM with this smart move.

[Blasphemer]

13. Amen Waxman

If it's true that they have the votes on the floor, then the holdouts on the committee are simply trying to derail the legislation.

[HughMoran]

19. blue dog on the spit!

no mercy to the traitors :mad:

[ProudDad]

23. Reality Check

That damn HR3200 is worse than nothing...

I'd lose no sleep if it goes down.

The bottom line is we'll have to try again in 4 more years after more have died from no or inadequate health care.

HR676 - Universal Health Care for All, everybody in-nobody out...it's the ONLY way to go (according to the entire civilized world!)

[totodeinhere]

24. The problem is that the Blue Dogs might have enough votes to kill the measure on the House floor...

if they decided to form a coalition with the GOP. So I don't quite understand where Waxman is coming from. The same tactics used by the Blue Dogs in his committee can simply be transferred to the House floor, so what's the point?

[Odin2005]

27. GO HENRY!!! The knives are coming out and the Blue Dogs are gonna get slaughtered.

"I won't allow them to hand over control of our committee to Republicans"

:woohoo:

[indypaul]

28. Each of them need opposition in next years primary elections

Doesn't matter if they are defeated or not but let them
know there is such a thing as party discipline. Same
goes for any of the members of the Senate who feel they
can avoid answering to their constituents and feel comfortable
in selling their souls and votes to interests contrary to
those who elect them.

[Zavulon]

30. +1.

Nice to see we have a counter to that pantywaist Reed. Too bad they can't switch positions, because Waxman would do the Majority Leader slot proud. Reid is useless garbage.