Mike Lee
Earlier today, a reporter standing outside the Senate chamber told me that, after four months of secrecy, The Firm™️ plans to release the text of the $106 billion supplemental aid / border-security package—possibly as soon as tomorrow.
Wasting no time, she then asked, “if you get the bill by tomorrow, will you be ready to vote on it by Tuesday?”
The words “hell no” escaped my mouth before I could stop them. Those are strong words where I come from. (Sorry, Mom).
The reporter immediately understood that my frustration was not directed at her.
Rather, it was directed at the Law Firm of Schumer & McConnell (“The Firm™️”), which is perpetually trying to normalize a corrupt approach to legislating—in which The Firm™️
(1) spends months drafting legislation in complete secrecy,
(2) aggressively markets that legislation based not on its details and practical implications (good and bad), but only on its broadest, least-controversial objectives,
(3) lets members see bill text for the first time only a few days (sometimes a few hours) before an arbitrary deadline imposed by The Firm™️ itself, always with a contrived sense of urgency, and then
(4) forces a vote on the legislation on or before that deadline, denying senators any real opportunity to read, digest, and debate the measure on its merits, much less introduce, consider, and vote on amendments to fix any perceived problems with the bill or otherwise improve it.
Whenever The Firm™️ engages in this practice, it largely excludes nearly every senator from the constitutionally prescribed process in which all senators are supposed to participate.
By so doing, The Firm™️ effectively disenfranchises hundreds of millions of Americans—at least for purposes relevant to the legislation at hand—and that’s tragic.
It’s also unAmerican, uncivil, uncollegial, and really uncool.
So why does The Firm™️ do it?
Every time The Firm™️ utilizes this approach and the bill passes—and it nearly always does—The Firm™️ becomes more powerful.
The high success rate is largely attributable to the fact that The Firm™️ has become very adept at (a) enlisting the help of the (freakishly cooperative) news media, (b) exerting peer pressure in a way that makes what you experienced in middle school look mild by comparison, and (c) rewarding those who consistently vote with The Firm™️ with various privileges that The Firm™️ is uniquely capable of offering (committee assignments, help with campaign fundraising, and a whole host of other widely coveted things that The Firm™️ is free to distribute in any manner it pleases).
It’s through this process that The Firm™️ passes most major spending legislation.
It’s through this process that The Firm™️ likely intends to pass the still-secret, $106 billion supplemental aid / border-security package, which The Firm™️ has spent four months negotiating, with the luxury of obsessing over every sentence, word, period, and comma.
I still don’t know exactly what’s in this bill, although I have serious concerns with it based on the few details The Firm™️ has been willing to share.
But under no circumstances should this bill — which would fund military operations in three distant parts of the world and make massive, permanent changes to immigration law — be passed next week.
Nor should it be passed until we have had adequate time to read the bill, discuss it with constituents, debate it, offer amendments, and vote on those amendments.
There’s no universe in which those things will happen by next week.
Depending on how long it is and the complexity of its provisions, the minimum period of time we should devote to this bill after it’s released should be measured in weeks or months, not days or hours.
This garbage bill created by the Deep State will get the nod from almost all Republicans. It's another case where the average person is too concerned with who will win the Super Bowl. Emotionally reacting, short sighted Lotus eating Americans are too fat, Dumb and happy with the bread and circuses to be concerned with a bill that won't instantly and directly negatively affect their lives.
ReplyDeleteLee has described what goes on quite well. If only more elected officials would get involved in exposing the mafia like corruption in our government, we might then start the process of cleaning it up and give America back to the people.
ReplyDeleteFormer one term congressman Allen West tried and failed. I've read interviews where he said he was told right from the get-go "play along with the club or we'll bury you". He didn't, they did and he bailed. There's no more Mr. Smiths going to Washington any more. The club is and has been for years too powerful and close knit to be effectively fought.
DeleteThose two sure do seem queer for each other. And I don't really mean that any other way than just exactly how I said it. If a space alien asked for evidence of homosexuality, pointing to that pair would surely provide proof.
ReplyDeleteWhat Lee said is "right", but Schumer and McTurtle hold the cards for now. We need them to "go to the house" or better. However, I think they'll be "clingers" and hang on as long as Dianne Frankenstein did. Thanks for posting Irish.
ReplyDeleteWe need them to go to the train station. Rip will drive them there.
DeleteAnd close the godamned border FIRST.
ReplyDeleteEurope has been killed by the muslim invasion and the US has been killed by the invasion over the southern border. Too late now.
ReplyDelete...so, nothing new under the sun in DC. Same old same old we're going f*ck The People over again because we can. Got it. Then they wonder why some people in this country think that most politicians in DC need to learn the hemp jig.
ReplyDeleteNemo
Typical, pass a bill that's not needed to give money we don't have to people that don't need.
ReplyDeleteArticle I, Section 7, Clause 1:
ReplyDelete"All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills."
The Senate bill is not a normal tax bill, but it creates debt and spends money the government doesn't have. That debt is passed on to the citizens in the form of inflation and future taxes: therefore it actually is a revenue bill. Since it originated in the Senate, it's completely unconstitutional. Congress critters know this, but they all play along and ignore the law.
Anytime legislation is drafted in secret and/or submitted for immediate vote without time for proper review should always, always, always get a NO vote.
ReplyDeleteAnother sound bite from a do-nothing politician. The GOP in the house dumped their go along leader, the senate should do the same.
ReplyDeleteMore politicians like Sen Lee (thx, Mike) should have an "attitude" when a bill comes out at the last minute, and is expected to be voted on tomorrow.
ReplyDelete"Hey! Constituents! I'm not voting for this (insert descriptive words of your choice) bill! Why? Because it's 2000 pages long, I only got it today, and TPTB expect a vote tomorrow! And I haven't even had a chance to read it yet! I DON'T trust the title. I don't know what's in it. There's probably a lot of (insert descriptive word of your choice) in there that's NOT in your best interest. More Gooberment. Increased taxes. Looser border with more illegal aliens. Pork barrel spending. Sooooo....for now, it's a solid NO, no matter what Post Turtle Mitch or Johnson & Johnson sez, threatens, or wants. I'll keep a'y'all informed as I read through this abomination. Thank you for your time and patience. God Bless, and good night".
President Elect B Woodman
Fuck lankkfford he best stay in dee cee permantly, no one here wants him back
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking the Repubs can't be this stupid to agree ie bipartisan bill that leaves the border wide open. McConnell and Langford must have done this knowingly on purpose.
ReplyDelete