Posted on 02/15/2011 4:06:52 AM PST by tobyhill
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and defenders of the health care reform law unearthed an unexpected and temporary ally Monday night: Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC).
Politics makes strange bedfellows. But few bunking arrangements are stranger than this.
To be clear, there aren't many in Congress who have more antipathy for the health care law than Foxx. In fact, at a meeting of the House Rules Committee Monday night, Foxx could barely hide her contempt for the health law.
"It is an abomination that this bill was passed," scoffed Foxx.
But for a few moments, Foxx, and all seven of her Republican colleagues on the Rules Committee formed a short-term vanguard to preserve the touchstone of the Democrats' legislative agenda last year.
Here's what's going on:
On Tuesday, the House plans to debate a bill to fund the government through September. Republicans aim to use the measure to pare at least $100 billion in spending out of this year's budget.
There is no provision more onerous to conservatives than the health law. So if the GOP is set to cut spending, why not shave the money set aside to implement the health law, too?
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) planned to do just that, which would in turn cripple all government operations devoted to executing the health law. In other words, if there's no money, the government can't carry out the policy.
And that's when King ran into a buzz saw run by Virginia Foxx and the rest of the Republicans on the House Rules Committee.
All of those Republicans want to upend the health care law just as much as King does. But not at the expense of corrupting House rules that govern how to handle the spending measure on the floor.
(Excerpt) Read more at politics.blogs.foxnews.com ...
Here’s an article about King’s amendment.
So... You are joining the dems ?
That’s a great argument. Simply say that since the Administration is ignoring the judge’s ruling and moving ahead with implementation, the House will not move ahead with funding until the Administration receives relief from the courts to move ahead with implementation. It draws attention to the illegality of what they are doing, and forces their hand in moving the case along the appeals process.
How far in advance to do the rules need to be changed before debate? Can they be changed a week, day, hours before?
That’s up to those who make the rules.
Good to know, thanks.
So the members of the House Rules Committee are clutching the power of their committee as if it’s the One Ring.
They “hate” the health care law, but they LOVE their power more.
Foxx is no rino.
She makes DeMint look like flaming liberals.
There is a sound reason for everything she does.
This is a procedural maneuver.
Primarily, I think they’re cowards who more than anything else fear that the media might call them ‘unfair.’ *shudder*
Our politics now is driven by media and money, instead of what is right, or what effect our actions might have on our posterity, or the requirements of the Constitution, or the will of We the People.
Imagine all the goobermint jobs that have been filled already in support of obamacare. Not that it matters to me but defunding the POS is going to be a real battlle and the rinos are going to be playing all kinds of games.
What’s unfathomable about this nonsense is what King is doing is not even a wrong. Defunding is an absolutely normal way of blocking the implementation of legislation. It’s done all the time. On immigration alone, it was done to prevent the border fence, to attack e-verify, to prevent English mandates for citizens. Casting it such terms as a rules violation is a dishonest ploy to avoid a battle that Foxx and friends are afraid they might lose, or, perhaps, because they don’t want their pork projects defunded.
And I’ll add this: Virginia Foxx is a RINO without peer. The most insidious RINOs are those from conservative districts where they gus themselves up with conservative votes when there’s no shortage, but fight tooth and nail with every dirty trick they can muster in committee. Elizabeth Dole was the all-time champ of the fake conservative, and I can only suppose that Foxx is her protege.
>> “It is an abomination that this bill was passed,” scoffed Foxx. <<
It’s an abomination which I firmly intend to do absolutely nothing about! — Scoffed Foxx watchers.
Congress is a battle between Main Street and Wall Street. And that “Main Street Alliance” represents Wall Street in its intent to rape and plunder Main Street for every last penny it can get.
Did you really, honestly, expect things to change???? They passed their repeal law, as promised, now it is time for business as usual.......democrats = bullet train to socialism....republicans = standard amtrak train to socialism....either way, the destination is the same, the only difference is the speed at which we arrive....
I think you’re mistaken. The bill that was eventually passed made it through the Senate with 60 votes.
call as many Republican reps as you can
tell them to go back to the Rules committee to properly take up
Steve King’s amendment
Why are they funding an unconstitutional law?
They want to stick by the committee rules for an unconstitutional law? That’s whack, dude.
The ObamaCare law will destroy the nation, but these pubbies refuse to break their own silly rules? That’s perverted.
Years ago, the Senate created a rule that allows them to take a House bill passed to the Senate, delete all the text of that bill and then add the text of the bill they want to pass. They use that rule to circumvent the Constitution and avoid having to actually originate a spending bill in the House.
That’s just one thing.
(Oh, you were just using sarcasm. Never mind.)
No I’m not for joining the rats but I’m for the gop to use the same rules or changing the rules as the rats did.
Eloquently stated.
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