I’m not sure what Republicans in the Senate can do to stop the Ominibus Monstrosity since there appear to be several Republicans likely to vote for the bill (Collins, Bond, Bennett, Voinivich). Regardless, the Republican leadership and membership should do anything and everything to stop the bill from passing.
Jim DeMint is signaling that he will insist on a reading of the bill. He should stick to his guns on this, even if as with New START, Democrats agree to an equivalent time delay.
According to The Hill, DeMint is on track:
Republicans will paralyze the Senate floor for 50 hours by forcing clerks to read every single paragraph of the 1,924-page, $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill.
Senate clerks are expected to read the massive bill in rotating shifts around the clock — taking breaks to drink water and pop throat lozenges — to keep legislative business on track, according to a Democratic leadership aide.
The bill is so long that it took the Government Printing Office two days to print it.
The Senate is currently debating the New START nuclear arms reduction treaty. It is expected to take up the omnibus spending bill on a separate and parallel track later Thursday.
If Republicans follow through on their threat, legislative business couldn’t resume until late Saturday in order to give the staff enough time to read the bill aloud, according to a Democratic leadership estimate.
Don’t back down. When it comes to Omnibus and Harry Reid’s other last fits of damage to the country, give not one inch, or minute.
Make the Democrats and Obama fight to pass the Omnibus Monstrosity, and make them own it.
Update: Add Thad Cochran (R-Miss) and Lisa Murkowski (R-YouKnowWhere) to possible Republican votes in favor of the Omnibus.
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Comments
DeMint has already said that he has dropped his plan to read this bill. McCain was appealing to the Tea Party to melt the phones on Hannity yesterday while Paul Ryan was stating that failing to pass the Obama "compromise" would result in the destruction of our economy.
What's going on here? Get your act together GOP!
@pasademaphil – I think DeMint gave in on the New START treaty reading, but not Omnibus. No?
Professor, you are right. I misspoke about the specifics. I should not have said "this" bill but "the START treaty". But the point is the same: throw everything and the kitchen sink into clogging up the pipeline so nothing gets done.
It might have helped if he had explained his reason was that they were preparing to read the omnibus bill but he didn't. He backed down citing pressure from McConnell and Obama ("a new low…").
I wish I could feel "warm and fuzzy" about the GOP but I can't. I trust them less than ever.
This represents an early testicular development check of our erstwhile GOP.
Did the events of November 2nd last embolden them to not only become what they are supposed to be, but to actually stick to their guns?
Time will tell.
But I'm not holding my breath.
Federal law requires ballots to be printed in various languages. The bill should be read in every language in which US ballots are printed. I predict that trillions could be saved if every bill being voted on from here on had to be read aloud and if any member got up and left the chamber, the reading stopped until that member returned. If all members had to set through the reading of each bill, Americans would all be better off.
Any republican senator who votes for this monstrosity after November's election should be stripped of all leadership positions in the new congress.
Why can't McConnell keep everybody on board as he did so well with all the important votes prior to the Nov. elections? It seems pretty obvious that the path should be to filibuster the Omnibus and pass a continuing resolution. So, he he has no interest in holding the caucus together. There must be an awful lot of bacon in the Omnibus that he doesn't want to give up.
To make matters worse, Bond, Bennett and Voinivich aren't coming back next year, so they can't be held accountable for their abuse of taxpayers.
The Assistant Democrats might as well promote themselves to full Democrat status. What a horrible example they are setting for the incoming freshman class.
My New Years resolution is to form a Tea party in my hometown. There needs be one in every town, city, district and county of the United States of America.
The time has come to actively participate because being a registered voter isn't enough.
Forgive me if this has already been furnished, but this gentleman should be hired as one of Obama's Czars.
There's just something about the Irish accent that provides certain words a special zing.
Language warning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koY6kXhQDQo&feature;=player_embedded
Shout it from the rooftops Professor! Republicans now is the time to fight. Failure to even try will not be forgotten or forgiven.
I've lost track on what passes for outrage here int he intellectual hustings, but Congress writing a BUDGET bill that was due two months ago is NOW what has you people in a lather?
It's sort of their job to write budget bills for the fiscal year and, while I get that a certain number mind-numbed Limbaugh drones don't understand that Congress writes bills, one wonders how William doesn't know. For shame, Professor. Way to let ridiculous partisanship get in the way of actually governing the nation
timb, your head is so far up your butt that lump in your throat is really your nose! As you said, the budget bill was due two months ago. As you didn't say–but surely know–this bill is full of unnecessary and unaffordable spending. That is what has "we the people" enraged, and unlike you, we don't need to read someone else's talking points to know what's right and what's wrong. Not that you really have any sense of right or wrong.
The START Treaty NEEDS to be read, along with the Omnibus bill, because it is a TREATY. If it is not completely understood, all facets reviewed and debated, it could be worse than any Spend-a-Palooza ever. By its very nature, a treaty (whether relating, as this does, to national defense and nuclear arms or not), according to the US Constitution, supersedes the Constitution! It MUST be read, debated, and thoroughly evaluated to ensure that it is not in any way a threat to our nation's safety or sovereignty.
Not that the Omni-Stimulus-porker-bus isn't a threat to our national security – it is also crucial to stop it, as well, before we add any more to our debt and enlarge our government even more.
Shut this Congress down!! Force every parliamentary trick, every reading, every delay possible on this nightmare thug "leader" Reid, and in the House as well. Should Reid prevail at his petty, Alinsky-ite games of holding the Senate until Jan. 4 to cram all this trash down our throats, then – when the new Congress is sworn in – investigate him!! Investigate his election (many reported cases of laws broken and voter fraud in NV); look at his records, find out how he made all the money he has made since becoming a Senator (he was NOT rich until elected to the Senate). Then REMOVE HIM from his leadership position – hopefully from office!! I know, it can't be done easily, but it MUST be done, before we lose our country completely!
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