Remember when all the smart people -- among whom, sadly, some of us numbered ourselves -- thought that when the Ds controlled the House, the Senate, and the Presidency, things would really improve? What a steaming load that was. I'm ashamed I ever fell for it, and if I convinced anybody it was true, I apologize. McClatchy:
But recent policy decisions are tilting [note lack of agency] in favor of federal deficit control. On Tuesday, the U.S. House rejected a bill focused on extending unemployment benefits. And for the third time in as many weeks, Republicans in the Senate on Wednesday successfully filibustered a bill to extend them. As a result, about 200,000 people a week around the country are likely to lose their jobless benefits.
Today, the House plans to vote again on extending benefits, but the Senate’s action likely renders it a futile gesture as Congress gets ready to depart for its Fourth of of July recess.
And don't hand me that "But those meanie Rs f-i-l-b-u-s-t-e-r-r-r-r-r-e-d us" crap.
A filibuster is when they bring cots onto the Senate floor while some guy reads from the Bible for 16 hours straight, and the extremely important business of heaving a few more citizens under the bus, or helping the banksters sink a few more blood funnels into the unprotesting flesh of the American people, gets held up in the resulting procedural train wreck.
A filibuster is not when Mitch McConnell says "I'm gonna filibuster" and Harry Reid whimpers, rolls over so Mitch can scratch his belly, and says "Oh, OK." All of which is just D/s R/d kabuki anyhow, since Versailles
and both legacy parties are fully on board with the idea that a whole lot of working people need to lose their jobs, their health care, their houses, and their lives through permanently higher unemployment.
These are all features, and not bugs. It's more than "offensive" : It's lethal. It's not that Versailles doesn't "comprehend" this; they know it perfectly well -- although with various degrees of hand-wring and -washing, depending on faction.
Permanently higher unemployment is a desired policy outcome, and Obama's Ds, with the help of the Rs, is successfully accomplishing this mission on behalf of his owners. And those of us without access, and without any commitment to or involvement with the Ds or Versaillles, saw what was coming some time ago (2009-10-04).
UPDATE Reid says the Ds are going to try again after vacation when Byrd's replacement is sworn in. Oh, bullshit. The banksters got their bailout NOW NOW NOW. Then again, "saving the financial system," not to mention kickbacks from the banksters, is a lot more important to the legacy parties than our jobs, houses, kids, lives, and all that.
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It's the Underpants Gnome school of politics.
1. Cut benefits unnecessarily to a needy citizenry.
2.?
3. Get re-elected by huge margins.
Things fall apart. The center cannot hold.
"Someone needs to point out that elephants produce infinitely more shit than donkeys." Brad Mays
Exactement
Fool us twice, won't get fooled again!
I'm tired of the weakness and uselessness of the Ds. We need a new political party. It's happened before--I don't hear too many people crying about the demise of the Whig party these days.
I'm not sure you understand what "filibuster" means
We need to start using filibuster to mean *ONLY* the process in which a minority continues to talk endlessly to prevent legislation. The threat of a filibuster, and the lack of votes to end debate should not be substituted for a good ol' fashioned filibuster where there is unlimited debate. If you "move on" to other things after a quick cloture vote, it's not really a filibuster in my mind. We should start to make this clear. The Rs ain't filibustering shit. The Dems just conveniently move on to other things.
Only tyrants rig elections.
They can suspend the filibuster...
They can suspend the filibuster rule for certain votes. It's happened before. This is kabuki to cover those in the Dem ranks who don't want to vote for UI extension.
The liberty of democracy is not safe if people tolerate growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism.---FDR
Make 'em *really* filibuster
I wouldn't mind seeing a real filibuster because it just might start a real national discussion about our priorities. Don't bypass the filibuster, use it to start a discussion about general, broad principles.
That is, of course, if the Dems actually gave a shit about people who might have to eat cat food. I don't think they do. And that's why i think we need to be careful not to perpetuate the meme of Dem-GOP disagreement on the issue. They both have given strong "fuck you" statements to the unemployed. There hasn't been a real Jimmy Stewart filibuster in recent years that I can remember.
Only tyrants rig elections.
They don't care, and they do know.
"That is, of course, if the Dems actually gave a shit about people who might have to eat cat food. I don't think they do. And that's why i think we need to be careful not to perpetuate the meme of Dem-GOP disagreement on the issue. They both have given strong "fuck you" statements to the unemployed."
This.
You know it's bad when Mennonite ladies (the group here is constrained from taking part in politics on religious grounds, more Amish than the Amish in many ways)------when they talk about how bad the economy is, and how our politicians do not care what happens to us.
Elliot Lake