Comments on: Deep Thoughts With Kevin

By: J. Ewing

J. Ewing — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:59:18 +0000

Just to get it on the record, the Senate today defeated cloture by a vote of 48-36. They couldn’t even get a majority when they needed 60 votes! The good news is that Democrats are getting both smarter and dumber. Almost all of the 24 votes needed for cloture were withheld by Democrats, apparently aware of how far they had overstepped and how well the GOP was playing rope-a-dope. The 36 still on board with this nonsense are obviously too stupid to remember that, when the Kyoto treaty– essentially the same bill– came before the Senate, it was defeated 99-0.

By: J. Ewing

J. Ewing — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:02:55 +0000

Only game in town, though. If it helps, I just heard Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Rush today, saying essentially that– that they’re getting the Democrats on record in a drawn-out debate before they kill it. I hope they’re right. Bush has promised to veto, too.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:44:59 +0000

Yeah see, I’d really rather not play political games of “gotcha” with my future.

Some (most!) things are more important than politics….such as being able to afford a decent standard of living and/or having a job.

By: J. Ewing

J. Ewing — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:38:47 +0000

Yes, Republicans alone can stop cloture and stall out the bill, but it takes all Republicans AND a sensible Democrat or two to prevent passage. I didn’t say it was likely, with those odds, just possible.

And if the Republicans really are setting up a “gotcha,” then it is much better to have debate go forward and “kill” the bill for final passage than to filibuster it.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:36:58 +0000

Problem is the threshold for cloture is much higher than for actually passing the bill.

So if you know the bill is horseshit and you want to kill it, THAT is the time to do it.

Especially when no amendment short of “delete the entire thing” is going to make the bill even close to decent.

By: J. Ewing

J. Ewing — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:26:41 +0000

Hey, would you like the cockeyed optimist thought of the day?
McCain didn’t vote on cloture, probably won’t vote on the bill– too toxic. Coleman has a track record of voting for cloture, so horrible ideas can be debated and “made better” with amendments (like putting mascara on the pig, along with lipstick), but then voting against if he gets enough pressure. I suspect Republicans, if they’re smart (on which there is the occasional doubt), want to get as many Democrats as possible on record as favoring a massive new bureaucracy, killing thousands of jobs, crippling the US economy and raising energy prices, before killing this pig for the session. That’s all I really want, is to forestall government action until it becomes obvious that global warming is nothing but hot air.