If Dems were smart, they might do this during the traditional August Recess....

[Blackhatjack]

Execute Pro forma opening and closing of the Senate every few days to keep Bush from making recess appointments that would bypass the Senate Confirmation requirement.

Start planning now to hold Committee Meetings during the recess on a rotating basis which will allow any citizen to come to D.C. and offer their public comments and any evidence they wish to submit for consideration to be included in the official records of the respective committee on published topics that the committee is going to take up in September.

CSPAN would definitely cover any Committee Meeting if that is the only official action occurring on the Hill that day.

This could be an interesting summer and set the stage for action upon the return of Congress to full time duty in D.C.

[woodsprite]

1. Is there any hint they're gonna do this yet? We need to

call our Congressmen and ask for this. I thought Reid wasn't going to allow an uninterrupted recess inorder to keep *co from floating appointments past them.

[Frosty1]

2. Good Idea!

:kick:

[Frustratedlady]

4. Is there time to stop them before they are totally out the door?

I would imagine they are thinning out pretty quickly. Someone should watch the chickenhouse, or the fox will clean the coop. K&R

[fwiff]

3. Reid said he was going to do this a while ago

from May 20th:
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/20/reids-plan-to-block-bushs-recess-appointments/


Reid’s plan to block Bush’s recess appointments.“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a little trick up his sleeve that could spell an end to President Bush’s devilish recess appointments of controversial figures like former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton.” U.S. News reports:

We hear that over the long August vacation, when those types of summer hires are made, Reid will call the Senate into session just long enough to force the prez to send his nominees who need confirmation to the chamber. The talk is he will hold a quickie “pro forma” session every 10 days, tapping a local senator to run the hall. Senate workers and Republicans are miffed, but Reid is proving that he’s the new sheriff in town.


(no more text)

[woodsprite]

5. I heard that too, but I thought it was still at "the twinkle in his eye" stage. n/t

[Jack Bone]

6. Great Idea!!

[blondeatlast]

7. I remember talk of this earlier in the year. I think that we need to

flood Reid and the other Senate Dems offices with encouragement to do this. It's obviously got to be NOW.

It needs to be POSITIVE, though. We need to make certain they know that the public won't buy the whine from the Republicans that will be sure to befall this.

Very, little time here. Anyone else in for this? :hi:

[annabanana]

8. Should we remind Harry of his good idea?

528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: [phone] / Fax: [phone]

http://reid.senate.gov/contact/email_form.cfm

[blondeatlast]

9. I think so--and here's the Democratic Senators in the DC area:

There's 9 within very quick plane rides to DC, more than enough locals to handle a pretty small workload, and good Dem soldiers all.

Biden, Carper: Delaware
Webb: Virginia
Byrd, Rockefeller: West Virginia
Casey: Pennsylvania
Menendez: New Jersey
Schumer, Clinton: New York

Let's do this--and encourage our local Dem senators (I have none :cry:) to support it!

[dmr]

12. Thank you for that list!!!

I'm going to start writing today and make the calls on Monday. Wonder if there's anyone in their offices on Saturdays? Gonna try today too.

I should think that as important as it is to our country, and also in each Senator and Congressman's self-interest to keep Bush* in check, they would all take turns protecting us from those gangsters. This includes the presidential candidates too. I've mixed feelings about these constant early campaign tours, but that's another discussion thread.

This thread sparked a bit of hope for me - I'm so demoralized, I'll grab onto any/every strand of hope I can find!

:dem:

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

14. Can we do a DU Activist Corps alert on this ? n/t

[blondeatlast]

10. They recess 8/3 and return 9/10, so we need to move.

I suggest we come up with some brief, emcouraging talking points and let everyone write their own e-mails and call, call, call!

Anyone in with me?

[snappyturtle]

11. Great idea!

:kick:

[MiniMe]

13. Harry Reid announced a while ago that he is going to do this

Have local Senators call the Senate into session every 10 days or so. And it was precisely to prevent recess appointments.

[Blackhatjack]

15. I am just passing on the idea about pro forma sessions of the Senate, but the Committee meetings...

... could really provide some choice moments that would definitely get covered by CSPAN during the dog days of August.

People need to have access to Committee Members, and holding one committee meeting during the traditional August recess should not be a great burden on any of the Senators.

[Ghost in the Machine]

16. I was wondering if there was any way that We, The People could keep

Congress in session like this. Could we volunteer to go sit in there for a certain rep or do anything at all to help? If I had the money, I'd go stay in DC for 2 weeks and sit there every day. It'd be a small sacrifice in the name of democracy. If it'll stop DUHbya from sneaking someone in while we're not looking, I'm all for it.

We should make this a call to action all across the internet. Contact Harry Reid and see if this can be done.

Who's with me??

[in_cog_ni_to]

17. That's Harry's plan. From May 2007:

Bush's Summer Hires Targeted
May 20, 2007 12:09 PM ET | Permanent Link

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a little trick up his sleeve that could spell an end to President Bush's devilish recess appointments of controversial figures like former United Nations Ambassador John Bolton. We hear that over the long August vacation, when those types of summer hires are made, Reid will call the Senate into session just long enough to force the prez to send his nominees who need confirmation to the chamber. The talk is he will hold a quickie "pro forma" session every 10 days, tapping a local senator to run the hall. Senate workers and Republicans are miffed, but Reid is proving that he's the new sheriff in town.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/washington-whispers/2007/05/20/?s_cid=rss:site1