T O P I C R E V I E W |
jwhop | There ain't no rules here; we make them up as we go along. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbHTJSu_2Lk |
katatonic | interesting. i will watch it as soon as i get on a fast enough connection!! |
AcousticGod | Well, the video is extraordinarily short, Kat. You could probably watch this one. It's one sentence from Representative Hastings, which accurately portrays the Rules Committee process regardless of which Party is in the majority. What is the Rules Committee? Posted: Saturday, March 20, 2010 4:13 PM by Domenico Montanaro Filed Under: Congress From NBC's Shawna Thomas, Luke Russert and Mike Viqueira As we all sit enthralled by the House Rules Committee hearing, we offer a primer. The Rules Committee considered to be an arm of the speaker's office, and is an instrument by which the majority, whether it be Republicans or Democrats, exercises control over the House process. As many of us are learning lately, if you control the process you control the substance. Its job is to design a package of rules by which most legislation is considered on the floor. The duration of debate, how many amendments, which amendments, etc. That package is debated on the floor and then must be approved by means of a vote. If it passes, then the underlying legislation is taken up. The partisan committee ratio of 9 to 4 is a belt and suspenders approach to making sure there is no funny business and that the majority party always gets it's way. The legislative geeks refer to the House as a "majoritarian" body. In the words of a famous speaker of the 1880's, the job of the minority in the House is to "make a quorum and to draw its pay." In other words, sit down and shut up. Today, for example, we will see a parade of Republicans before the committee asking that their amendments be allowed for floor consideration tomorrow. They will be ignored and outvoted. There will be no amendments allowed on the floor tomorrow, save those that are absolutely necessary for democrats pass to health care reform. But we will get to see a lot of people letting off a lot of steam, which is also a function of your U.S. House. Schoolhouse rock, this isn't. As has also been noted, Republicans operated in the same way when they were running things. In fact, the Rules Committee has been this way since the 19th century, and its power and influence have increased since the time of Henry Clay. Today, assignment to the committee is considered a special perk to many members. http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/03/20/2234577.aspx Video of the quote in context Hastings starts at 4:44. He speaks for a bit longer than 15 minutes altogether. The quote Boener extracted accounts for just 9 seconds. Typical. |
jwhop | This video accurately depicts the lawlessness employed by Socialist Progressives. You will notice this comment is made by Alcee Hastings...an impeached federal judge who was caught taking bribes for favorable decisions issued by his court...namely him. Alcee Hastings is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. As such, the statement Hastings made is probably the only time he's told the truth in his political or professional career. |
AcousticGod | quote: This video accurately depicts the lawlessness employed by Socialist Progressives.
No. It is as I said. Don't try to distract the issue. |
katatonic | so was hastings guilty of the republican uses of same tactics?? ALL of them? hasn't this been used MORE by the republicans than the democrats? i heard some numbers but they elude me at the moment. |
jwhop | No, you don't know what you're talking about acoustic. Committee rules are agreed to and fixed with each new Congress and are not subject to change or override by bloviating airhead chairwarming Socialist Progressives. Their actions are exactly the kind of lawlessness one would expect from Socialist Progressives and one so corrupt he got himself impeached for taking bribes when he was a federal judge. |
jwhop | Down with Socialist Progressives! |
AcousticGod | You're only proving that I'm right, jwhop. This is standard operating procedure that the Rules Committee makes the rules, and that the Rules always benefit the majority party. Anyone looking up information on it will find the same. Not only so, but it shows that BOeNER is a rather stereotypical Republican willing to try to exploit a single sentence out of context for political gain. |
jwhop | What the hell's wrong with you acoustic...Really? Of course the majority make the committee rules...at the beginning of each new Congress, at the beginning of each new committee meeting. What is it you don't understand about committees and their committee chairs violating their own committee rules? Making the rules up as they go along is not accepted or acceptable process and committee rules ARE all about process. Socialist Progressives are the petty little tyrants I say they are and their actions prove it. |
AcousticGod | You need to reread the article I posted, and listen to all of his comments in context. Democrats are NOT the tyrants you'd like to make them out to be. quote: What is it you don't understand about committees and their committee chairs violating their own committee rules?
There's no evidence that committee chairs are violating their own committee rules, nor has there been any discussion of any such thing in this thread. quote: Making the rules up as they go along is not accepted or acceptable process and committee rules ARE all about process.
Making up the rules of a bill's debate prior to that bill's debate is precisely what the Rules Committee does. It is both accepted and acceptable as it was during the Republican majority. Educate yourself. |
jwhop | You heard...or you had the opportunity to hear the dunce Socialist Progressive say there are NO RULES and say further that they MAKE UP THE RULES AS THEY GO ALONG. Yet, here you are attempting to defend the indefensible yet again. Someone should take your shovel away from you acoustic. You've already dug a hole so deep you'll never get out. |
AcousticGod | Wait. I need to dig myself out of a hole for disproving your utter nonsense? Is that right? Even though you can't disprove what I said was the truth of the matter? Look around buddy. Who's in the hole? Apparently, you're drunk as well. There can be no other explanation for the idiotic grin. |
jwhop | The video is absolutely clear acoustic. Logical, reasonable, rational people don't dispute the evidence of their eyes and ears. "There ain't NO rules here." "We make up the RULES as we go along." In other words acoustic....the ends justify the means. Petty Tyrant Speak. |
AcousticGod | Nine seconds in a fifteen minute speech; I'd say the speech in its entirety is more telling, as would most people. There's nothing more petty, or more lacking in reason than taking a soundbite out of context. |
jwhop | I'd say this idiot said what he believes...that there are no rules and that they make up the rules as they go along. I'd say further, this idiot let it slip that radical Marxist Socialist Progressives will break any rule, including those in the Constitution to pass their trash legislation and that to them, The Ends Justify The Means. They're going to get trashed in November. |
katatonic | let's not mention the context, shall we, jwhop? someone might realize he was talking about the way republicans do business AS WELL. |
jwhop | I would welcome the posting of any Republican congressional committee member saying there are no rules...and we...Republicans..make the rules up as we go along. |
AcousticGod | It wouldn't require that in order to make it true, Jwhop. Things aren't true based upon merely voicing them. |
katatonic | no that would mean that everyone in congress was honest, and we can't have that!! |