Wrestlin' in Wisconsin

With the ground shifting by the hour, House Democratic leaders dropped a plan to approve the Senate health bill without taking a direct vote on it. That proposed maneuver had outraged Republicans and caused consternation among some Democrats.

So.. you think a maneuver that wasn't used is the same thing as one that was used?

Talk about not addressing the central issue there george. This is supposed to be about maneuvers that were used to pass the bill.

Pelosi's solution: Have the House pass the Senate bill, but then immediately follow up with another vote in both chambers of Congress on a package of changes designed in part to make the overall legislation more acceptable to House Democrats.

Now, however, Pelosi may also try to help unhappy House Democrats by allowing them to avoid a direct up or down vote on the Senate bill. The speaker may call for a vote on a rule that would simply "deem" the Senate bill to be passed. The House would then proceed to a separate vote on the more popular changes to the Senate bill.

House GOP leaders will try to block the procedure, a House GOP aide told CNN Tuesday morning. They will try to force a vote on a resolution requiring the Senate health care bill to be brought to an actual up or down vote, the aide said.

Senate Minority Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, called the maneuver Pelosi's "scheme and deem" plan Tuesday morning. He said the maneuver was "jaw-dropping in its audacity."

House may try to pass Senate health-care bill without voting on it

By Lori Montgomery and Paul Kane
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, March 16, 2010

After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate's health-care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the measure without having members vote on it.

House Opts Against 'Deeming' Health Care Bill Passed

After Republicans cut off debate a little more than three hours after it started, Democrats jumped up to protest. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) brought a megaphone out from under his desk and through it yelled, "Mr. Speaker, I demand to be recognized."

He was ignored.

Just before a roll call began, Republican Rep. Dan Knodl said, "There's no question that the 5.5 million people of Wisconsin are in favor of seeing this bill go through."

Probably not good enough for Cyclo. His standard of required proof for facts and assertions that are contrary to his fixed beliefs are very high indeed.

However, these burdens apply only to those who disagree with him. For hinself he gets by with unfulfilled threats to provide proof and tiresome bluster about his unfailing fidelity to facts.

Moreover no detail is too small to enable him to proclaim that an obvious argument opposing his is fatally and thoroughly flawed, while he floats above all such details with his own.

Public radio reported farmers will ring the capitol with tractors this weekend in protest.

Firefighters and Police in WI are striking back against banks that funded Walker's Governor campaign today by marching to their branches and demanding a full withdrawal of their funds. They managed to pull out about 120k before the banks closed their doors to prevent a total run.

But this is just the beginning, and these groups (along with the teacher's unions) say that they have millions more in deposits with these banks. That money is going to be systematically removed from the balance sheets of those organizations in the next few weeks, with the hopes of collapsing the banks themselves.

I'm sure we'll hear a lot of grumbling from Conservatives on how terrible this is, but hey - there's nothing illegal about it, right?

Cycloptichorn

Cycloptichorn wrote:

Firefighters and Police in WI are striking back against banks that funded Walker's Governor campaign today by marching to their branches and demanding a full withdrawal of their funds. They managed to pull out about 120k before the banks closed their doors to prevent a total run.

But this is just the beginning, and these groups (along with the teacher's unions) say that they have millions more in deposits with these banks. That money is going to be systematically removed from the balance sheets of those organizations in the next few weeks, with the hopes of collapsing the banks themselves.

I'm sure we'll hear a lot of grumbling from Conservatives on how terrible this is, but hey - there's nothing illegal about it, right?

Cycloptichorn

It seems like an unwise and excessively vindictive reaction to me, but you are right, there is nothing illegal about it - such actions are entirely within their rights. However, I don't believe this will have the long-term effect I assume they have in mind. The unions will still need the services of some banks to receive the dues they require the state to skim off the employee's pay each payday, and they do occasionally borrow money against future revenues to finance campaigns. There will be winners and losers here to be sure, but the union can't avoid banks and hold its reserves in cash forever.