Beware the lame duck appropriators (Cap & Trade, Card Check, Amnesty & other statist policies)

Daily Caller ^ | 8/12/10 | Alex Cortes

[Libloather]

Beware the lame duck appropriators
By Alex Cortes - The Daily Caller
Updated: 8:49 AM 08/12/2010

Republicans have been raising the concern of a lame-duck session of Congress where the Democrats will attempt to shove Cap and Trade, Card Check, and other tired, statist policies down the American people’s throats. Although such new authorizations would be a slap in the face to a public that just issued a new governing mandate, this concern is misdirected and minuscule compared to an even greater lame duck challenge.

The radical policies the Lame Duck Democrats may attempt to authorize honestly have little to no chance of garnering 60 votes in the Senate, even in a lame duck session. I simply don’t foresee the more principled, moderate Democratic Senators like Evan Bayh caving in on Card Check or Cap and Trade; while others like Senator Ben Nelson will be too worried about their 2012 re-election bids.

Thus while the Lame Duck Authorizers aren’t too scary, make sure to beware the Lame Duck Appropriators.

Considering the “power of the purse” would be one of the only realistic policy avenues available to a Republican Congress with a defiant president of the opposite party, Lame Duck Democrats will understandably be fearful that a Speaker Boehner would lead the fight to de-fund their “crowning achievements” like ObamaCare, TARP, and the “stimulus”.

Of greatest concern here for both parties is the funding for ObamaCare, with the perceived success of the program hinging on a seamless launch in 2014, making next year’s implementation funding for the law a critical target for both its supporters and opponents.

Therefore be prepared that the same Democratic majority that has all year long abdicated their duty to pass a budget will use the lame duck session to appropriate as much funding as possible before they’re kicked out the door.

The problem for Republicans in fighting this funding is that citizens naturally aren’t as concerned about appropriating money for existing law, no matter how unpopular it may be. Although a clear majority of the public wants ObamaCare, the stimulus, and TARP winded down, the average person doesn’t realize existing laws can be de-funded and rather have the expectation that laws on the books will be carried out and funded.

Thus, motivating the public to stop appropriations is a far more challenging pursuit than for authorizations, making the current lame duck session more trying than currently being discussed.

Without a change in the public’s expectations on appropriations, Lame Duck Democrats will be allowed to skate on by as Lame Duck Appropriators. Therefore, it is incumbent on us to educate the public that de-funding is a form of repeal and that when Congress appropriates money for a policy that you reject, it is just as bad as them authorizing a policy that you reject.

The American people are on our side here, we just need to bring them to the table.

[Libloather]

From the Maha -

Beware the Lame Duck Congress
August 13, 2010

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Bill in Phoenix, Open Line Friday, you're next. Great to have you on the program, sir.

CALLER: Hi, Rush. I wanted to talk about the upcoming lame duck session of Congress and the very real threat that the Democrats will pass an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants.

RUSH: Right.

CALLER: As you know, Rush, the Democrats have 59 votes in the Senate and they need only one Republican senator to pass an amnesty bill, and we know that there are a number of Republicans like John McCain and Lindsey Graham who will support amnesty, and they're likely gonna vote for amnesty during this lame duck session in November or December.

RUSH: Well, yeah, I know the thinking that McCain might, but McCain's running against all this now to get reelected. If McCain does a 180 on this and votes for amnesty in a lame duck, he better never go back to Arizona.

CALLER: Well, he's 74 right now, Rush. If he gets reelected, he'll be in for six years, he'll be 80, it will be like having Arlen Specter in there, he's got nothing to lose, and after he gets past this Republican primary that he's in right now, what leverage does anyone have? I mean he tried two times in the past, we know that, he wants to put -- I don't know who he's a going to cosponsor this amnesty bill with, be it McCain, Harry Reid or McCain whatever, but they're going to get this thing done.

RUSH: Harry Reid is -- well, it will be his swan's song if he does this. The thing about this, though, Bill, when you're talking amnesty, it's not so much what Congress does. Obama's already looking at it by executive fiat. We had the story a couple weeks ago. There's a memo circulating at the highest levels of government about how they can create the equivalent to amnesty with simply a bunch of executive orders or other federal decrees, presidential decrees. They're looking into it. They were caught. Who was it? It was what's-his-face from Iowa, Chuck Grassley heard about it and sent 'em a letter, said, "What the hell are you doing?" "Oh, we're just thinking here. You know, we're just sitting around theorizing, we're not really going to do this, we're just theorizing, not really going to do it." They're planning it. I wouldn't wait for a lame duck session for this to happen. Obama's gonna need those people, he's gonna need these illegal alien votes come 2012. He's not going to wait for Congress to make that happen. He doesn't care. Mark my words.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_081310/content/01125114.guest.html

[gonzo]

"...He's not going to wait for Congress to make that happen. He doesn't care..."

Sad but true ................. FRegards

[True_Kon]

Cap N Trade = Taxes for NWO. Hope we can avoid it. But Bankers are determined, and I am not sure when was the last time they didn’t get what they wanted. Still, it would be better to keep delaying and who knows....

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

The RATS will punish the little people for voting them out in November.

Bet you a case of whatever you are drinking.

[Buckeye McFrog]

If they are going to give up control of Congress, the Dems are going to have to take care of their key constituency groups (environmentalists, minorities, unions) on their way out the door if they are going to have any hope of mounting a comeback in ‘12. The unions in particular are seething at Barry’s failure to deliver card check.

I suspect that the Dems will change the Senate rules to end the filibuster and then shove all this crap thru on a high-speed rail. Then Obama can spend the next two years playing defense with his veto pen, and by ‘12 we will be too far down the road to Socialism to turn back.

[Libloather]