Dems will attempt to use discharge petition to force House vote to end shutdown

[shira]

Those wacky Democrats. Trying to use an old Republican bill (whose intent was to prevent the use of government shutdowns as leverage to force the other side into making concessions - go figure) to get through a fast-track "discharge petition" and force a vote on a "clean CR" in the house.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ublicans-to-reopen-the-government/?tid=pm_pop

This afternoon, Dem Reps. Chris Van Hollen and George Miller will announce that they are introducing a discharge petition for the Lankford bill. They will discuss the procedural ins and outs of this move. The upshot: Once the petition is filed, they will begin rounding up signatures from both Democrats and Republicans. If they can get 218 signatures, a House vote to reopen the government will happen.

Dems say that if they get enough signatures, they’d be able to force a vote by October 14th. Given that House Republicans are now talking about letting the government shutdown battle spill into the fight over the debt limit — which expires on October 17th — it’s very possible the government could still be closed at that point.

At a minimum, this should ramp up pressure on moderate Republicans who say they want a vote on a clean CR to make good on their public statements. Presumably, House Republican leaders would put pressure on them not to sign the discharge petition, throwing House GOP intransigence into even sharper relief.

Indeed, Democrats will point out that Republicans have previously supported using clean CRs to avert shutdowns in the past, as Roll Call detailed today.

http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/republicans-used-to-like-clean-crs/

Those wacky Democrats, actually believing that Republicans were being principled when they said (see RollCall link)

“Republicans do not want Congress to threaten the American people with a government shutdown,” DeMint said at a news conference in 2007. “

Ryan, a co-sponsor of the Lankford bill, told Fox News in 2011 that automatic continuing resolutions were needed “so we do not have the specter of all these government shutdowns that create all this uncertainty and force a lot of bad decision-making at the last minute.”

“I don’t think either side should be exploiting this,” Hensarling said of the shutdown threat in an interview with Roll Call in October 2010. The Texas Republican sponsored the bill back then, and he’s a co-sponsor of the Lankford measure, which he confirmed he still supports.

But back to the original article:

This discharge petition would provide them with a vehicle to do just that, even if the House GOP leadership remains opposed to allowing any vote. It will also be interesting to see how Senate Republicans who supported the clean CR in the Upper Chamber — some of whom are reportedly growing impatient with the degree to which conservatives are dictating House GOP strategy — will react.

The irony here, of course, is that Dems are effectively hijacking a Republican bill in an effort to undercut the whole House GOP strategy.

UPDATE: One slight clarification. If Dems can get the 218 signatures on the discharge petition, then Dems would use a procedural move to replace the Lankford bill with an amendment: A clean CR, just like the one in the Senate. So this would not enshrine the periodic one-percent reductions in spending in the Lankford measure.

 

[dainthomas]

Exposing blatant hypocrisy is fun.

 

[kage69]

Well wouldn't that be something if they pulled it off. It would probably be the penultimate example of being 'hoisted by your own petard.'


Some GOP would probably just try to claim it a victory because Obama, others will go into denial mode like they have on so many other GOP fails, while a scant few just reached for the Mylanta and realize the weight of all this hypocrisy is going to come crashing down real soon. I can see the tearful, yet determined speech by Boehner now, saddened by those cruel Dems obstructing the House's obstructions (while probably dreaming about taking a bat to all the Cruz Republicans, a la Capone).


What happened to Dems being politically inept and naive? I'd love to be a fly on the wall in DeMint's office right now. Heh.

 

[Moonbeam]

Well wouldn't that be something if they pulled it off. It would probably be the penultimate example of being 'hoisted by your own petard.'


Some GOP would probably just try to claim it a victory because Obama, others will go into denial mode like they have on so many other GOP fails, while a scant few just reached for the Mylanta and realize the weight of all this hypocrisy is going to come crashing down real soon. I can see the tearful, yet determined speech by Boehner now, saddened by those cruel Dems obstructing the House's obstructions (while probably dreaming about taking a bat to all the Cruz Republicans, a la Capone).


What happened to Dems being politically inept and naive? I'd love to be a fly on the wall in DeMint's office right now. Heh.

If that were the penultimate example of being hoised by ones own petard, what would the pencilultimate example be?

 

[Gonad the Barbarian]

If Boehner was smart he'd covertly help orchestrate this being pulled off himself.

 

[trenchfoot]

Well, seeing as if the Repubs can't seem to get over that family feud of theirs so we can all move on and get back to work, I don't see anything wrong with the Dems crossing the aisle and playing referee/nanny to break up that childish sibling rivalry war over there for a minute or two to get a clean bill passed.

 

[compuwiz1]

Why do so many democrats suffer from optical rectalitis?
Obama won't negotiate
Reid won't negotiate

The Republicans have bent and bent, but there is no compromise. Most polls out there are holding Obama and Reid responsible for the mess we're in. Obama and his cronies ordering the WWII Veteran's memorial closed....and they spent a great deal of money trying to enforce it. They are trying, purposely to make themselves look good and Republicans look bad, at any expense. Childish! It's gonna backfire on them and their party. Suddenly the Sheep are waking up. My co-workers, who used to be pretty divided on whether Obama was a good president or not have become quite united this week. The pro Obama crowd there has turned on him.

 

[woolfe9998]

Why do so many democrats suffer from optical rectalitis?
Obama won't negotiate
Reid won't negotiate

The Republicans have bent and bent, but there is no compromise. Most polls out there are holding Obama and Reid responsible for the mess we're in. Obama and his cronies ordering the WWII Veteran's memorial closed....and they spent a great deal of money trying to enforce it. They are trying, purposely to make themselves look good and Republicans look bad, at any expense. Childish! It's gonna backfire on them and their party. Suddenly the Sheep are waking up. My co-workers, who used to be pretty divided on whether Obama was a good president or not have become quite united this week. The pro Obama crowd there has turned on him.

Please link these polls you are referring to.

http://www.politicususa.com/2013/10...pproval-gop-skyrocketing-shut-government.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57605822/poll-americans-not-happy-about-shutdown-more-blame-gop/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...publicans-are-losing-the-shutdown-blame-game/

 

[umbrella39]

Why do so many democrats suffer from optical rectalitis?
Obama won't negotiate
Reid won't negotiate

The Republicans have bent and bent, but there is no compromise. Most polls out there are holding Obama and Reid responsible for the mess we're in. Obama and his cronies ordering the WWII Veteran's memorial closed....and they spent a great deal of money trying to enforce it. They are trying, purposely to make themselves look good and Republicans look bad, at any expense. Childish! It's gonna backfire on them and their party. Suddenly the Sheep are waking up. My co-workers, who used to be pretty divided on whether Obama was a good president or not have become quite united this week. The pro Obama crowd there has turned on him.

What part of Obama ran on ACA in 2008 and won. Passed it. Survived GOP butthurt SCOTUS ruling. Romney LOST on repealing ACA in 2012 and Obama won AGAIN... are you having the hardest time understanding? Quit trying to reinvent history.

 

[cubby1223]

It's almost as if "the left" is enjoying this shutdown... hmmm...

 

[Jimzz]

Why do so many democrats suffer from optical rectalitis?
Obama won't negotiate
Reid won't negotiate

The Republicans have bent and bent, but there is no compromise. Most polls out there are holding Obama and Reid responsible for the mess we're in. Obama and his cronies ordering the WWII Veteran's memorial closed....and they spent a great deal of money trying to enforce it. They are trying, purposely to make themselves look good and Republicans look bad, at any expense. Childish! It's gonna backfire on them and their party. Suddenly the Sheep are waking up. My co-workers, who used to be pretty divided on whether Obama was a good president or not have become quite united this week. The pro Obama crowd there has turned on him.

I think you forgot the /s tag.

Either that or you are another nutty troll spreading FUD.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

What a great sport this is!

 

[ichy]

Why do so many democrats suffer from optical rectalitis?
Obama won't negotiate
Reid won't negotiate

They shouldn't negotiate. Allowing an angry minority to hold the budget hostage in order to defeat a separate bit of legislation that they don't like is bullshit.

 

[shira]

Why do so many democrats suffer from optical rectalitis?
Obama won't negotiate
Reid won't negotiate

The Republicans have bent and bent, but there is no compromise. Most polls out there are holding Obama and Reid responsible for the mess we're in. Obama and his cronies ordering the WWII Veteran's memorial closed....and they spent a great deal of money trying to enforce it. They are trying, purposely to make themselves look good and Republicans look bad, at any expense. Childish! It's gonna backfire on them and their party. Suddenly the Sheep are waking up. My co-workers, who used to be pretty divided on whether Obama was a good president or not have become quite united this week. The pro Obama crowd there has turned on him.

A "compromise" is a situation where each side allows the other side to get something that only that other side wants.

A "compromise" is not a situation where one side gets what it wants in return for both sides getting what they both want.

Consider the debt ceiling: BOTH sides do not want the U.S. to default on its debt. Only the Republicans want to defund Obamacare. So offering to avoid a default on the national debt in return for defunding Obamacare is NOT a negotiation. It's NOT a compromise. It's essentially saying, "Give me what I want or I'll set off this bomb and kill both of us."

 

[ElMonoDelMar]

A "compromise" is a situation where each side allows the other side to get something that only that other side wants.

A "compromise" is not a situation where one side gets what it wants in return for both sides getting what they both want.

Consider the debt ceiling: BOTH sides do not want the U.S. to default on its debt. Only the Republicans want to defund Obamacare. So offering to avoid a default on the national debt in return for defunding Obamacare is NOT a negotiation. It's NOT a compromise. It's essentially saying, "Give me what I want or I'll set off this bomb and kill both of us."

This cannot be said enough. A compromise is a give and take. I would like someone to point out to me just what the Republicans are giving up as part of this "compromise" they're talking so much about. Surely they want to fund the government as well?

I've got an idea for an excellent compromise that would allow both sides to walk away with something they want. Let's vote to fund the government with a clean CR. That's a win/win for both sides.

 

[trenchfoot]

It's almost as if "the left" is enjoying this shutdown... hmmm...

Just imagine how middle class independents like me feel, watching the Repub leadership attempt to dismantle every gov't program and law that benefit my class and try even harder still to pass laws that only favor the very rich.

I'm ecstatic that Obama and that wet noodle Reid is finally standing tall for my interests for once, although I do sympathize with my other middle class members, who, now and as always, are taking the brunt of the damage this shutdown is causing.

 

[Genx87]

Just imagine how middle class independents like me feel, watching the Repub leadership attempt to dismantle every gov't program and law that benefit my class and try even harder still to pass laws that only favor the very rich.

I'm ecstatic that Obama and that wet noodle Reid is finally standing tall for my interests for once, although I do sympathize with my other middle class members, who, now and as always, are taking the brunt of the damage this shutdown is causing.

You are a fool to think Obamacare will benefit the middle class.

 

[kage69]

What part of Obama ran on ACA in 2008 and won. Passed it. Survived GOP butthurt SCOTUS ruling. Romney LOST on repealing ACA in 2012 and Obama won AGAIN... are you having the hardest time understanding? Quit trying to reinvent history.

Yep, but you're asking a drowning man to give up his grip on a partially inflated beach ball. Might not be the best thing for the situation, but it's all he's got.

With all the talk of 'Obama is no different than Bush,' you'd think ol black Bush would be extended the same courtesy Bush was with clean spending bills and debt limit increases. Funny how that history stuff works.

 

[kage69]

You are a fool to think Obamacare will benefit the middle class.

He'd be a bigger fool if he acted like he could see into the future.