Posted on 01/05/2019 4:31:17 AM PST by Libloather
House Democrats on Friday introduced a sweeping government reform package designed to weed Washington of corruption and bolster voting rights across the country — two of the party’s principal campaign promises — as its top legislative priority.
Central to the package is a provision requiring the president and vice president to disclose their finances and tax forms going back 10 years— a direct shot at President Trump, who has defied historic precedent by refusing to release his tax returns.
“Over the last two years, President Trump set the tone from the top in his administration that behaving ethically and complying with the law is optional,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), chairman of the Oversight and Reform Committee.
“This is our watch, and the American people are looking for us to take action.”
The reforms have little chance of moving through the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) stands in staunch opposition to the proposals.
But the legislation — and the Democrats’ decision to launch it as their first act of business — signals that Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) intends to use her gavel to move quickly on the campaign vows that won Democrats the House majority, while putting Senate GOP leaders in the tough spot of explaining their inaction on “drain-the-swamp” reforms that enjoy overwhelming public support.
“We are introducing … legislation to clean up corruption and restore integrity to government,” Pelosi, flanked by dozens of Democratic lawmakers, said during a packed press briefing in the Capitol.
“The American people will know that this is an option that the House has given the Senate of the United States and the president of the United States to take action in support of the American people.”
The package features dozens of proposals, grouped broadly into three categories: limiting the influence of money in politics, making it easier to vote, and adopting tougher ethics rules for Washington policymakers.
Democratic leaders are moving the package quickly under the premise that reforming how the government operates will boost the public’s trust in Congress, thereby greasing the skids for the issue-based reforms Democrats are promising later in the year, including big-ticket items addressing infrastructure, immigration and health care concerns.
“We heard loud and clear from the American people that they feel left out and locked out too often from their own democracy,” said Rep. John Sarbanes (Md.), who led the Democrats in cobbling together the reform package.
“In return for giving us the gavel, we’re going to do everything we can, every single day, to give you your democracy back.”
On the campaign finance side, the legislation would not cap political spending, but would require political organizations to reveal their large donors. The provision is a response to a 2010 Supreme Court decision allowing unrestricted and anonymous campaign spending by corporations and unions.
I ain't stutterin;, brother ...
I'm HAMMERIN'
Hammerin ... 5 times?
Almost all of us young bucks came close (within about an 1/8 of an inch).
Later in life I learned accuracy and the delicacy of the final strokeS eliminated the "holidays" and allowed a carpretender to act like a carpenter.
There is no shame in taking your time in setting a nail, especially in finish work.
Give it up, Tex, y'ain't gonn'a win this one.
Happy New Year ............ and hammerin'
What we need to start harping on, over and over, is that the Democrats engage in character assassination because they have no constructive ideas.
They tried to derail the election of President Trump by bringing up a recorded locker room conversation. Seriously? If engaging in locker room conversation is a disqualifier for public office, then how many Democrats can be disqualified on that basis?
And look at the Democrats now. They ran, not on any ideas, but on character assassination. They try to portray themselves as so pure, but they only get away with that because the MSM refuses to cover their corruption.
We need to be getting out there, trying to get immature liberals to think. Challenge them—ask them to explain why the Democrat/socialists rely on unfounded allegations of boorish behavior (not even illegal behavior) against Republicans to win elections, but rarely run on any policy issues? Get them to explain the difference between actual policy positions and pie-in-the-sky promises of utopia (because many of them would say that invoking the vague belief that we can achieve utopia if the most radical leftists get into office *is* a policy position). Point out the instances where the Democrats used baseless allegations and character assassination to win an election, then laughed about pulling the wool over our eyes after the fact (most recently in the case of the Roy Moore election). The key is to invoke critical thought. Do not insult them, but stick to challenging their belief system.
Furthermore, it is not just young mindless liberals who need to be challenged. Conservatives who fall for the character assassinations and withhold votes need to be educated, as well.
'cept, we're not a democracy!
I think they concluded "All we have to do is plant a seed and it'll grow wild because the "plant" is a wild flower".
That's what happened with the locker room conversation .... they used the sycophant lamestream to hammer the public with that "It's what he says/feels/thinks about women ...
THAT was what they wanted, not the phrase used in the locker room but the by product:
It's the way he thinks/talks/feels/says (etc.) about women.
Yours is the first intelligent attempt at what FreeRepublic USED TO BE back in the day ..... a place to discuss and share ideas about what to do about the Clinton politics and et cetera's
And I thank you for it.
All they really have is an ineffective, benign cheerleading section for their political base.
They think they have power but one-half of the third branch of government does not have oversight over the another third branch, the Executive.
They can huff and puff all they want but they will blow nothing down.
With McConnell and Trump in the way, nothing of substance will make it out of the House into the Senate for a vote or on the president's desk to sign.
Pelosi and her herd of donkeys have an inflated view of their own self-importance.
Precisely
One more thing.......
They are assured deluge coverage by the MSM of Pelosi and What ever her name is pretending to be relevant. It is fake news but it fills up the needed minutes of coverage.
We need federal legislation outlining a US wide system that applies to all states to use for federal elections. Specifying who can vote.Requiring citizenship and residency verification registration performed by bi-partisan canvassed confirmation. And No provisional, mail in, or same-day ballot issuance permitted. .
Share this with your friends who are offended:
Proverbs 30:12 There are those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not washed from their filthiness.
Everyone of us in some way sins every day. They lack humility and do not extend the same grace given to them.
Bolster voting rights across the country.
Illegals
dogs
cars
phone books
houses
They are doing what the gop did when they knew things wouldn’t become law. Like voting many times in Obama care repeal. But when they have all the power to actually repeal it... They don’t.
I did notice that an MSM media propagandist referring to the government shutdown as a partial shutdown. Before the shutdown, the MSM wanted the public to be frightened and did not qualify the word shutdown. Now with the good economic news regarding employment, the public can see that the govenment has little benefit in their lives.
Now that Trump has stated that the shutdown could last for years, and he does have the right to invoke emergency powers to build the wall, the media is caught in a dilemma. If they hype the negative effects of the shutdown, Trump will have a better case to invoke emergency powers.
Democrats will do mass suicide?
Okay, Lets make a deal. Maybe trump will release his tax returns when every member of Congress and their staff release theirs and also release the names of the members and their staff who had to use the secret slush fund to pay off their ethics problems.
Article I, Section 9, (3) “No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.”
Going back 10 years is unconstitutional. If allowed to stand, what’s to keep from getting tax returns from father? Sealed court records? A giant can of worms!
The RATS, masquerading, as the good guys, are gonna clean up the Swamp? Yeah, right.
Trump’s earlier behavior with respect to women, has NO BEARING on his ability to lead this country. He’s not a Harvey Weinstein when it comes to women. I understand that women are offended, but do they really think that simply because Hillary’s a “woman†(and personally I find that a debatable point), she would have done ANYTHING for them? I mean she abetted her husband’s anti-women behavior. And while were on the subject, if women are so much better a gender than men, why do they keep having unprotected sex with us, then kill the oftentimes result of that contact? To the extent that they do that, they are hypocrites, murderous hypocrites.
Democrats launch ‘drain-the-swamp’ agenda - Part DeuX
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Laughable at best. Ironic at worst.
You had a chance in 1998, Nanny, but instead you and all the House Dems stood behind Bubba.. and life has been hell for the rest of the world since.
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