GOP Fighting To Keep Wall Street Negotiations Secret

[kpete]

Source: Huffington Post

For the better part of a year, the GOP has blasted Democrats for legislating "behind closed doors" and making "secret deals." On Monday afternoon, the Senate will vote on a motion to proceed to debate Wall Street reform in public on the Senate floor.

Yet Republicans say their 41 members are united and will oppose the motion, in order to encourage Democrats to continue negotiating with them behind closed doors.

Condemning closed-door negotiations yet voting to prevent public debate is the height of hypocrisy, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) told HuffPost on Monday. "By voting against cloture, Republicans are voting to keep Wall Street negotiations behind closed doors, demanding changes to the bill without public scrutiny. Instead of closed-door deals, they should support open floor debate," said Merkley.

The GOP acknowledges that it's time to move forward. Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the lead Republican negotiator, spoke before the Independent Community Bankers of America Monday morning and was asked if Congress should allow more time to pass with a commission investigating the root causes of the financial crisis.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/26/gop-fighting-to-keep-wall_n_551911.html

[JuniperLea]

1. "without public scrutiny"

The WPS is the "new" GOP.

Note the irony quotes... they've always been the WPS, but now they've shown a great big white light on it!

[cutlassmama]

2. Hypocrites, the lot of them.

[proudohioan]

3. And why doesn't THAT surprise me!!!!! nt

[Soylent Brice]

4. of course they are.

assholes.

[Angry Dragon]

5. Just more of the same bull coming from their mouths

[global1]

6. Time For Obama To Call A Day Long Financial Reform Summit Like He Did With HCR.......

if they won't debate this in the open on the floor of the Senate - then end around them. Call a summit. Invite the Repugs. If they don't come - call them out. Embarrass them. The American people want Financial Reform. The Repugs are directly opposed to the will of the American people. Let the Repugs have to deal with that.

[fascisthunter]

7. well, well, well...

[boppers]

8. Nice tactic, Merkley!

If cloture becomes synonymous with "open government", the paradigm shifts in huge ways.

[TomCADem]

9. Where is the mainstream media? On HCR, They Played This Talking Point...

Over and over even though HCR followed months and months of open hearings, and the GOP had an opportunity to propose doznes of amendments. Here, the GOP is fighting to open debate.

[Rex]

10. Criminals that feel guilty? Ah hell guys, just keep it behind closed doors.

No reason to let us know how really screwed we are. Just like Abu Ghraib and 9/11 - some things are better left not known. :sarcasm: