R.I.P. House of Representatives

[t0dd]

The only congressional body that was mildly responsive to populist pressure is now irrelevant. Evidently you can forget about any efforts to influence your member of Congress, because corporatist Senators who write all our laws say the House no longer exists:

Democratic centrists have informed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) they will accept few changes in the final healthcare bill negotiated between the House and Senate.

Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) have made clear there is little room to deviate from the bill the Senate passed on Christmas Eve.

They have also threatened to vote against the bill if it includes a government-run health insurance program, a proposal that liberal Democrats in Congress acknowledge has little chance of winning inclusion in the final bill.

Darren Hutchinson notes remarkably inconsistent language coming out of the White House when it comes to Senate intractability:

Although centrists have continually dug their heels in the sand and threatened to kill the reform process unless their demands were met, the White House has not described their muscularity as “insane” or “irrational.” Instead, these labels seemingly apply only to liberals who demand a tough posture during negotiations.

Someone reminded me yesterday of a post I wrote in early October called “Countdown to Lieberman,” where I said it was only a matter of time before Lieberman stepped forward to tell us all that he and his “centrist” pals would do us the honor of writing the bill for us.

But I got it wrong when I said they wouldn’t explicitly threaten to join a GOP filibuster. That turned out to be the way that they sold this piece of glaring corporatism as “centrist.” By triangulating against the “liberals,” they made it “sensible” by definition in the knee-jerk left/right continuum of our elite media.

As David Sirota reminds us, this can only happen if members of the House consent, according to simple math.

And if they don’t take a stand?

Well, it’s Joe Lieberman’s world now, you’re just living in it.

http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2009/12/26/r-i-p-house-of-representatives/

[Name removed]

1. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ProSense]

2. Full-fledged lunacy takes hold.

:rofl:

[WeDidIt]

3. I've been formulating a list of Firebagger leaders

Glenn Greenwald
David Sirota
Jane Hamsher
Cenk Uygar

Got any to add to the list of fucking moronic Firebaggers?

[vi5]

17. That's a nice "enemies list"..

Is the criteria just anyone levelling any criticism of anything Obama does? Hamsher is proving herself to be pretty much a loon but those other 3 in most cases are applying the exact same standards to Obama that they did to Bush and have all also pointed out things that Obama did that were worthy of praise.
So is political and ideological consistency of beliefs now not allowed either if it conflicts with straight party line loyalty?

I just love the irony of people comparing a group of people (teabaggers) who praised everything their dear leader (Bush) did no matter how hypocritical or inconsistent his actions were to what they claimed were their core beliefs, with a group of people (Dems not swooning over Obama's every action) who are simply refusing to praise someone who is the leader of their party because he's not acting consistent with what their beliefs are.

Kindly put me on ignore, as I will be reciprocating in kind.

[WeDidIt]

20. It's not an "enemies list"

It's a list of shark jumpers who will provide high entertainment value with much hilarity over the coming weeks before they fall into obscuirty.

And you just know I can't put you on ignore.

[Donnachaidh]

21. called out on your BS and already backpedalling

you choral members are sickening. Did you cut your message board teeth at Free Republic? Because you certainly act like it. One minute listing enemies, the next minnute running away from your own actions.

[WeDidIt]

22. What backpedalling?

Leaders of the Firebaggers.

People who have jumped the shark of relevancy.

Shit, much hilarity ensues!

:rofl:

[Enrique]

25. the only reliable source to them is Robert Gibbs

everyone else is the "MSM" or the Firebaggers. Temporary exceptions are made for anyone who writes something positive about Obama.

[Jim Sagle]

26. They've got more brains and heart than all of the Centrifugees put together.

[sabrina 1]

30. You forgot Howard Dean

Conyers
Kucinich
Dorgan

Just from the more recent 'enemies' list ~ got any Republicans on your list, or DLCers?

[Hissyspit]

36. Of course you have...

Nice list of great Americans who stood up to the Bush administration in the darkest days.

[madfloridian]

7. Add "lunacy" to the insult terms

.

[ProSense]

8. Go ahead, add this too:

Idiot = Jane Hamsher.

[WeDidIt]

10. +840,000,000

:thumbsup:

[sabrina 1]

31. Anything to say about Joe Lieberman

Ben (anti-women) Nelson?

[KittyWampus]

11. Sorry, but the sane Progressives on this board are fed up with the defeatist, counterproductive,

hate-filled bile some DU"ers insist on bringing EVERY SINGLE DAY.

[WeDidIt]

12. Sorry, but the sane Democrats support our president

and the number of Democrats supporting our president grows each day.

[treestar]

33. Talk about overdramatic titles!

It's like freepers saying goodbye to America.

[Donnachaidh]

4. the jackal yapping can be heard even before this can be read.

Corpo-Chorus got here first -- that explains the smell. :eyes:

[KittyWampus]

6. What a surprise. You enjoy defeatist posts like this one. You COULD start working to elect

more progressives. But why encourage Democrats to fight. When you are a Republican like Norquist, you want Democrats demoralized.

[Hannah Bell]

41. people *did* work to get more "progressives" elected. apparently "progressivism" = "working" on

elections only.

[highplainsdem]

18. Yes, they're very predictable.

[KittyWampus]

5. Yeah, just give up and go curl up in a ball. Great post if you're a Republican.

You're doing a great job if your intention is to demoralize people.

[ProSense]

13. This is so-called progressives activism, whining and quitting.

"We lost."

[FLDCVADem]

9. The Constitutational roles are what they are n/t

[Enrique]

14. house progressives need a strategy

they showed signs of taking a stand over the summer, but the leadership didn't take them seriously and it might be their fault. They threatened to kill the bill, but Pelosi literally laughed at the idea of them following through on it. Maybe that wasn't the way to go, maybe it wasn't a realistic threat, maybe there's some other way to exert pressure.

And they don't seem united. Woolsey and Grijalva showed some leadership, but Dennis Kucinich seemed to be off on his own and Jan Schakowsky seemed to be carrying Obama's water.

[OHdem10]

15. Most reporters believe this post. From PBS to whatever,

the consensus is the Liberals simply have to accept the Senate
Bill. The dynamics are such that any change can trigger a Senator
or Senators dropping out and not voting for final passage.

I will bet the Founding Fathers are turning over in their grave.
In the Senate, one Senator can be tyrannical rendering the other
Senators worth absolutely nothing.

In the House of Representatives they can have their Bill discarded
because they must accept the Senate Bill with only minor changes
if any changes at all.

[FLDCVADem]

16. Absent the filibuster

I think this is exactly the way the Founders meant it to be.

[OHdem10]

23. Oh , the old never pass any laws. Change must creep if we ever get change.

Why would we need a House of Representatives, if they were
meant to simply accept the Senate Bill.

[FLDCVADem]

24. They aren't meant to simply accept Senate bills

And I never said any such thing. They don't have to to accept the bill - they can kill it.

However, the notion that the Founders would be rolling in their graves because the House and the Senate don't always agree on important legislation is ludicrous. They formed a bicameral legislature so that there would be checks and balances within the federal legislature.

[highplainsdem]

19. K&R

[liberal_at_heart]

27. I hadn't noticed that but you are right

For some reason it is okay for the centrists and conservative democrats to demand things and threaten to kill the bill if they don't get what they want but if the liberals fight for a public option they are irrational, far left, irrelevent, and don't care about the uninsured. That is interesting.

[G_j]

28. the last line is drawn....

:puke:

[shadesofgray]

29. K&R.

[Ed76638]

32. All 3 of these motherfuckers need a statue to the fucking face.

[treestar]

34. Ridiculous

You're complaining that Congress is made of two houses, which it has been since 1789, and the particular political composition of the current House and Senate is not permanent.

[t0dd]

35. Congress is made of a few narcissists that determine the form of every legislation

I'm complaining because the Senate makes the House irrelevant. None of those Senators should be threatening to kill the final bill if it doesn't come out the way they want it. THATS what is ridiculous. Yet people that make a point of this are the crazy ones. :eyes:

[elana i am]

37. it's not obama...

it's not even the repugs. well, it is, but it's not the primary reason that this HCR sucks donkey balls...

[LostInAnomie]

38. Can DU get a melodrama rating system?

Or, at least an emoticon?

[thelordofhell]

39. Are you sure your got the right place?

The freeper site is next door.

[Kablooie]

40. Of course! They want everything their way 100%. Fuck everyone else!

Conservatives do not believe in compromise.