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Legislating Is For Stupids

• Republicans

On Fox News Sunday, John McCain just said that he would veto any bill which didn’t include “a straight up-or-down vote on the issues” (in reference to the one time he voted to raise the minimum wage - it was a part of a war-funding bill). It seems incredibly damaging to place a restriction on the construction of legislation that essentially says you’re going to veto any bill which combines multiple issues into a single vote or a few votes. It’s a common legislative practice for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is to combine issues to promote compromise and that bipartisan shit people seem to love so much, and/or force votes on issues that wouldn’t otherwise get a hearing..

The idea that the President would place a flat denial on any bill which combined multiple issues is an act that’s pretty damn certain to increase gridlock in Washington and slow down the mechanism of government to crippling levels. Smooth move, Johnny Mac.

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Posted by Jesse Taylor on 11:16 AM • (16) Comments

Doesn’t this mean that any minority party can “poison” any bill by appending just about anything to it (free flags to war widows).

Seriously, how much do we have to dumb down government for McCain to be able to act as President?

Comment #1: SpotWeld on 08/31 at 11:48 AM

McCain WANTS to slow down the process of governing, that is part and parcel of being a Republican—make it impossible to govern.

Comment #2: Ben D. on 08/31 at 11:49 AM

The idea that the President would place a flat denial on any bill which combined multiple issues is an act that’s pretty damn certain to increase gridlock in Washington and slow down the mechanism of government to crippling levels. Smooth move, Johnny Mac.

Yeah, just to echo Ben D., this is a feature, not a bug. Makes the government easier to drown when it doesn’t do anything.

Comment #3: randomliberal on 08/31 at 12:09 PM

Seriously this sounds like a quick path to get nothing done government. When are his handlers going to learn that just like baby Bush when you let him speak freely idiocy comes out of his mouth.

Comment #4: Renee on 08/31 at 12:25 PM

And if the Senate’s tied and his BFF Lieberman can’t help, he can always send Palin to handle it. She’ll be thrilled.

Comment #5: The Wanderer on 08/31 at 12:26 PM

Problem is, that’s a pledge that a lot of low-information voters will glom on to as a good thing. Anyone who has actually looked at the messy business of legislation knows that to stick a bill out there on its own, unless it’s a non-binding joint resolution praising puppies and kittens and American motherhood, is a call for it to be defeated roundly. But regular folks don’t know that—they just know that some other Congresscritter (never their own, dontchaknow) is constantly putting bullshit riders onto bills that don’t have anything to do with the attachment and that’s why we’re spending money studying the sex life of the dusky seaside sparrow.

And the worst part is that it won’t cost McCain anything. Even if he were to get into office (at which point I will be blogging from New Zealand), he’d simply say, when called out on it, that well, this legislation was too important to let a little rider get in the way, and so while it’s regrettable that this pork will get through, it’s in the service of the greater good blah blah blah.

Comment #6: Incertus, Nacho Daddy on 08/31 at 12:26 PM

This is just a continuation of the Republican plan in the wake of their 2006 losses.

There is almost nothing the Democrats can get passed now which is anything more than a de facto Republican bill.

Now how hard Reid and Pelosi are trying to overcome Republican tactics…that’s a whole ‘nother thing. I wonder if it would actually make a difference to have 60 Senate votes, for example. My faith in Democratic congressional leadership is not very high…

Comment #7: MikeEss on 08/31 at 12:29 PM

> John McCain just said that he would veto any bill which didn’t
> include “a straight up-or-down vote on the issues”

Classic, tough-sounding talking point. Plays into the whole mavericky-thing. Utterly meaningless in practice.

Comment #8: Andy on 08/31 at 12:33 PM

Mike-

We need 58 or 59 seats to get an effective fillibuster proof majority. The RINOS would push it to 60 votes 95% of the time.

Comment #9: Ben D. on 08/31 at 12:38 PM

If he manages to get elected and then gridlocks the process, he’s setting up the Republicans to have ammo for midterms. Sigh.

Comment #10: Bo on 08/31 at 02:21 PM

pretty damn certain to increase gridlock in Washington and slow down the mechanism of government to crippling levels

Feature, not bug. Remember? Drown it in a bathtub.

Comment #11: Well, what? on 08/31 at 03:22 PM

[smacks forehead] Read comments before posting. Read comments before posting. Read comments before posting…

Comment #12: Well, what? on 08/31 at 03:23 PM

“Mike-

We need 58 or 59 seats to get an effective fillibuster proof majority. The RINOS would push it to 60 votes 95% of the time. “

But you also have to subtract Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu sometimes, so it cancels out.

Comment #13: calvinhobbes on 08/31 at 04:15 PM

Well, what?,

Hey, at least I know I’m not the only person with that thought.

Although, the way Bo puts it scares me a little, too. Remember Truman and the 1948 “Do-Nothing congress”?* That kind of bullshit is pretty effective.

*No, you probably don’t, and neither do I…

Comment #14: randomliberal on 08/31 at 04:16 PM

Because everyone absolutely loves teh unregulated bureaucrats and are completely “crippled” without Obambi’s input in their private enterprise…

If your support is that strong- it will “pass” as an ‘singular’ bill- see the 2002 AUMF, for instance!(Thank you Joe Biden!)

Comment #15: fletch on 08/31 at 09:20 PM

“Because everyone absolutely loves the unregulated bureaucrats and are completely “crippled” without Obambi’s input in their private enterprise…”

Yep - wasn’t it Mark Twain who correctly observed that no one is safe when the Legislature is in session? Why is more government action always good? So many of you fear what the McCain administration will do, and then you criticize him for a statement that would mean that not as much would get done. Don’t you want a McCain administration to do as little as possible?

The food is nasty and the portions are small.

Of course, issues should be presented separately when possible, so that rational decisions can be made about each one. Do you want the “Bridge to Nowhere” and 1400 other pork-barrel projects jammed on, say, the equal pay for equal work bill that many of you would support? If the equal pay bill is so bleeping popular and wonderful, why tie it to useless spending? If it wouldn’t pass unless you bribe half the Congress to pass it, then why should it be passed at all?

Comment #16: Watergate on 09/01 at 03:53 AM

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