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GOP Hail Mary On Troop Funding Fails
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With funds for the troops fast running out, and the clock ticking towards a deadline on healthcare, Republicans tried to block a key defense spending bill last night in order to delay Senate debate on a major health reform bill.
Of the 40 Republicans members in the Senate, only three voted with all 60 Democrats to end the filibuster of the defense bill.
The filibuster in and of itself delays debate on the health care bill by 30 hours. But the hope was that the filibuster would succeed forcing Democrats to waste yet another day in order to pass an emergency spending measure.
As it happens, though, Democrats ended the filibuster. And now, the Republicans will have to live down new, unfriendly talking points.
Senate Republicans Threatened to Deny Our Troops Important Funding to Stall Health Reform
* Senate Republicans have made the calculation that it's acceptable to deny our troops critical funding so they can continue their crusade against health reform.
* Republicans are so intent on thwarting even a debate on health reform that they would put essential funding for our troops on the line.
* At a time of war, it's inconceivable that Senate Republicans would stoop to this level.
* Regardless of their position on health reform, their actions to block the DoD bill have been inappropriate and irresponsible.
* This legislation:
* Funds more than $100 billion for operations, maintenance and personnel for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and more than $23 billion for their equipment
* Provides more than $150 billion to train our troops and prepare them for battle
* Funds almost $30 billion for the health care of our service members and their families
* Gives our troops a well-deserved pay raise
Sen. Russell Feingold (D-WI) broke with his standard practice of voting no on defense bills to vote with his party this time, in order to forestall GOP shenanigans. Moderate Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Susan Collins (R-ME) also voted to end the filibuster, and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), who's running for Governor of Texas also defected from the GOP.
Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) voted to continue the defense spending filibuster--an extremely rare practice for ranking members of the Appropriations Committee. Now, Democrats find themselves in the rare position of running against the GOP by accusing them of abandoning the troops. My how the tables have turned.
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VictorLH
December 18, 2009 11:51 AM
Republcians are now on the record supporting Rape and risking the lives of US Miltary personnel.
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Walter Mitty
December 18, 2009 11:55 AM
Cochran isn't from Michigan.
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mike from Arlington
December 18, 2009 12:06 PM
So, Republican leadership have steered the party to become the party of Rape, Torture and anti-Military.
Interesting.
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masanf
December 18, 2009 12:33 PM in reply to mike from Arlington
And blog commenters on the left have become a group of morons that deploy absurd over the top rhetoric in an attempt to squelch dissent.
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lousgirl84
December 18, 2009 12:45 PM in reply to masanf
So go somewhere else where they give a shit about what you have to say.
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chimpale
December 18, 2009 12:58 PM in reply to masanf
Yes, how dare you bloggers on the left try to emulate the bloggers on the right!
Gee, you sound so sincere.
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EH
December 18, 2009 1:09 PM in reply to masanf
Not that you'd ever have the guts to reply, but aren't "blog commenters on the left" and "group of morons" some over the top rhetoric?
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Dorn76
December 18, 2009 1:38 PM in reply to masanf
You're projecting again. If you need a referral for a good therapist, we can help. It's OK, it's not your fault.
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Kuyleh
December 18, 2009 2:20 PM in reply to masanf
You're projecting so hard you could point yourself at a wall and show off Power Point.
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AhTrini1
December 19, 2009 10:20 AM in reply to masanf
They are learning well from the hypocrites of the lunatic right.
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Bruce Webb
December 20, 2009 12:14 PM in reply to AhTrini1
Crap, I had the perfect smack-down but now it seems like piling on. So I guess I have to revert to the deep and serious analytic tools of the right.
"Ditto!"
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williamwalker
December 18, 2009 12:20 PM
This kind of mendacity would lead to permanent unemployment in the private sector. Yet, the great life lesson being given by this crowd to all Americans is that it is ok to lie and say you are not lying and then blame the other guy for the foreseeable results of your lies. There should be no surprise that the people of America think of Congress with such disdain; what is a surprise is that ANYONE thinks these people are doing a good job
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AJM
December 18, 2009 12:52 PM in reply to williamwalker
Sweetie,
The worst you can say is that we have adopted Republican rules: Democrats faced false charges of not supporting the troops all the time so I don't think you have much standing to complain.
Further more, there is a kernel of truth in the current charges. That money was needed: that's why your Republican leadership thought that blocking it would bring the business of the legislature to a screeching halt.
I also doubt that our soldiers appreciated being used as a political football.
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ootempo
December 18, 2009 12:36 PM
Haha, EPIC Fail!
Jess
www.anonymous-web.cz.tc
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rbeats
December 18, 2009 12:53 PM in reply to ootempo
like I am going to put a web address in my browser that ends in .cz.tc
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EH
December 18, 2009 2:05 PM in reply to rbeats
or starts with "anonymous-web"
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Elizabeth2
December 18, 2009 12:47 PM
Just for the heck of it, I'd like to note the **gender** of the three Republicans who voted with the Dems. :-) In fact, I believe they constitute 3/4 of the female Republican senators (Lisa Murkowski is the other).
Now if only male Republicans could be as reasonable and realistic ..... and ethical!
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Matt Jones
December 18, 2009 1:12 PM in reply to Elizabeth2
It's hard to be a teabagger without the requisite equipment... :)
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la la twirl
December 18, 2009 1:35 PM in reply to Elizabeth2
:)
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EastWest
December 18, 2009 12:51 PM
Great talking points against the Republicans. Too bad the Democrats won't ever use them. That wouldn't be nice, ya know?
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lapdogs
December 18, 2009 12:56 PM
Take Names of the War Loving Republicans that voted against our troops!
They always brag how they are the troop loving party. Hypocrites yet again!!
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Moloko+
December 18, 2009 1:15 PM in reply to lapdogs
I suggest you be more specific....they love the spoils of war. They don't give two shits about the warriors. The Republican party is a shill for war-profiteering billionaires and oil companies. They sell-out Americans for the profit in it. And they use psychological warfare and marketing to convince people that they have your best interest at heart.
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PatriotNW
December 18, 2009 12:59 PM
I know hypocrisy is a Republican strength... but wasn't this the same party that had a hyperdrive campaign to go "nuclear" and abolish the filibuster, just a few short years ago? Now the filibuster is just the soup-of-the-day for them.
Let's see if I can get into the mind of the Republicans (ouch):
Filibuster = Good, but only if they are the minority party
Health Care Reform Bad = Bad (kills grammy)
Social Security Privatization = Good (and doesn't kill grammy!)
Medicare = Good
Medicare Expansion = Bad (too much of a good thing, ya know)
Obama bowing to another country's leader = Bad
Bush kissing and holding hands with another country's leader = Good
Bush Sr. speaking to school kids = Patriotic
Obama speaking to school kids = Brainwashing socialism
I could go on, but my head is hurting from dumbing myself down
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Moloko+
December 18, 2009 1:30 PM in reply to PatriotNW
Health care reform is bad not because it kills grammy but because it a cash-cow. Politicians abide insurance company monopolies and monopoly profits and in return get cold hard cash to finance their campaigns.
Social security privatization is good because it means sending all that retirement money into the hands of speculators who use it to invest in foreign plants that then take jobs away from Americans. It's another cash-cow sell-out of the American people and it represents more cash in their pockets to finance their campaigns.
Medicare is tolerated because old people vote.
Medicare expansion is bad because it would demonstrate that not-for-profit healthcare works better at promoting health than for-profit healthcare. Look at where America ranks in medical outcomes.
Obama bowing to Japanese is a nothing compared to Bush kissing the Oil God he really worships - the leader of the country responsible for 9/11.
And speaking to school kids....is spreading socialism? This should have been laughed off the air waves but instead the MSM kissed Fox "News" ass and stood up for Rupert Murdoch....the quintessential insane billionaire.
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PatriotNW
December 18, 2009 1:56 PM in reply to Moloko+
I'm with you on a lot of those... but I was trying to look at it through the razor-thin focus, horse-blinder explanations that are given by the GOP.
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BeeClone
December 18, 2009 2:22 PM in reply to Moloko+
Ding! ding! ding! we have a winner. Spot on.
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Bruce Webb
December 20, 2009 12:24 PM in reply to PatriotNW
"but my head is hurting from dumbing myself down"
No problem mate the cure is right at hand. Take a 3/8" drill, attach a router bit, apply to forehead, zizzz!. Either it will kill you, or turn you into a happy Republican!
Who knew "One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest" would become a documentary about the modern Republican Party?
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nellieh
December 18, 2009 2:07 PM
Will some Democratic Senator please tell ant- veteran bills NcCain fillibustering a troop funding bill is a little more egrigious than Franken denying Lieberman an extra ninute to patronize, condescend, prosyletize and lie on the Senate floor?
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CityGuy
December 18, 2009 3:40 PM in reply to nellieh
Word!
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Elizabeth2
December 18, 2009 3:50 PM in reply to nellieh
Please!!! Is McCain on any of the Sunday shows this week? If he is, surely he will be asked why he wanted to filibuster that bill. Which means, of course, that he won't be giving any interviews in the next few days.
(For the record, I think Lieberman was speaking in *favor* of the bill when he was cut off by Franken.)
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BeeClone
December 18, 2009 5:44 PM in reply to Elizabeth2
Lieberman needs to STFU.
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Ironcomments
December 18, 2009 2:17 PM
Further proof, that the jingoistic, uber-patriotic rhetoric by the republicans is just that, empty rhetoric. The republicans/conservatives don't care about human lives, concerning military operations nor domestic welfare. How can anyone support a party whose ultimate goal is political gamesmanship to keep the status quo?
People who support this type of buffoonary need to really look at what they are contributing too. This is the type of things that makes government so inefficient, in particular the Senate. At least this debate on health care opens the eyes of the aveage lay person to realize how Senators have become the House of Lords and that this so-called aristocratic bunch believe they can play games while people are dying here and abroad. They have totally forgotten that they are supposed to be representatives of the people.
I suggest starting a movement for a total recall of the Senate. Both Republicans and Democrats.
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condew
December 18, 2009 3:48 PM
We really need to attach every piece of the Progressive agenda to military funding. Make the blue dogs and Republicans choose -- do they hate American citizens more than they love to make war?
There is no budgetary reason not to open Medicare to anybody who wants to pay their own way. The only reason to not open Medicare is that the insurance companies know they produce a less cost-effective product and don't want to compete.
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Dave5
December 18, 2009 3:52 PM
It's obvious the Sore Loser Party has used the free time available to them to labor long into the night in their massive underground bunkers to create the...SUPERDUMBASS!!
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ilovebacon
December 18, 2009 9:51 PM
GOP hates soldiers. HATES them!
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