More Democrat Political Games & Failed Leadership & Netanyahu Schools Congress

Today in Washington, D.C. - May 24, 2010:
Yesterday, the Senate voted 74-8 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S. 1038, the Patriot Act extension bill.  Today, the Senate resumed post-cloture consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 1038, the Patriot Act extension bill. S. 1038 will extend 3 expiring provisions of the Patriot Act for 4 years: court orders for roving wiretaps, court orders for certain business records, and investigations of non-citizen “lone wolf” terrorists.

This morning the Senate and House held a joint meeting of Congress to hear Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In summary, he repeated his statements made to the President. He appreciated the support of America but clearly identified Israel will not reduce the size of its country. A majority of Americans agree with him and we wonder why our funds, taken from Americans, are used to fund Hamas, a terrorist group set on killing all Jews. However, Netanyahu also stated that Israel would make "painful compromises" for peace "Israel will never give up its quest for peace," Netanyahu said, "Israel will never give up its quest for peace" He added that Israel is "willing to make painful compromises to achieve this historic peace." PBS has already posted a video of his speech. However, it is embarrassing to see this outstanding leader far outshine the our own president before Congress.

According to GOPUSA, House Republicans "are preparing a $1 billion aid package to make sure federal disaster relief accounts don't run out before the end of the budget year in September." Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., said the move would ensure that there's enough money for victims of the Joplin tornado, as well as those suffering from flooding in the Mississippi Basin and from tornadoes that swept across Alabama last month. The additional money would make sure that ongoing relief efforts aren't interrupted as new disaster relief efforts get under way across the South and Midwest. Aderholt said that the appropriations panel will cut spending elsewhere in the budget to fund the disaster relief. A House Appropriations Committee spokeswoman said the panel was likely to cut a loan program to encourage the production of fuel efficient vehicles.

As early as tomorrow, the Senate may hold a series of votes on competing budget plans. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has said he plans to have the Senate vote on the House-passed budget of Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI). Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has said the chamber will also have an opportunity to vote on the budget President Obama submitted in February. Leader McConnell has also said that votes on budget proposals from Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Pat Toomey (R-PA) are possible.

As stated before, it has been over 750 days since the Democrat led Senate has offered and passed a budget.  A majority of Democrats continue to duck the responsibility of proposing one. All these Democrat Senators have violated their responsibility for the office that they have occupied.  This is not a trivial matter and they have opted not to comply with the requirements of their positions.  Why are their constituents returning them to office.  Last election Utah, returned Sen. Harry Reid to continue his abuses of the American people.

The Democrat leadership has Instead decided to play politics with the serious budget from House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) that passed the House.

Yesterday, ranking Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), and Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), sent a letter signed by all 47 Republican senators to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), calling on the Democrat majority to start the budget process. In the letter, they wrote, “The voters in the November 2010 mid-term elections spoke loud and clear: the country can no longer afford the status quo or business as usual in Washington. Our fiscal reality is simply too dire. Each day that passes without a federal budget plan is another day in which out-of-control spending jeopardizes America’s economic future, national security, and jobs.”

Despite that reality, Democrats seem content with the status quo of playing political games, instead of seriously addressing our nation’s fiscal crisis. NBC noted yesterday, “The Senate has just gone into session -- and it took Majority Leader Harry Reid two minutes to begin attacking the Paul Ryan Medicare plan, as well as where the Republican Party stands on the proposal. . . . Reid plans to hold a vote on the Ryan budget later this week (day TBD) -- which he argued will ‘kill Medicare.’ Reid is calling the vote to force Senate Republicans to take a position on the Medicare proposal.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer, a member of Democrat leadership, was even more explicit about the political nature of Senate Democrats’ approach to the budget. The Hill reported yesterday, “Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) downplayed the lack of a Democratic budget proposal Monday, saying there’s simply no room to deal with an alternative until the Senate has voted on the House GOP’s controversial proposal. ‘To put other budgets out there is not the point,’ Schumer told reporters. . . . Democrats won’t let other proposals get in the way of their message on the House budget, which Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) authored. ‘This issue will have staying power and be a defining issue for 2012,’ Schumer said.”

And Roll Call writes today, Democrats aren't shy about saying the vote on the Ryan budget this week is intended to set up Republicans politically for 2012. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) plans to bring up the House-passed budget for a vote even though he is not obligated to do so and has said it would be ‘foolish’ for Democrats to put forward a budget of their own. ‘This issue will have staying power and be a defining issue in 2012,’ Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer (N.Y.) said in a conference call Monday with reporters. The issue will show voters ‘why we need to keep the Senate Democrats in order to counter House Republicans. ... The Republicans tried to end Medicare, but a Democratic majority stopped it in the Senate. ... It's that simple,’ Schumer said.”

As Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell responded this morning, “evidently Democrats have decided that avoiding this crisis helps them in the next election. That’s why they plan to vote against every budget plan that comes to the floor this week — including the President’s. Democrats are apparently operating under the assumption that if they’re on the record opposing everything, it helps them politically. So, in other words, we might not leave here this week with a solution to our nation’s looming debt crisis, but Democrats are pretty confident they’ll leave with some good material for campaign ads. . . . They aren’t even pretending to put principle over politics here. According to Senator Schumer, their focus is on an election — that’s still almost two years away! Well, my suggestion is that Democrats start thinking about putting their names on something other than an attack ad. They could start with a budget.”

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