Posted on 03/30/2020 6:55:32 AM PDT by Kaslin
For a while last week, Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) was the most hated man on Capitol Hill. His sin? He tried to prevent a “voice vote” whereby none of his colleagues would have gone on the record. He wanted his fellow members of Congress to have to formally cast their votes for or against the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus stimulus bill, which is the largest spending bill in history.
Politicians complained that his “stunt” would delay the bill and put the health of members of Congress in danger.
The bill wasn’t delayed by holding the vote. Massie had warned his colleagues a day before the vote so that enough congressmen had time to get back for the vote. There were enough members present for a quorum and a recorded vote. Votes typically take an entire 15 minutes.
By demanding a quorum, Massie forced more than half of the House of Representatives to be present for the vote. If members were really so concerned for their health, they could have practiced social distancing. It may have taken fifteen minutes longer, but votes could easily have been staggered. The Congressmen could also have worn gloves and facemasks and avoided touching their faces.
“These people need to do their jobs,” Massie told reporters after the bill passed by voice vote on Friday. “If they are telling people to drive a truck, if they are telling people to bag groceries, and grow their food, then by golly they can be there, and they can vote. . . . The truth, if you are willing to report it, is that they didn’t want a recorded vote.”
For four hours, hundreds of members of Congress made speeches about the bill from the House floor. But they apparently didn’t have time to vote. Either that or the politicians who loaded the bill with wasteful spending weren’t proud to vote for it.
If everyone was so concerned about getting this passed quickly, Democratic leaders sure had a strange way of showing it. There was no similar outcry against Speaker Nancy Pelosi for delaying the House vote until a day-and-a-half after passage in the Senate. Democrats had already slowed down the Senate bill by nearly a week, thanks to demanding items that would further their agenda on carbon emissions, abortion, and voter laws.
Todd McMurtry, Massie’s opponent in the June 23rd congressional primary in Kentucky, wasted no time putting out ads claiming that “Massie has opposed Donald Trump from the start.” The tag line reads, “Support President Trump, Dump Thomas Massie.” Massie has voted with Trump over 80 percent of the time during the current 116th Congress.
But McMurtry has written on Facebook: “Trump would never be my choice,” “I hope that the military disobeys his order to attack and stages a coup,” and “Trump is an idiot.” Back in 2016, McMurtry posted, “I hate to say that Hillary is right, but he is temperamentally unqualified to be President.”
Before McMurtry declared his candidacy, he scrubbed his social media to remove his negative comments about Trump. Unfortunately for him, the record is still out there.
Massie is a friend of mine, so I am biased. He is chair of the Congressional Second Amendment Caucus, and I have written six opinion pieces with him on topics such as the dangers of gun-free zones and national reciprocity for permitted concealed handguns.
If I was a member of Congress, I don’t know how I would have voted on the massive $2.2 trillion spending bill. People need help, through no fault of their own. If the government closes down businesses, the government has a responsibility to help people out. But it makes no sense to provide unemployment insurance that pays people more for not working than they would have made at work. The huge payments to Democratic Party interest groups also make the bill hard to swallow.
But a tough vote doesn’t absolve politicians from having to make those difficult decisions. Representatives should have gone on the record.
The anger against Massie has nothing to do with delaying much-needed help for Americans. It has nothing to do with the safety of congressmen. Those present could have voted. The vitriol directed against Massie tells us that politicians were afraid to vote for this bill. We need leaders like Massie, who had the guts to stand by his principles.
Never let a crisis go to waste.
BTW - Obamacare wasn’t a Panic Bill (or was it?) but it Passed without anyone even reading it in the dead of night.
99% of the Legislation Congress passes is Unconstitutional on its face, yet it goes on and on.
I agree with Massie that everyone in Congress should have to be on record about the massive spending bill. But this should be done either in the chambers, on the phone, or via computer.
Even a half-assed politician would know that you should work those things out beforehand instead of getting steamrolled and facing a PR storm.
He didn't even get a single other House member to "second" his motion.
At the end of the day, this accomplished absolutely nothing.
BS. In his unnecessary grandstanding, he gave Pelosi and Schumer cover for THEIR delays. I’m sure he’s a decent man, but he is also a politician. If a politician lacks even the most basic political instincts he needs to find a new job.
What was the delay, like 20 minutes?
Not quite. It encouraged those of us who thought there wasn't one man of principle left in that swamp.
At least there was one.
All but a few present voice voted yes. All others agreed, by not being there. Just the biggest government aid package in human history.
He and his Davey Crockett, congressman form neighboring Tennesee, have exactly the right instincts here..
“Not yours to give...”
http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/im/magnus/misc/nytg.html
just sayin’
20 minutes, played up like a full day by the mainstream media. Oh what a surprise that they would do that!
What you are seem to be saying is the government can ignore the Constitution. The implications of a government unrestrained are very bad.
No. Actually, you’re correct. You, Sir, possess the single insight into this great Republic. Why this great nation ever makes a move without you keen intellect to guide it is beyond me.
“....a recorded vote must be taken.”
The use of the electronic device is the only way to be forced to display their vote. A call from their home isn’t. It even states directives from the Committee on Rules that after voting using the card electronically it is wise for the Member to go to another voting station and reinsert the voting card until the light comes on and verifies the vote cast at the first station. The Member should also visually check the voting board to make sure that the light next to his or her name reflects the intended vote. I find it curious that they can’t even trust their own equipment to tell the truth. So forcing the members to vote in house is the only way recordable without human intervention. And I think that’s what he intended to do.
“Far too often, panic bills allow them to be loaded up with crap that has nothing to do with what is supposed to be happening.”
And they should be identified with this and their constituents informed.
“.....where President Trump COULD HAVE vetoed the $25 million going to the Kennedy Center...”
Problem there is that if he line items anything, it will have to go back to the house and it could be over ridden by a two thirds majority. But worse than that, they will make it a point to have their media attack dogs go out and tell the world Trump is stalling while people are dying. They’re already doing it lying about it anyway. But I really feel they were fishing for a reason to get after him in front of the voters...that I think was a trap to do just that. You may not like Massey, and I feel there are others in the house far more dishonest and damaging, but he was going the right direction to protect Trump on this issue whether he meant to or not.
rwood
“....this accomplished absolutely nothing.”
It could have if it had been handled properly. It could have relieved Trump of the responsibility of paying the pork while trying to expedite the bill so he would have lost both ways because he couldn’t afford to let this bill die in the house or he’d get blamed as no one would know why.
rwood
Which is why I’ve recently been rethinking my views on “Tarring and Feathering.”
I realize it will cause 2nd and 3rd degree burns, but I’m now OK with that for those congress-critters who want to “take advantage of a good crisis.”
Mark
“....congress-critters who want to “take advantage of a good crisis.”
Pretty obvious, ain’t it? And this one can erase using the media on the absolutely, and embarrassing even more than Biden, failed impeachment process. This is one of the reasons why Pelosi didn’t want it to go forward and was finally forced. The media would have to bury it on page 103. And they were stuck right out in the open having to put up or shut up on that one. So they salvaged themselves by going to another “scary” topic. And the machine drove it home.
rwood
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