Surprise, Surprise: Senate Dems punk'd on Filibuster reform

by: Zappatero

Fri Mar 04, 2011 at 11:46:25 AM MST

• Do not negotiate with those who can't agree on even the most basic assumptions about a discussion.
• Do not negotiate with those who don't have the slightest intention of negotiating in good faith.
• And finally, never believe anything any Lying Congressional Republican says in any way, shape, or form:

Just over one month ago, the Senate largely abandoned a plan to ambitiously reform the Senate rules after the GOP agreed to a "handshake deal" which would curb the unprecedented spike in filibusters since the GOP lost control of the Senate. Rather than uphold their side of the bargain, eight Republican senators have now promised to take their obstructionism to unprecedented heights by threatening to place a hold on any bill which does not comply with five very broad criteria that constitute a particularly aggressive assault on the Senate's ability to function.

Senate Democrats have failed us once again.

Those like Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, who continue to have the mistaken impression that Republicans want to do anything productive for our country, even as all evidence points to the exact opposite conclusion, are derelict in their duty as our representatives and have once again failed to display even the slightest bit of principle when dealing with the most despicable group of lying, hateful and ignorant politicians this nation has known: the Modern Republican/Tea Party.

Senator Bennet has earned $29,000 so far this year (w/Poll)

by: Zappatero

Tue Mar 01, 2011 at 10:44:04 AM MST

Botton line: he took to the insider DC game like a duck to water and was lucky enough to run against a schizophrenic Republican Tea Party to actually win a full-term as one of our state's most prominent civil servants.

The new Congress has now been at work for two months, and that distressing dynamic is now in play in Washington (do we reallllllly deserve what we vote for?), which leads me to this question:

Has Senator Bennet earned that $29,000 in salary* for January and February by working to diligently solve the problems of the nation and improve conditions for as many of Colorado's citizens as possible?

My short answer is "No".

Political Games Continue in DC

by: Gypsy Chief

Sat Jan 29, 2011 at 20:31:34 PM MST

Amazing Press Release from Senator Tom Udall [D-NM] today. I couldn't make up anything half as good so I will quote for you. Please understand I generally support Senators Udall, Tom and his cousin Mark. Still spin is spin no matter where it comes from.

This week, the latest round of the filibuster fight came to a close. While we achieved steps in the right direction, the Senate lacked the will to enact the truly substantive reforms that we desired.

But as my Uncle Mo used to say, reform is not for the short-winded, and my commitment to making the Senate a more transparent and efficient body to better serve the American people is stronger than ever.

Your activism has successfully shaken up the institution in a way that hasn't happened in more than 35 years. We HAVE put the Senate on notice that when our country calls out obstruction, it's time we take a hard look at the way we do business here

This press release goes on to describe some important baby steps toward real Senate reform.

• We've finally put an end to "secret holds" so now senators must be on the record opposing bills and nominees. This will help restore some accountability to the chamber so that senators are no longer able to block bills and nominees without facing the consequences of doing so.
• We're reducing the number of Executive branch nominees that require confirmation so the President can appoint the best and brightest to government and fill empty posts without unnecessary delay in the Senate;
• We neutralized an important obstructionist tactic - forcing bills and amendments to be read in their entirety on the Senate floor;
• And finally, we sent a clear message that unprecedented gridlock is
  unacceptable, culminating in an agreement between leadership to make the Senate
  more deliberative than obstructive.

Let's not kid ourselves folks. Baby steps are just that … baby steps. We cannot count on Washington to provide real leadership. But maybe just maybe next time a critical nomination may not be held up because a senator was afraid   that south Georgia pigs and chickens would sue their owners

We Haf Vays To Make You Talk

by: Gypsy Chief

Thu Jan 13, 2011 at 17:37:54 PM MST

Democrats in Congress are not known for their shrewd negotiating ability. We saw this when their attempt to repeal the Bush tax cuts for millionaires resulted in... those tax cuts being extended. We saw it when the stimulus, the health insurance bill, and any number of pieces of legislation were much weaker than they should have been.

With the conclusion of the fight to reform the filibuster less than two weeks away, we can't afford to suffer another blow due to poor Democratic negotiation. That's why Daily Kos and CREDO Action have created a petition telling both Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Charles Schumer, the top Democratic negotiator on filibuster reform, not to water down filibuster reform to win Republican votes.

We're close to making the filibuster a real filibuster, and to putting an end to Republican obstruction on judicial and executive branch nominations. Only 51 Senators are needed to make this happen. Already, 26 have become co-sponsors of our proposed reforms, including some of the most conservative members of the Democratic caucus. Last month, all 53 Senate Democrats signed a letter in favor of filibuster reform of some sort.

Even though we can get all the votes we need from Democrats alone, Senator Schumer is negotiating with Senate Republicans anyway. I know that sounds crazy, but rather than just slapping your hand against your forehead in response, take action. *Sign our petition to Senator Schumer and Reid-don't water down filibuster reform:

Recent history says they will listen to us on this one. Last week, when we made phone calls to Senator Schumer's office about the filibuster reform package, we asked him to include measures that would speed up the nomination process. The measures we asked for weren't in his original filibuster reform package, but they were the day after we made those calls.

Maybe it's because we are the only people paying attention, or because we are bringing tens of thousands of supporters, but the Democratic leadership is listening to us this time. Let's make sure they hear from us again. Tell Reid and Schumer: don't water down filibuster reform to win Republican votes:

Keep fighting,
Chris Bowers
Campaign Director, Daily Kos

Photo Credit: Jeff Snow on Blogspot

Posted by Gypsy Chief

Filibuster kill date just days away

by: Zappatero

Wed Dec 29, 2010 at 09:42:00 AM MST

Democrats are now almost unanimous in their support of a rule change for the next congress that will kill the filibuster:

All of the returning members of the Democratic caucus in the U.S. Senate but Chris Dodd signed a letter that supports filibuster reform initiated by New Mexico's Tom Udall, according to story in the National Journal by Dan Friedman.

The letter was sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urging him to change filibuster rules.

Udall cites Article 1, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution, specifically the portion which says -- Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings. On the first day of the new Congress the Senate can pass new rules with a simple majority.

Bennet:

"I applaud Senator Udall for his thoughtful proposal to reform the filibuster.  Bringing a new voice to the issue helps us continue to build momentum for improving the Senate's rules so we can actually get back to doing Colorado's business."

"The Senate has suffered way too much gridlock, and there is a strong sense by the public that the Senate is dysfunctional."

FactCheck.org takes on Bennet v. Romanoff

by: peacemonger

Sun Jul 25, 2010 at 08:23:06 AM MST

Bennet finally threw back the mud on 7/20 with his own ad, educating voters that Andrew Romanoff was not above taking money from PACS for nearly a decade --including having his own PAC that was closed four months after he started campaigning for US Senate.

Romanoff bloggers went berzerk, claiming it was not true.  

Yesterday, FactCheck.org, a neutral third party, examined the claims and checked their factual validity.   http://factcheck.org/2010/07/c...

Murkowski Part II Rears Its Ugly Head

by: Lowell Feld NRDC Action Fund

Fri Jul 09, 2010 at 13:56:23 PM MST

On June 10th, we all celebrated the defeat of the Murkowski resolution, which would have gutted the EPA's ability to regulate carbon dioxide pollution.  Why we needed to defeat Murkowski was explained well by NRDC Action Fund Executive Director, Peter Lehner, who wrote the following prior to the vote:

EPA's proactive lead in greenhouse gas regulation is a critical aspect of the effort to reduce our rampant, destabilizing, and destructive dependence on foreign and offshore oil.  While the endangerment finding does not, in itself, prescribe regulations, it provides the legal basis for critical standards: EPA's proposed CAFE efficiency standard for light-duty vehicles is projected to save over 455 million barrels per year, and an anticipated standard for heavy-duty vehicles will save billions more.  Stripping EPA of its authority to implement these protections would increase our nation's dependence on oil and send hundreds of billions of dollars overseas.  We cannot afford this big step backward, especially as we watch more oil gush into the Gulf each day.

In the end, the Senate didn't take that "big step backward" on June 10th, as the Murkowski resolution failed by a 47-53 vote.   Many of us probably figured that was the end of this issue, and that the Senate would now move on to passing comprehensive, clean energy and climate legislation.  Unfortunately, as is often the case in Washington, DC, it isn't that simple (let alone logical).

Today, clean air and public health are once again under an assault that constitutes, essentially, "Murkowski Part II."  The Wall Street Journal reported on June 22:

As U.S. Senate lawmakers attempt to determine the fate of energy legislation, an influential Democrat is boosting efforts to suspend a controversial greenhouse-gas rule passed earlier this year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

After introducing a bill to impose a two-year halt on the new EPA rule, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat from coal-rich West Virginia, is now working to round up supporters for his legislation.

It should go without saying that this is completely unacceptable.  As we all know, the public was outraged at Senator Murkowski's Big Oil Bailout bill.  They understood that this moved the country backward, not forward, and that it was exactly the wrong way to go given the energy and environmental challenges we face.  Through all our efforts, our phone calls and emails (and blog posts and tweets, etc.), we helped to kill Murkowski Part I.  Now, unfortunately, Sen. Jay Rockefeller is pushing Murkowski Part II, yet there's far less attention being paid to this effort than to the Murkowski's EPA Castration Resolution Part I.   People have a lot of other things on their minds, and they thought this fight was over back in June.  But, once they find out that this effort is baaaaack, like a monster in a cheesy horror movie, they are not going to respond positively.  

Of course, why would the public - which overwhelmingly supports taking action to promote clean energy and deal with climate change - ever respond positively to a proposal aimed at throwing away one of our key tools to cut pollution and protect public health?  And why would they respond positively now of all times, as oil continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico, as record heat waves scorch the United States, and as climate science is strengthened every day that goes by?  Last but not least, why would they support an effort to protect the corporate polluters and not all of us who are being hurt by that pollution?

The bottom line is simple: instead of wasting its time on legislation that will only move the country backwards - towards dirty energy forever - the Senate should be busy passing a bill that moves the country forward towards a bright future of green energy, clean tech jobs, energy security and climate protection.   Once our Senators hear that message loud and clear from all of us, Rockefeller's Murkowski Part II will be rejected by the Senate, just as Murkowski Part I was before it.

Turning the Oil Spill into a Jobs Bill

by: wade norris

Thu May 06, 2010 at 17:20:47 PM MST

Jane Norton: ELIMINATE INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR CANCER SCREENINGS, COMPARING THEM TO "SHOE FETISHES"

by: LobbyHero

Thu May 06, 2010 at 12:09:30 PM MST

Republican Senate candidate Jane Norton revealed her latest health care prescription for Coloradans at a campaign stop in Cheyenne Wells Tuesday, touting the elimination of cancer screening coverage enacted during her tenure as Lieutenant Governor in the Owens-Norton administration. During the campaign event, Norton giddily boasted that as Lieutenant Governor she eliminated requirements for insurance companies to cover cancer screenings, such as cervical and prostate screenings, in health insurance plans. Norton then went on to compare cancer screenings to "shoe fetishes" and "caffeine addictions." Please see the below bullets and the attached audio for Jane Norton's latest prescription for fixing Colorado's health care system.

More after the jump