"GOP Plans To Implement The 'Demon Pass' They Once Decried"

[Clio the Leo]

Hypocrisy is fun!!! :bounce:

GOP Plans To Implement The 'Demon Pass' They Once Decried
Brian Beutler | January 4, 2011, 10:11AM

This week, House Republicans will resurrect an arcane tool that will give its Budget Chairman temporary, but unilateral authority to set federal spending levels for part of this year.

Welcome back to the so-called "Demon Pass", which is scheduled to make its return to the Capitol Hill on January 5.

Because Democrats didn't pass a budget, and because spending authority expires in early March, there's a strong chance that the government will run out of money before the House and Senate agree to new spending levels. When that happens, under the new House rules, spending will continue -- but at levels no higher than those chosen by the House Budget Committee chairman, Paul Ryan.

As soon as those rules are adopted on Wednesday, Ryan's spending levels will be considered -- or "deemed" -- adopted by the full House as if they'd passed a budget with a floor vote. The legislative language in the rules package holds that Ryan's spending limits, "shall be considered as contained in a concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2011 and the submission thereof into the Congressional Record shall be considered as the completion of congressional action on a concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2011."

Emphasis added. Back in March 2010, House Democrats were toying with using a similar process to pass health care reform. They were considering the Senate health care package, which they hated, and a package of amendments to that bill, which they liked. To square those views, they wanted to set up a procedural vote, which, if agreed to, would "deem" both bills passed at once. "Deem" and "pass."

This quickly became known as "Demon Pass," or the "Slaughter Solution," named after House Rules Chair Louise Slaughter. Republicans rebelled, and conservatives went off the deep end. Radio talk show host Mark Levin called it "100 times worse than Watergate."

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/01/demon-pass-how-the-new-house-rules-are-like-the-slaughter-solution.php

[dkf]

1. For anyone who doesn't understand why you would rather have moderate Dems helping to hold the House

This is exhibit #1.

And for anyone that stayed home this is on your head.

[flpoljunkie]

2. Probably too much to hope voters will now understand that 'elections matter.'

[Kdillard]

3. Wow. The next two years will be fun watching the nonesense.