Posted on 01/12/2007 7:04:07 AM PST by presidio9
The clock is ticking for House Democrats, but it's hard to tell what time it is.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., was touting a plan to push six bills through a Democratic House in 100 hours or less as early as June of last year. She's reached the halfway point — in fewer than 20 hours, according to her count.
But just as the official clock for a basketball or football game stops for time-outs and commercial breaks, Democrats aren't counting the minutes spent on business unrelated to those six designated bills.
So while the House has been in session for almost 48 hours since the 110th Congress was sworn in Jan. 4, the clock on Pelosi's Web site says only 17 hours 48 minutes have elapsed.
"We're just counting the legislative hours," Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill explained.
Finished are new rules on ethics, lobbying and budgeting — part of the Democrats' 100-hour promise in November but not included on Pelosi's clock. Also completed are the passage of three bills: antiterrorism measures, a minimum-wage increase and expanding federally funded stem cell research.
With just three bills to go, and one of those scheduled for passage Friday, Democrats appear on their way to accomplishing their promise, regardless of which clock is used.
After acting on a measure to make the government negotiate directly with drug companies for lower Medicare prescription drug prices, the House turns next week to the final two bills on their 100-hour to-do list: cutting interest rates on some student loans and getting more money for the government from oil companies.
Brian Kennedy, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio, said the clock — no matter how time is kept — is irrelevant.
"The clock is just a distraction to the hypocrisy they've exhibited and continued to exhibit in the first 100 hours," Kennedy said, referring to House Democrats' refusal to allow the GOP minority a chance to offer amendments or have any role in writing the bills. Democrats had leveled the same criticism that Republicans, then in the majority, denied them those opportunities.
No time was run off on either clock Monday, when many lawmakers attended the BCS championship football game in Arizona between Ohio State and Florida.
Let's not forget voting to implement 911 commission recommendations without voting to fund them. (show vote)
"Also completed are the passage of three bills: antiterrorism measures, a minimum-wage increase and expanding federally funded stem cell research."
Anti-terrorism measures? Any terrorist under 7' tall can go free. It's only fair!
No time was run off on either clock Monday, when many lawmakers attended the BCS championship football game in Arizona between Ohio State and Florida.
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I guess they all wanted one last free trip before the lobbyist bill gets voted on.
and nancy says the best tasting tuna is starkist
" No time was run off on either clock Monday, when many lawmakers attended the BCS championship football game in Arizona between Ohio State and Florida. "
Passing the ball...and the buck...
The failure to get their 100 hour agenda passed will all be blamed on the Republicans and George Bush with the MSM talking heads wagging their fingers in support.
On the surface, I kind of like that one. That's aside from the issue of whether Medicare prescription should exist at all. But since it does exist, the government's paying, so why shouldn't it use its buying muscle to get a better deal? It's capitalism.
It is their fault. Why can't they be more "bipartisan" about the liberal agenda.
People, this is irrelevant. You knew this was going to happen before it did.
Focus. They took the majority by running pretend conservatives in red districts and it is THOSE who must be targeted. We should be in campaign mode right now. Not next year. Now. Those people like Heath Shuler should have their districts flooded with stories of his support for the House leadership that is taking these liberal positions --REGARDLESS OF HOW HE VOTES. His most important vote is for Speaker and he voted for her.
He is not the only one. We must compile a list and start the attack right now.
Roger that. And the Minimum Wage at that.
Doesn't the minimum wage increase bill also have to go before the Senate?
On the surface, I kind of like that one. That's aside from the issue of whether Medicare prescription should exist at all. But since it does exist, the government's paying, so why shouldn't it use its buying muscle to get a better deal? It's capitalism.
Actually, that's just a euphemism for price controls. Any respectable economist will tell you that price controls always cause shortages. So, in effect, this is just another example of how liberals always hurt the people they're claiming to help.
The good news for people that voted Democrat is that now prescription drugs will be cheaper. The bad news is that there won't be any on the shelves for them to buy.
But then, the Democratic party has always relied upon people's ignorance of the laws of supply and demand in order to get elected.
Yes, but don't count on Senate Republicans to show any spine on this one.
Price controls overall are bad. But this is one purchaser, same as a very large insurance company negotiating better prices for its customers.
However, I can see this as a slippery slope measure. If the Dims do manage to enact socialized medicine, the infrastructure for price controls will already be there.
I'm with you!
But, but, didn't they promise to keep congress in session for 40 hours a week?
Actually, Shuler and the other so-called conservatives who won in strongly red districts took strongly liberal/populist positions on economic issues, including the minimum wage. They took the conservative position only on social issues such as abortion. True to their campaign promise, Shuler, Ellsworth, and Donnelly voted against funding for embryonic stem cell research, but for the minimum wage increase and for prescription drug price negotiation.
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