Posted on 03/28/2020 6:06:50 AM PDT by Kaslin
During the debate on the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill, one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in contemporary history, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) did something appalling.
With the agreement of both Republicans and Democrats in House leadership, the Speaker blocked a recorded vote on the bill. It is an old leadership trick to protect members from controversial votes by not forcing them to take a position.
In retrospect, this is going to be one of the most important votes the sitting members of Congress will ever take, yet they came up with excuses not to have to cast a recorded vote. History seems to be repeating itself. When the House was forced back in 2008 to vote on the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP), that vote inspired a rebellion and the creation of Tea Party.
Although the coronavirus economic disruption was caused by government, not bad private-sector mortgage loans, Congress took great liberties to load up this bill with pet projects and inflated appropriations. While every cultural center in America has suffered from the coronavirus economic mess, the Washington, D.C. based Kennedy Center was given a special $25 million bailout, as were the National Endowment for the Arts and other projects that have strong support of congressional insiders.
This is not how Congress is supposed to work. Representatives are actually paid to draft up and vote on legislation without self-dealing. For all the faults of the Senate, they took a recorded vote on the legislation and did their job.
The cancel culture of our day has extended to politics and now targets Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) for political cancellation. Politico reports, “Thomas Massie might be the least popular man in Washington. The Kentucky congressman attempted unsuccessfully on Friday to require House members to take a recorded vote in order to pass a $2 trillion coronavirus relief package.” One of the stated objections to a recorded vote is “his efforts nonetheless forced scores of lawmakers to travel to Washington amid a pandemic to stop him.” Notwithstanding the fact that they have to travel to Washington every week when they are in session, for some reason this forced travel was the primary reason used to push back on Massie.
Rep. Massie drew the ire of some on the MAGA right like President Donald J. Trump to liberals like former Democratic candidate for President John Kerry. In the end, the leadership of both the Republican and Democratic parties in the House held hands and denied Massie the right to ask Congress to record the vote. They even prevented him from giving a speech opposing the bill as punishment for daring to request the roll call vote. The Speaker opted for a “voice vote.” The voice vote protects double-speaking politicians so they can later roll out their list of complaints about this legislation and claim they held deep reservations when the vote was quickly held.
Former failed Democratic candidate for president, John Kerry, Tweeted that Massie “tested positive for being an ***hole” and he’s given new meaning to the term #Masshole.” I grew up in Massachusetts and think that that term better describes the sanctimonious Kerry than Massie. It should raise alarms in the liberty movement when the Kerry-Clinton wing of the party openly supports this piece of legislation.
The size and scope of this relief bill is unprecedented. The bill is being marketed as a $2 trillion relief package, yet, if you add in the new authority for the Federal Reserve to backstop loans, the bill clocks much higher. The $750 billion TARP program caused a rebellion on the right and left creating the Occupy Wall Street and Tea Party movements respectively. This bill may cause an even bigger rebellion if this appropriation leads to a long-term government intervention in the private sector.
Rep. Thomas Massie was a profile in courage for standing up and demanding a roll call vote. Congress could use more members like him who show courage and are willing to stand up for the Constitution – even in the face of opposition coming from prominent members of his own party. Congress should be able to handle dissent and the possibility of a member not voting for a bill, instead of fake outrage and bullying dissenting members into supporting a bill that everybody agrees is loaded with nonsense.
Very dismayed at The Presidents comments to Rep Massie. The Rep from Kentucky is a true patriot. This sham bill that passed is going to paid for by our great grandchildren ( that is if our nation survives that long) This Wuhan Virus is a a sham. in 3 weeks the drive by media will get bored and will want to move onto another fabricated scandal. It’s like watching a bad movie.
Although the coronavirus economic disruption was caused by government, not bad private-sector mortgage loans,
Ok, lets correct this right now. Freddy and Fanny went bankrupt first in 2008. They backed loans that were no good even as the crises was known to all. They were much larger than any bank. And they both had to go into receivership and receive bailouts larger than any private sector company. If it were not for Freddy and Fanny there would be no 2008 financial crises. They guaranteed loans that were bad. And they forced banks to make the loans. Barnie Frank and Maxine Waters stopped repeated attempts by the treasury department to rein in the two GSEs. And they forced them to increase their minority loans even while the housing bubble became obvious. The banks merely bought the loans packaged them and sold them to government pension plans that bought them as fast as they could because of the high interest payouts. Government guaranteed loans were sold to government pension plans all over the world. The private sector did not cause 2008. The finance committees in congress did.
He did the right thing. I usually support Trump but for him to make Massie a target of his contempt was wrong. The bill though well intended will be proven to be a major mistake because of how many pigs got to ride on its back.
Its amazing to watch the news networks slam Massie in the top news story. Then in the very next news story they slam the relief bill that Massie was trying to stop. They do it without so much as a commercial break in between. Don’t people notice the hypocrisy of it all.
Who are/is are FF
Massie literally should have contacted PDJT first and described his concerns and asked his advice...much younger to much older and teamwork could have ensued...now Pubbies look weak and divided...of course, small chance it was an act?
Trump knew what Massie was up to and refereed to him in his daily briefing the night before. So, Trump’s people were no doubt in contact with Massie.
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I did not know that...so I wonder who was working with Massie to make such a dumb decision? I don’t know what they said to each other that night.
Problem is misidentified. Fault lies with Pelosi adjourning the .house and sending reps home with work undone at the same time she was delaying the bill past her adjournment time.
Trump needs to win re-election AND workable majorities in both houses this fall. Then undoing as much of the cr*p in this bill and other Pelosi hostage ploys from the first term as possible needs to be done ASAP. He should have someone compile a list leading to a monster undo bill, compiled and shoved thru as fast as Pelosi did. Trump never got his first 100 days. If he’s well organized he could have it thru the new congress in time to sign at his next Inaugural speech
Founding Fathers
I’m glad Massie tried to get these Congress gangsters to go on the record with their vote. Those who didn’t want the people to know the publicly recorded vote are the same ones who don’t have a problem with dropping a 2,000 page bill and giving the members a few hours to read through it. This is the kind of monkey business that has gotten us into the sorry state we are in.
AH!
Ok then.
Then we shouldn't elect any more of them!
Then we shouldn't elect any more of them.
Then we shouldn't re-elect any more of them.
Why does it seem that them OTHER 49 states are at fault for electing all them bozos?
Then switch or ELIMINATE them!
That MANY??
I guess we'll need to pass it to see what's in it!
Oh?
I've always heard it was...
There is a time and a place for spontaneity..
I thought there were only 114?
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