Posted on 12/16/2010 5:19:56 PM PST by Second Amendment First
Democrats controlling the Senate have abandoned a 1,924-page catchall spending measure that's laced with homestate pet projects known as earmarks and that would have provided another $158 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Nevada Democrat Harry Reid gave up on the nearly $1.3 trillion bill after several Republicans who had been thinking of voting for the bill pulled back their support.
GOP leader Mitch McConnell threw his weight against the bill in recent days, saying it was in his words "unbelievable" that Democrats would try to muscle through in just a few days legislation that usually takes months to debate.
Reid said he would work with McConnell to produce a short-term funding bill to keep the government running into early next year.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The top Senate Republican has offered a one-page bill to prevent a government shutdown on Saturday as an alternative to a 1,924-page catchall spending measure offered by Democrats.
Kentucky Republican Mitch McConnell says it's unbelievable that Democrats want to pass the measure in just a few days as Christmas approaches. He says Congress should pass a less costly bill next year - when Republicans will have more leverage.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Way to go, “Mike” McConnell!!! :-)
I say, let’s have MORE one page bills! Make earmarks and pork ILLEGAL!!! And enforce that law!!!!
Amen, And a pray of Thanks has already been given, More to come!
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All of these secret backroom “earmarks” pop up just before Congress votes on a bill - and just before Obama says “We must pass this right now or the sky will fall on us and the universe will collapse!”
Even the top Republicans have amd/or are demanding millions or billions for their districts of for some lobbyist’s clients or for some corporation, group, “non-profit”, or individual that gave them campaign funds
“Earmarks” are the way Congress pays back big campaign donors - or even their own families - using your tax dollars
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Tonight may indeed may be a “seminal moment,” as McCain said. This was to be the appropriators’ last hurrah. In the end, they couldn’t see it through, and it’s not going to get any better for them next year.McConnell also had a hand in this.Why did it go down? You had Jim DeMint rallying outside opposition, and pushing Reid’s back against the wall procedurally with the threat to have the whole monstrosity read on the floor; that was time Reid presumably couldn’t afford to waste given everything else he wants to jam through.
Link.
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 Jim DeMint Ping! |
Follow Sen. DeMint on Twitter.
I haven’t read through this thread, had seen the headline and article on Drudge and came looking for it. Maybe the pubs knew we would be furious when we heard about all those earmarks for Kennedy and Murtha.
Plus, McConnell himself having such a huge one!
No, McConnell read the riot act to the nine Sinators who were defecting, and they returned to the fold. Dingy Harry couldn't break a filibuster.
Yep as of today; he pulled the bill. You know how the libs are.
I regret to say ignorance was a factor in the attacks against DeMint.
McConnell also had $85 million in so-called earmarks for Kentucky so he had to read the riot act to himself too, lol.
Something else is up, I don’t trust them any further than I could throw them by your eyebrows.
Anything too good to be true... isn’t.
Something equal or worse will be back.
I guess it doesn’t even matter whether Reid is their guy or not. The Senate is full of obnoxious, mean spirited people people who could do as must damaage, if not more. Dick Durbin and Chuck Schumer certainly come to mind.
Back when Daschle was in charge, I remember thinking how NO ONE could be as bad. But Reid has sure stood up to the challenge!
Time to stop the Dream Act, DADT and the Start Treaty. They need to hear us. I called today over and over. They need to hear from the American people. We are not going to take it anymore.
The counts changed.
Reid cannot take a chance that Brown is really with them on any of this because, as it turns out, Brown was a naked guy and you can't trust that kind eh!
“McConnell had earlier quietly backed the effort to produce the nearly $1.3 trillion bill, but he’s now trying to kill it.”
Very principled man, that Mitch.
Obviously, conservatives will have no rest in keeping the heat on the Republican leaders (McConnell, Alexander, Boehner, Cantor, etc.) to force them to do the right thing.
We need a clean sweep of party leaders and committee chairmen.
All you do by killing "earmarks" is give Obama more power.
Jim DeMint Bump!
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Rush keeps playing the audios of Obama saying he was against earmarks
A huge audience and loads of phonecalls, emails, and faxes
The conflict of interest of Reid shoving in an internet gambling part of the bill - while his family lobbies for and receives cash campaign money from gambling interests is blatant and corrupt
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Score!
Obama also said if this didn’t pass it would ruin his Presidency. We hope, we hope, lol. I wouldn’t doubt Reid will still try something, some way.
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