The big stimulus votes: Who’s writing the bill, and why Gregg’s move puts the onus on Harry Reid
By SusanUnPC on February 13, 2009 at 6:00 AM in American Consumers, Andrew Sullivan, Congress (House & Senate), Current Affairs, Economic Stimulus, Economy, Harry Reid, stimulus tax package
Via Washington Whispers, “We’re receiving E-mails from Capitol Hill staffers expressing frustration that they can’t get a copy of the stimulus bill agreed to last night at a price of $789 billion. What’s more, staffers are complaining about who does have a copy: K Street lobbyists.” (That’s no surprise. Most legislation these days is written by lobbyists. But it never fails to shock me.) Then there are President Obama’s incessant, SOLEMN PLEDGES about no dealings with lobbyists … uh …. well … never mind … move along, nothin’ to see here, folks … good god almighty, what a phony. He can’t even get a team of staffers to WRITE the bill???
Oh well. Those speeches attacking lobbyists have their usefulness, as guru it’s-all-about-winning David Axelrod has no doubt taught him to adopt as part of his populist schtick. And we know, from our experiences trying to get the truth out on this Obama operation, that the typical Obot will never know, or comprehend, who’s really burning the midnight oil to get this legislation ready for the big Friday votes.
NEXT: As I said in my earlier story, the timing of Judd Gregg’s recusal of himself from consideration to be Secretary of Commerce — especially after his awkward vote of abstention in the first go-round — is fascinating. Besides not doing this in the typical late Friday afternoon fashion to avoid media attention, Gregg chose to remove himself the day BEFORE both the Senate and House vote on the final bill.
And now, with news that Sen. Teddy Kennedy cannot make it to the Senate to cast a vote, because he’s returned to Florida for cancer treatments — and the certainty that Judd Gregg will change his vote to Nay — Harry Reid is rushing around looking for votes from the GOP. C-Span junkies, I hope you’ll keep us apprised of the timing of these critical votes. Here’s the Thursday summary from C-Span:
Gregg’s recusal has given Harry plenty to worry about:
Reid is also concerned because the three GOP moderates who support the bill – Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania – suggested they did not want provide the decisive 60th vote for passage. That would likely happen without Kennedy voting.
So far, there’s no indication Reid has won any more GOP votes for the measure. But an aide to one of the GOP moderates, who asked not to be identified, doubted any of the moderates would drop off.
“I can not imagine any of them would back away after all the painstaking negotiations,” the aide said. …
– “Reid Looking For GOP Votes,” CNN Political Ticker.
And now here’s the pathetic Andrew Sullivan sullying the pages of the once-esteemed The Atlantic magazine:
Sullivan has gone bats over the Gregg story. And, forgive me if I have a faulty memory, but hasn’t Andrew Sullivan been essentially a Republican until Obama? And wasn’t he in favor of the war in Iraq, as well as much of Bush’s policies? I mean, wasn’t he a reliable conservative all these years?
Until, for reasons unfathomable to other sentient beings, this man went so ga-ga for Obama that he can’t even think straight anymore?
And why would he even complain that the Republicans are indeed “at ware” with Obama, since that is precisely what opposing parties do?
Here’s a common-sense question: Wouldn’t the Democrats also be fighting a President McCain and his stimulus bill with everything they’ve got?
A side note: Speaking of McCain, this man has historically been very much the bipartisan player, and the fact that McCain is vehemently opposed to this legislation is a “tell” that this is one bad, bad piece of legislation. That can be gleaned from McCain’s past record of possessing the “true grit” to side with a bill if he finds it worthy, regardless of what his GOP hardliner associates say. This tells me that McCain clearly thinks the bill is junk, and that it won’t help the economy.)
Writes the conservative, pro-Iraq-war, Obama dipsomaniac Sullivan:
This much is now clear. Their clear and open intent is to do all they can, however they can, to sabotage the new administration (and the economy to boot). They want failure. Even now. Even after the last eight years. Even in a recession as steeply dangerous as this one. There are legitimate debates to be had; and then there is the cynicism and surrealism of total political war. We now should have even less doubt about what kind of people they are. And the mountain of partisan vitriol Obama will have to climb every day of the next four or eight years.
Boo hoo, Andrew.
Those heartless bastards dare to question “The One.” Get used to it, pal.
by Ronald Scott
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