Posted on 02/13/2014 3:25:11 PM PST by jazusamo
House Democrats said Thursday they’ll soon launch an official petition drive to try to force Republicans to vote on Democrats’ immigration bill — but said even before that, they’ll try to force a vote on a minimum wage increase.
Emerging from a day of meetings at their policy retreat in Maryland, Democratic leaders said the minimum wage will come first because it’s the most central to their efforts to try to paint Republicans into a corner on income inequality. But, under fire from immigrant-rights advocates, Democrats said immigration will come soon after that.
The petition drives, known as “discharge petitions,” are a long-standing way for the minority party in the House to force action on their priorities, even though they don’t control the chamber. If they can get signatures of a majority of the members of Congress, the House has to bring up the legislation.
The point is to force Republicans to have to take a stand on thorny issues — in this case, both immigration and the minimum wage.
“They’ll get a chance, and they’ll get a chance in the relatively near future,” said House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer, Maryland Democrat.
Democratic leaders are backing an immigration bill very similar to the version that passed the Senate last year, which would grant citizenship rights to most illegal immigrants while also rewriting the legal immigration system.
That bill has 192 Democratic sponsors, but just three Republican sponsors, making it questionable whether they will be able to reach the 218 needed to succeed in their petition drive.
Republicans dismissed the discharge effort, saying Democrats won’t be able to get enough support.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Immigration equality, to be followed by voting equality, and then income equality. /S
Governance by petition?
If that’s the way things were supposed to work, we would be building the death star today.
How about a petition to force the House to impeach along with a petition for the democrat party to FOAD in response to their proposed petition.
Walk around with a “you can roll me” sign around your neck and you’re going to get rolled a lot.
Yep, 0bammie and the Rats have that equality thing all figured out, but supposedly so did the USSR at one time.
Democrats have a goal and pursue it relentlessly.
The Republicans have no goals to pursue, only deals to be made with Democrats.
The goal of the head Republican, Boehner, is to make a deal setting up the next deal. He is led around by the nose facilitating one Democrat agenda item after another. Goalless and self serving, he is a loser. Republicans put him in charge and kept him in charge. Keeping him in charge makes them losers. Just look at the results.
I think this is a discharge petition.
Great, let’s start our own! We can compare sizes AHs!
For the first time in 20 Novembers
Welcome to Barry’s Fundamentally Transformed America and Sewerage Plant.
The Democrats see blood in the water after the debt limit fold.
drivel...... they are quivering in fear because they can’t have the press beat up on the Republcans again over a shutdown
It was a long shot and they lost
ahem (clears throat) In my best Andrew Breitbart voice....”SO?”
If Boehner folds they wont need the petition. They need all of the 29 House Republican traitors that have been outed on Frank Sharry. Poe and Labrador have already said no.
Democrats only have 188 votes for amnesty.
Barrow, Rahall and McIntyre are voting no . Katherine Clark from MA just cosponsored.
Lipinski and Matheson may vote no.
http://beta.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-bill/15/cosponsors
While Priebus is pandering to Hispanics, white Arizona Democrats who won narrow contests are cosponsoring and amnesty bill to flood the border. Barrow and Kirkpatrick should be attacked on their support of this bill.
H.R.15 - Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act
Sponsor: Rep. Garcia, Joe [D-FL-26] (Introduced 10/02/2013)
Cosponsors: 197
There are non voting cosponsors from PR and Guam so they don’t count for a discharge petition.
Thanks...Yes, my meaning was that if Boehner just ignored the issue of Repubs signing by not being adamant about not signing the petition.
No surprise the three traitors that openly support amnesty are from CA, I would hope there won’t be more traitors join them.
This minimum wage bill is a form of corporate welfare and big money, croney capitalism being played out in the name of defending the little man.
Wal-Mart and the like can easily move money around, apply price increases to items that won’t deter shoppers, and find out how to function with fewer employees. Small businesses? They don’t have as many options and are hence placed under far more pressure to fold by mega-corporations.
Meanwhile, these two-faced liberal trolls are out acting like they’re defending the little man. They’re not. But most are too dumb to figure out anything differently.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
