The clowns are really in charge of the circus now.
Posted on 12/22/2009 4:09:15 PM PST by mdittmar
WASHINGTON — It may be the only bipartisan agreement that Congress reaches this year on overhauling health care.
Republicans, under pressure not to wreck Christmas for lawmakers and their staffs, agreed Tuesday that Senate passage of the Democrats' controversial bill seemed inevitable and scaled back procedural-delay mechanisms to allow a vote by the morning of Christmas Eve.
Had the full debate continued, the Senate would have voted at around 9 p.m. Thursday, too late for many lawmakers and their staff members to get home in time for the holiday. Instead, the vote is set for 8 a.m.
President Barack Obama had announced that he'd delay his own departure for his family vacation in Hawaii until the vote was over.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had said that he'd been willing to stay late into Christmas Eve because, "It's important that we take the time to analyze it in every way that we can before the final votes are taken in the Senate."
However, Democrats as well as Republicans expressed concern about missing Christmas — since many live in places where planes can't get them home in time — and others were concerned about an ice storm that's threatening the Midwest.
McConnell also said, "The final vote in the Senate is not the final vote. There are substantial differences between the House and Senate bills. This debate is not over."
If the Senate's version passes as expected, it will be considered by a House of Representatives-Senate conference, or negotiating, committee, which typically operates largely in secrecy.
"The American people are still going to have another month or so, I would guess, to weigh in and express their concerns about this package to each of their representatives," McConnell said.
(Excerpt) Read more at mcclatchydc.com ...
The clowns are really in charge of the circus now.
Another slap in the face of real, hardworking Americans who have worked holidays all their lives.
Another example of how it's all about them. But they'll hide behind the excuse that their staffers are the real reason they're doing it.
Thanks GOP pigs. I suppose their personal interests are more important than the peoples.
Not only do the Democrats need to be purged but all these spineless Republicans do as well.
Where are all the “men”?
Dirtbag commies don’t deserve a Merry Christmas. They hate Christianity anyway.
As much as I hate saying this, this is a sensible change and one that probably avoids the type of claim that the GOP is worse than Scrooge.
Go home right now. No need to be there.
The RINOs can’t help themselves. They’re all two-faced weasels and they know we know it. “Bi-partisan is just another word for coward”.
Wrecking Christmas for themselves, eh?
Washington had more fortitude than about 90 percent of the RINO Party, crossing the Delaware on Christmas Day, 1776 to attack the Hessian mercenaries at Trenton the next morning!
Well the constituents of these Republican and democrat elected can take a flying leap into hades while the Repulicans cave so their Christmas won’t be ruined by working on that day. We have a few million Americans out of work, who would have probably enjoyed working on Christmas. But the elected royals must not have THEIR Christmas ruined by fleshing out an unhealthy bill that 69% of Americans are against and do NOT want.
I’m fed up with all of these people.
Why didn’t they force the Senate to delay the vote until after Christmas? Everyone go home now, and we’ll take it up after the holiday ??????? GOP senators have no balls.
“McConnell also said, “The final vote in the Senate is not the final vote. There are substantial differences between the House and Senate bills. This debate is not over.”
No, but it is all over for YOU, you f’ing COWARD!!!!
I can see both points...it’s is inevitable, and it’s not all that fair to those Congressional staffers who don’t have a say. Personally, I think I would have sent my staff home, told my family we’re having a white Christmas in the nation’s capitol, and made myself comfortable in the Senate chamber with some egg nog.
These cretins won’t even empty their own trash.
God Help Us Jim because there is no one else to defend us...
You are correct. The republicans should just leave at noon tomorrow and tell Reid it is your tar baby, deal with it. There is nothing the republicans can do to stop this so let it be a truly one sided bill.
Can't believe the people that are saying the republicans are all rinos, cowards, etc...people they don't even have spit balls to throw.
Well shoot, most of their staff drive to work..so what’s the big deal of them having to work on Christmas. Nurses, Drs, maintenance workers, aircraft crews, military personnel work on Christmas, so what’s the big deal of our elected royals missing Christmas? They can celebrate it early or late like a lot of Americans do. Are the military in Afphaganistan not on duty Christmas day, the military in the Phillipines, Iraq and wherever they’re stationed? BUT the elected royals MUST have that day off. PHFFFT!
Pet poodles. Anyone harboring confidence that putting a dozen or so new Republicans in Congress is going to reverse the growth in government is delusional.
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