Tag: House of Representatives

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US House stenographer rushes mic during budget vote

While it wasn’t heard on the C-Span feed, during the vote counting in the House last night, a stenographer walked to the open mic and began ranting about God and deception.

From CNN:

“Do not be deceived. God shall not be mocked. A House divided cannot stand,” she said, according to a House GOP aide. After a few seconds, she was escorted out by the Sergeant-at-Arms, but an audio recording by Todd Zwillich of Public Radio International captured the rest of her rant.

“He will not be mocked, He will not be mocked, (don’t touch me) He will not be mocked. The greatest deception here, is that this is not one nation under God. It never was. Had it been… it would not have been… No. it would not have been… the Constitution would not have been written by Free Masons… and go against God. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot serve two masters. Praise be to God, Lord Jesus Christ.”

Officer Shennell S. Antrobus of Capitol Police told CNN that officers have interviewed the woman and that she was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Many officers knew her personally as well, a source said.

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Republicans probably don’t want you to know they changed this rule

Late in the evening on September 30, 2013, the House Rules Committee Republicans changed the Rules of the House so that the ONLY Member allowed to call up the Senate’s clean CR for a vote was Majority Leader Eric Cantor or his designee — all but guaranteeing the government would shut down a few hours later and would stay shut down.

Previously, any Member would have had the right to bring the CR up for a vote.

Democracy has been suspended in the House of Representatives.

Things that make you go “hmm…”

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Could the GOP lose the House in Fall 2014 elections?

Public Policy Polling compiled two dozen surveys from House districts with GOP incumbents from around the country, taken from Oct. 2 through Oct. 4. Sample sizes were between 600 and 700 voters in each district.

For Democrats to win a House majority, 17 seats would need to switch to their party’s favor.

Results show that would be within reach, as Republican incumbents are behind in 17 of the districts analyzed: CA-31, CO-06, FL-02, FL-10, FL-13, IA-03, IA-04, IL-13, KY-06, MI-01, MI-07, MI-11, NY-19, OH-14, PA-07, PA-08, WI-07.

In 4 additional districts, the incumbent Republican fell behind after respondents were told their representative supported the government shutdown: CA-10, NY-11, NY-23, VA-02.

That makes for 21 possible seats that could change to Democrat next fall.  Again – only need 17.

Three districts saw GOP incumbents maintain their hold over their Democratic challengers, even after hearing their elected officials’ views on the shutdown, including CA-21, NV-03 and OH-06.

(via HuffPost)

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House Republicans double down on their own constituents

As the federal government shutdown becomes imminent, it’s an ironic moment to pause and see that when looking at the states with the highest levels of federal employees about to be furloughed by the GOP House due to poor politics regarding the Affordable Care Act, four of the top five states are deeply red states.

Seven of the top ten states are red states.

Yes, they are hurting their own constituents.

So, as the Tea Party Repubs fight to shut the government down to “teach some lesson” or exact some kind of revenge on a President they so dearly hate, they might want to look at exactly WHO they are hurting. 

President Obama won’t ever run in another election.  He can handle his office with a clear conscience of not “owing” anybody. 

The House Republicans, on the other hand, are in another position.

The latest “offer” from the House GOP was to send a Continuing Resolution with the attached requirement of assigning a negotiating team to meet with the Senate counterparts to figure out a budget.

This past spring, the House and the Senate each passed their own budgets.  Normally, there would have been meetings to resolve those issues in a timely manner.  July 11th of this year marked the 16th time Senate Democrats asked to meet with House GOP counterparts to “mark up” the budget bill.   GOP members refused.  Sen. Marco Rubio blocked the unanimous consent request to negotiate.

Now, minutes from midnight, House GOP member are asking to do what Senate Dems requested months ago.

Why?  Because they hoped to “force” Democrats hand and somehow stop ObamaCare from taking effect.  As I write this, ObamaCare has TAKEN effect.  Too late.

In fact, the legislation became law exactly as the founders intended: both houses of the legislative branch debated and passed the bill; the President signed it into law.  Not only that, but it was brought to the Supreme Court and was found to constitutional.  Done.  It’s law. 

Done.

Because their gamble has failed, now the House GOP sits with egg on their face, trying to find a way to exit with some kind of grace.

 The kind of grace only found in a Three Stooges routine.  Only this time, there are a whole lot more stooges.

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President Obama to House GOP – Government shutdown will hurt real people right away

President Obama placed the blame squarely on the decisions and actions of the House Republicans for what looks to be an imminent federal government shutdown.

From USA Today:

President Obama blamed an imminent government shutdown on House Republicans Monday, and said his health care plan is “moving forward” despite GOP efforts to de-fund it.

“You can’t shut it down,” Obama said of the law at the White House. Obama also said a partial government shutdown — which would start at midnight unless there is an 11th hour deal — will damage economic recovery and hurt “real people right away.”

Obama said the shutdown will close federal offices, delay checks, close parks, and damage loan programs.

Meanwhile, Social Security, Medicare, mail, and public safety functions will continue despite the shutdown, Obama said. “The federal government is America’s largest employer,” Obama said. “These Americans are our neighbors.”

Accusing the Republicans of trying to re-fight last year’s election and the health care battles of 2009-10, Obama called delay and de-funding efforts “the height of irresponsibility.”

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House Republicans vote to defund Obamacare with threat to shut down the government

House Republicans passed legislation today to defund Obamacare while keeping the federal government open until December 15, sending the fight to the Senate.

The vote was 230-189. Two Democrats and one Republican broke party lines.

“Let’s defund this law now and protect the American people from the economic calamity that we know Obamacare will create,” House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said in a speech before the vote on the House floor. “We should pass this continuing resolution so the Senate can finally begin to do the same.”

There is virtually no chance Obamacare will be defunded. Senate Democrats have ruled it out, and the White House has threatened to veto legislation that does so.

And so continues the House Republicans’ constant waste of taxpayers time when our lawmakers should be working to improve the economy, not attack ObamaCare as a way to a try and “bring down” a President who has been elected and reelected. It happened, folks. It happened. You’ll never change that history. Get to the work of the people.

Best line from the debate – “I invite my colleagues wake up from this radical, ideological wet dream,” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) said before the vote.

(from Talking Points Memo)

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House votes 217-210 to cut $39 billion from food stamps

House majority leader Eric Cantor

The House narrowly approved a measure Thursday evening that would cut about $39 billion in funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — better known as food stamps — over the next decade.

The vote – 217 to 210 – saw 15 Republicans vote against the measure. No Democrats voted for it.

Ironically, the overwhelming majority of Food Stamp recipients are in conservative/red states. I’ll be interested to see if the vote plays any factor in the 2014 elections.

(source)

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House Republicans cave in on defending same-sex marriage discrimination

 

Speaker John Boehner and the House Republican leadership have announced they will no longer defend anti-marriage statutes in court.

“[T]he House has determined, in light of the Supreme Court’s opinion in Windsor, that it no longer will defend that statute,” lawyers for the House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG), controlled by House Republicans, wrote about veterans’ benefits statutes that similarly ban recognition of same-sex couples’ marriages.

“The document from the legal team speaks for itself,” House Speaker John Boehner’s spokesman, Michael Steel, told BuzzFeed, when asked for comment on the move.

The plaintiffs in the case, filed in Massachusetts by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network and Chadbourne and Park, — led by Maj. Shannon McLaughlin, a judge advocate general in Massachusetts Army National Guard, and her wife, Casey — challenge two statutes in Title 38 of the U.S. Code regarding veterans’ benefits that define “spouse” as “a person of the opposite sex.”

The Human Rights Campaign has issued this statement: “After millions of taxpayer dollars wasted defending discrimination, it’s a historic sign of the times that the House leadership is dropping its pointless quest to maintain second-class status for lesbian and gay couples,” HRC president Chad Griffin said.

(via Buzzfeed)