Posted on 03/03/2010 12:14:20 PM PST by pwatson
And just how would that help?
This was Texas
The same way with out a forum they can shut down the congress. It worked in Texas by the way the Republicans had to play with the Democrats in the end. Its time the Republicans learned how to play Democrat Hard Ball instead of always acting like deer caught in the headlights.
Again? They did this in 2003. They ought to pass a state law that made this a defacto resignation from office.
It only worked for the Texas demonRATs because the GOP legislators alone did not constitute a quorum, so they prevented the legislature from being able to conduct business. (They had to flee the state because there was a law that allowed the Texas Rangers to arrest legislators and bring them to the capitol to force them to conduct business.)
I’m not sure what the Senate and House rules require for a quorum. If in either house the demonRATs plus one Republican would not constitute a quorum, having the entire GOP delegation refuse to turn up, except for one who makes a quorum call would be a way to completely shut down Congress.
According to Article One of the United States Constitution, the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate each have a quorum of a simple majority of their respective members. The Senate has the additional requirement in Rule VI of its standing rules of a “majority of the members duly chosen and sworn.” The only exception is when either house sits for choosing the President or Vice President when the electoral college fails to obtain a majority vote. In this exception, each house requires the presence of members from two-thirds of the states to satisfy quorum.[3]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorum
If nothing else, it would get good air time from Fox and local stations. Publicity would not hurt.
They should be arrested upon their return for ‘evasion and flight to avoid prosecution’.
Date on report is 2003.
Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Current Party Divisions of the House. 254: Democrats; 178: Republicans ...
So I will answer my own question a forum is 216 and in the Senate 50 so we can not prevent a forum. However if we really stood shoulder to shoulder somewhere like the Lincoln Memorial the first Republican President and said we will not support this sham it would make for a heck of a political war.
Ummm... Congress operates under the rule of unanimous consent. If no Republican is there to object to proposed laws and demand a formal vote, the Rats could pass anything they like while the GOP is taking a powder. This ain’t Texas.
As I recall they did this before........
yes I now see how this can not work the same but I still think it would make for great political theater and get us lots of positive press. Better than showing up and letting them pass it. Stand up and scream how this is such a travesty.
they did this before
when the going gets tough, the tough get going - eh
the GOP governor should cancel their state govt credit cards
and then later they fled to New Mexico
What did the Democrat grandstanding in Texas get them? The redistricting still went through eventually, but they looked like jackasses in the process.
I’d rather see Paul Ryan and others continue to provide principled and eloquent opposition.
Quorum
- The number of Senators that must be present for the Senate to do business. The Constitution requires a majority of Senators (51) for a quorum. Often, fewer Senators are actually present on the floor, but the Senate presumes that a quorum is present unless the contrary is shown by a roll call vote or quorum call.
There are 57 democrats in the Senate.
Maybe you should have checked into this before posting that this is what the GOP should do? Maybe?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.