Posted on 10/03/2013 6:40:00 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
On Monday, Congress unanimously agreed to pass a standalone measure to pay the troops during the partial government shutdown, and President Obama signed the bill into law. But on Thursday morning, Senate majority leader Harry Reid blocked votes on House-passed bills to fund veterans, the military reserves and National Guard, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and national memorials.
As Politico reported Thursday, during the 1995 government shutdown congressional Republicans and President Bill Clinton were able to agree to a "stopgap bill to assure funding for veterans, welfare recipients and the District of Columbia."
Why won't Senate Democrats and President Obama agree now to any more stopgap funding bills?
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York told THE WEEKLY STANDARD following a noon press conference Thursday that in 1995 "it was a different world." Why is that? "Because we have a Tea Party," Schumer said without elaborating as he walked away.
On Wednesday, Senate majority leader Harry Reid said Congress "can't pick and choose" between funding the NIH, which includes programs treating children with cancer, and other government functions, like an Air Force base in his home state of Nevada.
At a Thursday press conference, Reid dodged a question when asked why he was willing to pass the standalone troop-funding bill on Monday but not the other measures. "Because by that time we hadn't had all this silliness back and forth with the House. We thought that would end it. It didn't," Reid said.
So far, the Senate's Democratic caucus has remained united. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana is facing reelection in 2014, but she isn't breaking from her party on the stopgap funding bills. Asked Thursday morning at a press conference if she would vote for the NIH or veterans affairs bills, Landrieu told THE WEEKLY STANDARD, "I would not."
"This cannot be done by piecemeal and should not be done by piecemeal. What part is more important than the next?" Landrieu said.
"Many of us could argue while those might be important issues, and they are, what's more important than millions of small businesses who undergird the entire economy of the United States?" Landrieu asked, flanked by a group of small business owners.
Landrieu said that "the Tea Party has to understand that they cannot hold government and our private partners--which are many from big companies like Boeing and Lockheed to small companies that are represented here--hostage over their inability to get a law that they don't like amended."
"It is my hope--my hope--that many brave men and women in the Republican party will stand up and close this Tea Party down," Landrieu said.
It doesn't matter that we haven't. What matters is the perception that we did. Power is illusion, and the Dems have just granted it to an opposition they clearly fear. Too late to marginalize now, too late to ridicule, to dismiss. Thanks for the boost, Chuckie.
Landrieu’s political career in Louisiana is TOAST. She just buddyfucked her constitutents bigtime and they will never forgive her, and Jindal won’t let them forget.
Schumer - One of the most disgusting men ever in American politics. He makes Huey Long seem like a saint, and Anthony Weiner (the junior Schumer), seem almost human.
Once in the Guatemalan jungles in the Peten, we found some large seed pods about the size of a softball. They were rotting and when we opened them up to get a good look, they smelled like the Devil’s asshole. They remind me of Schumer.
The Tea party led to the creation of this country. Not surprised marxists hate it’s name.
Yes, we are . .
Nope its more like this. “ The jews are the reason we lost the war, they sold out the German people and they are parasites to the country”. Adolf Hitler. HMM Kinda sounds like how the Democrats are talking about the Tea Party and us conservatives. We are the modern Jews and the Dems would not care one bit if we were all dead. They would celebrate.
No schmucky... you kapo bastard... it is because you satanic dims are just plain old communist sumbiches.
Not only does his elevator go all the way to the top, it's stuck between floors.
Look up Congressman Steve Daines. He writes that VA disability payments are not affected by this shutdown. Now, new claims might be a different matter. The right thing for the Obama administration to do would be to approve all new claims and all appeals. They did it for those make-believe pig farmers. They should do it for real Veterans.
Not only does his elevator NOT go all the way to the top, it’s stuck between floors.
“So far, the Senate’s Democratic caucus has remained united. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana is facing reelection in 2014, but she isn’t breaking from her party on the stopgap funding bills. Asked Thursday morning at a press conference if she would vote for the NIH or veterans affairs bills, Landrieu told THE WEEKLY STANDARD, “I would not.”
“This cannot be done by piecemeal and should not be done by piecemeal. What part is more important than the next?” Landrieu said.
“Many of us could argue while those might be important issues, and they are, what’s more important than millions of small businesses who undergird the entire economy of the United States?” Landrieu asked, flanked by a group of small business owners.
Landrieu said that “the Tea Party has to understand that they cannot hold government and our private partners—which are many from big companies like Boeing and Lockheed to small companies that are represented here—hostage over their inability to get a law that they don’t like amended.”
“It is my hope—my hope—that many brave men and women in the Republican”
Petty. She, Harry Reid and the rest of the Democratic Caucus now OWN this shutdown.
And the fact that she wants to pick on tea party Americans only make her look petty.
The Republicans just have to stay strong and NOW blame Democrats, and they’ve painted them into a corner (which they were busy doing anyway with the Obama Administration closing parks, military sporting contests, and on and on)..
The man is a loser!
It sucks to be Chuck.
And on’t forget the sweetheart deal she got from Obozo for her yes vote on Obozocare.
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