U.S. House voted (229-193) to "disapprove" the Senate bill to extend the payroll tax cut for just two months. One must ask why the Senate and the President are not willing to take the longer extension set by the US House. Why would they wish to revisit again and again, when the House Republicans agreed to give the President the longer option? It is clear that the democrats have other agenda items which are sending a confused message to the voters.
Big Government is being rejected by the American voters. Yesterday, the ARRA News Service addressed Gallup's new poll which identified that all voters including Democrats see Big Government as the Greatest threat to their lives.
The Senate reconvened for a pro forma session at 11 AM today and is in recess until a scheduled pro forma session on Friday at 9:30 AM. Senate Republicans had demanded and the majority Democrats agreed to a series of pro forma sessions for the Senate until late January to prevent President Obama from making any recess appointments. At this time, additional pro forma sessions are scheduled for Dec. 27 and 30 and Jan. 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, and 20.
But, maybe the Senate will reconvene once again. House Speaker John Boehner wrote a letter to President Obama. Boehner said, "I ask you to call on the Senate to return to appoint negotiators so that we can provide the American people the economic certainty they need." Note that it was the Democrat led Senate that pushed for a 2 month verses a 9 months compromise bill and went on recess instead of waiting for the House response. As pointed out in prior articles, Sen. Majority Reid has played the trickster by doing exactly what he tried to say the House would do - vote and go on recess and not be available of resolution. Why is the Senate Democrat leadership opposed to conferencing (seeking resolution) with House Republican on this bill. If both chambers do not reconcile their differences over the bill by December 31, in the words of Sen Harry Reid, "160 million middle class Americans will see a tax increase, over two million Americans will begin losing their unemployment benefits, and millions of senior citizens on Medicare could find it harder to receive treatment from physicians." Even a blind squirrel (or should we say progressive liberal) finds an acorn on occasion. Again the question, what are the Senate and House Democrats trying to avoid; they sure aren't trying to avoid hurting the American people.
Politico reported yesterday that “All 47 Senate Republicans have signed a letter to President Obama warning him against making recess appointments for the two open seats on the National Labor Relations Board.” The Hill added, “In a letter sent to the president on Monday, all 47 GOP senators said he should allow the Senate to consider his nominees, Sharon Block and Richard Griffin. . . . Block is a former aide to the late Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and a senior Labor Department official who used to work at the NLRB. Griffin is the general counsel for the International Union of Operating Engineers. Obama nominated them to the board last week. ... The labor board is about to lose its quorum of three members and thus its ability to issue rulings and regulations. Board Member Craig Becker's recess appointment ends at the end of this year, which will reduce the NLRB to two members. The GOP senators also said Obama should reject suggestions that he recess appoint Block and Griffin to the labor board during the mandatory adjournment between sessions of Congress, arguing it would ‘provoke a constitutional conflict.’”
Senate Republicans also noted in their letter: “Appointments to the NLRB have traditionally been made through prior agreement of both parties to ensure that any group of nominees placed on the board represents an appropriate political and philosophical balance. Indeed, the very statutory design of the Board is meant to ensure a basic level of bipartisanship in the appointment of Members. . . . appointments to Board that depart from this tradition have resulted in some of the most contentious, divisive struggles we face in the Senate. Your controversial recess appointment of NLRB Member Craig Becker is an example of an NLRB nominee having been appointed over the objection of the Senate and the result of that decision has been unending controversy throughout Member Becker’s entire term on the Board, which has undermined the credibility of the entire NLRB.”
President Obama's Track Records:
While indeed it is constitutionally right and critical for the Senate to have the opportunity to thoroughly review new nominees, President Obama has already shown a troubling record of attempting to go around Congress and to avoid oversight on numerous issues. As a former Senator, Obama understands the process. But his track records clearly evidence that he is not interested.
In his three years in the White House, President Obama has established a track record of expanding "Big Government" control over people's lives. Obama also has established a "mobile" track record -- being absent excessively from the White House -- either globe trotting, vacationing, or visiting Congressional districts to attack members of Congress. Then there is President Obama's and his administrations' track record of dismissively and contemptuously disparaging Constitutional requirements, Congress, the Judicial system, and the people's right to decide on issues for themselves.
These track records scream out that President Obama would rather be governing with absolute control (a Hugo Chavez wannabe) pushing for centralized "Big Government." When Obama doesn't get his way, he slips into ranting, attacking and pontificating, and if that isn't going well then there is visiting another country, global conference or vacationing on the taxpayers' millions.
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