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The Seinfeld Senate
The American ^ | May 27, 2011 | Marc Thiessen

Posted on 05/29/2011 11:09:57 AM PDT by neverdem

Remember the old Seinfeld episode where George and Jerry come up with the idea for a “show about nothing”?

Well, under the leadership of Senator Harry Reid, the U.S. Senate is increasingly becoming a “show about nothing” in its own right. Consider: Last year, when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and the White House, they failed to approve one single appropriations bill. Not one. And it has now been more than two years—757 days, to be precise—since they approved a budget.

Having failed to produce a budget of their own, yesterday Senate Democrats held votes on four separate budget proposals:

— The budget put forward by Representative Paul Ryan

— The budget put forward by Senator Rand Paul

— The budget put forward by Senator Pat Toomey

— And the budget put forward by President Barack Obama.

What did the Senate pass? Nothing.

Not only did they pass nothing, Senate Democrats voted for nothing—they unanimously opposed all four budget proposals. Even the Obama budget was defeated by a vote of 0-97. That’s right, not one single Senate Democrat voted in favor of the budget put forward by their own president. Not one Democrat voted “yes” on any budget—not one.

So Senate Democrats have put forward no budget proposal, and have voted in unison against all the budget proposals put forward by Republicans and Democrats alike. You can almost hear Senators Reid and Durbin talking in the Senate dining room:

Durbin: “So what’s happening with the budget, have you come up with anything?”

Reid: “No, nothing.”

Durbin: “Why don’t they have salsa on the table?”

The Reid Senate is fast becoming the Seinfeld Senate: a show about nothing.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: seinfeldsenate; theseinfeldsenate
There's a cut from that Seinfeld episode at the source.

Akaka, Bingaman, Conrad, Kohl, Lieberman and Webb have annouced their retirement from the Senate. Rats have 17 other Senate seats to defend.

1 posted on 05/29/2011 11:09:59 AM PDT by neverdem
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To: neverdem

The United States Senate, that august body once populated by statesmen such as Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster, now offers us the likes of Harry Reid, Chuckie Schumer, and Barbara Boxer. Reminiscent of another Seinfeld episode, the word “shrinkage” comes to mind.


2 posted on 05/29/2011 11:28:59 AM PDT by TruthShallSetYouFree (If you can read this post, the world did not end on May 21st.)
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To: neverdem
GOPAIMS
3 posted on 05/29/2011 11:40:17 AM PDT by FrankR (A people that values its privileges above its principles will soon lose both.)
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To: neverdem

The Democrat Party’s platform is and has always been the following:

Demagogue your opponents while enriching your constituents by robbing the public treasury, to ensure permanent control of the government and its resources.


4 posted on 05/29/2011 12:07:11 PM PDT by LA Conservative (Defeat the Demogogic Party)
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To: neverdem

This is little different from Obama obscuring his past and voting present on everything when he was first in elective office. They don’t want to have a record to criticize. Instead they want the Republicans to put something forward and then the Media/Democrats will tear it apart and lie about what it says.

These are evil, despicable people. Why some are fooled by them is a mystery to me. Well, it is not really a mystery. The media lie for them and lie against us. Most don’t watch the news except for the MSM and CNN, CNBC and msnbc. I was recently talking to a friend whose parents are old line yellow dog Democrats. They all voted for Obama. Their reasons were, IMO, they only saw the media lies supporting him, it was touted as an historic election, to assuage white guilt embellished by the media, and he was a Democrat.

I was recently talking to him and he mention that he watched the news a lot. I asked what he watched and he said CNN, CNBC, Headline news and MSNBC. I said there is no wonder then that he voted for Obama. He asked what he should watch and I told him FOX NEWS. Let’s hope he does.


5 posted on 05/29/2011 12:08:30 PM PDT by Mind-numbed Robot (I retain the right to be inconsistent, contradictory and even flat-out wrong!)
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To: TruthShallSetYouFree
That's why we need to repeal the 17th amendment!
6 posted on 05/29/2011 12:08:30 PM PDT by Reily
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; ColdOne; Convert from ECUSA; ...

Thanks neverdem.
Last year, when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and the White House, they failed to approve one single appropriations bill. Not one.

7 posted on 05/29/2011 12:16:26 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Thanks Cincinna for this link -- http://www.friendsofitamar.org)
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To: neverdem
A budget implies limits on spending, as in a finite amount of money for a specific person. Politicians ( I was going to say Democrats, but Pubbies are equally guilty) seem to chafe at such restraints. They'd rather have a blank check and no accountability (we all would, wouldn't we?).

A debt ceiling imposes restraints on spending, too, and every time they have to raise it the public is reminded that the hole's still getting deeper. I imagine Congress is working on a way to eliminate that chore.

As for the Dems in Congress doing "nothing", wasn't that the plan? Since they no longer have a filibuster-proof majority, the plan was to tie up Congress and let the Executive force the Dem agenda.

8 posted on 05/29/2011 12:19:20 PM PDT by ZOOKER ( Exploring the fine line between cynicism and outright depression)
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To: neverdem
Akaka, Bingaman, Conrad, Kohl, Lieberman and Webb

They only wish to keep their heads where they are.

The can see the building crisis they created. We are headed for economic, societal, political and monetary calamities fostered by a lethargic public and self serving elites like the ones you list.

9 posted on 05/29/2011 1:23:21 PM PDT by Jacquerie (I know for certain the Constitution means what it says, not what the Supreme Court says it means.)
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To: TruthShallSetYouFree

58% of Congress are millionaires and could care less about us or the country.

More than half of the U.S. senators are millionaires and 4 others fall just around $100,000 short of the millionaire rank.

Then again with Harry Reid at the helm, I don’t mind a torpid senate body that can’t move progressive legislation.

Time is on our side, however, as there are 21 democrat senators up for re-election in 2012 compared to 10 republicans. And that is not counting Lieberman’s coming retirement and Bernie Sanders’ re-election bid.


10 posted on 05/29/2011 1:52:11 PM PDT by A'elian' nation (Political correctness does not legislate tolerance; it only organizes hatred. Jacques Barzun)
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To: TruthShallSetYouFree

Seema I recall that 0’bamacare was going to phase out medicare, now the RATS are warning that the GOP will take away our medicare. Anymore bold ideas from the queer RATS.


11 posted on 05/29/2011 2:10:17 PM PDT by Waco (Nominate Palin or forget 2012 you lost)
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To: SunkenCiv

They should be fired for not doing their jobs.


12 posted on 05/29/2011 8:09:32 PM PDT by TheOldLady
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To: neverdem

Seinfeld was funny though.


13 posted on 05/30/2011 10:35:22 AM PDT by Impy (Don't call me red.)
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