Today's edition of quick hits:
* As far as President Obama is concerned, a fiscal agreement should be done by Christmas. Whether it will be is a separate question.
* Egypt: "The Egyptian judiciary intensified its resistance Wednesday to a move last week by President Mohamed Morsi to greatly enlarge his power, as the country's top courts joined a growing number of striking judges in expressions of dissent."
* Climate crisis: "This year has ranked among the nine warmest since records began more than 160 years ago, continuing a trend for the planet that is increasing the dangers of extreme weather events, according to United Nations meteorologists."
* More on the climate crisis: "Projections for sea level rise in coming decades could be too conservative, experts warned Wednesday, saying they found that the rise over the last two decades is much more than predicted by the U.N. scientific body tracking climate signals."
* The U.N. General Assembly is poised to recognize Palestine as a "non-member observer state" tomorrow.
* Obama will host lunch at the White House tomorrow with Mitt Romney, but the Republican will not be considered for any cabinet posts.
* Whistleblower law: "Federal employees who expose fraud, waste and abuse in government operations now have new protections against retaliation. President Obama signed the protections into law on Tuesday, 13 years after groups representing whistle-blowers began lobbying for such measures."
* Rush Limbaugh is still worried that the economy might continue to improve.
* And is it possible Republican filibusters are the result of Harry Reid being too mean when it comes to amendments? No, actually there's irrefutable proof that this isn't the case.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Leave a Comment:
Please go to fixthefilibuster.com and sign the petition. The majority was not elected to be under the thumb of the minority and making them filibuster doesn't mean they will talk about the issue but means they can campaign and demean the other side. Make them talk but put a limit on the debate because the detailed discussion should always be followed by a vote so put a time limit on the debate...and if possible make all discussions be pertinent to the issue at hand...not reading from the phone book etc.
It's true that requiring requiring constant oration for the filibuster will not work... With 40+ Senators opposing a bill, they can continually 'tag' each other to continue the oration... Not only would it not work, it would stop the work of the Senate in its tracks...
Here is a better idea... Make the filibuster ABLATIVE... First, remove the second and third opportunities to filibuster a bill (cloture of debate and allowing the vote to occur)... Allow the filibuster to start debate to occur normally... If the Senate cannot get 60 votes to end the filibuster, the bill is put aside for a set period of time, say 2 weeks... When the Senate again takes up the bill, require 2 less votes to begin debate, 58 instead of 60... Each time the bill is considered, require 2 less than the last time... When it gets to the point of requiring a simple majority, if it can't get that, the bill is killed...
This allows the minority to stall a bill, but not kill it completely... If the minority cannot convince some of the majority in private in that time period to stall beginning the debate in public, they have to try to convince them in public to vote in their favour... No more stalling at that point... No more killing bills by a tyranny of the minority...
I think they should cut DHS, I was in the military and I really don't know what DHS does that wasn't done before, by the separate respective agencies. The JCTTF and database integration took care of what was done before. I guess their job is to suck up money and provide jobs for Bush's frat brothers and Ivy league frats.
I soooo agree bdog. There is such a duplication of gov security and intelligence functions it stuns. Signed, ret gov efficiency expert
Any bets on whether his lunch date with the Prez will finally give Romney a reason to pick up a comb again?
Graham, McConnel, McCain, everyone in the Taliban/Teaparty are stupendously wroth that the guy with the nice tan beat them TWICE! And to add insult to injury, saved the US economy in spite of their best efforts.
Knowing that on top of all that, he is a so much more decent human being than they, must really scroll their nurd.
serving 7-11 cookies and chocolate-frosted donuts for dessert...
Lindsey Graham is "More disturbed?" Was there ever any doubt?
What a shame Romney isn't being considered for a cabinet position. If Bill Clinton is being considered for Secretary of Explaining Things, Mitt Romney would be his perfect counterpart as Secretary of Lying.
...ambassador to Looking Glass Land.
... envoy to Bizarro World...
Oh, I think Obama will get his fiscal agreement by Christmas, or shortly thereafter. The question is , how much will he give up to the other side to get it. We've played this game before. Obama holds the winning hand, but folds at the last minute snatching defeat from the jaws of victory yet again. Doesn't this sound familiar folks? Just wait a few weeks. It will.
Someone needs to stick a needle like one does a balloon into Rush Limbaugh so all that hot air can be released.
I love listening to our President. He is an extraordinary man. And his wife and children too.
CEOs, 'cause they were 'uncertain',
Wouldn't hire those folks who were hurtin'...
Now, that's changing, because,
Like the Wizard of Oz,
Norquist's been found, hiding behind the curtain...
http://youtu.be/o5RWFdGOJAE I play guitar and just recorded a song I dedicated to Bradley Manning. Please watch it and spread the word.
I say we, the people, sign a PLEDGE to march on Congress if the Republicans don't support our President's agenda. (and don't think we're kidding..)
Uh.... there was this little thing called the 2012 election.... in which Mitt "Wild Hair" Romney lost.... so if 60M+ folks voting for the winner ( President Barack Obama) adds up in your world to "8 welfare mommies," then yes, the GOP should be shaking in their boots, because they just got their collective posteriors beat to a pulp by us "you people."
Jerrold
You have reached new heights in schmuck-itude. BTW Ive had the same job for 18 years, have never taken assistance form government be it local, state or Federal and pay all my bills on time. Yet I am a Liberal and proud of it. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
As God asked Noah, "How long can you tred water?"
A fellow Bill Cosby fan!
Ri-i-ight...
Harry Reid–who during the campaign said there was no way his Senate would work with Mitt Romney if he won the presidency–is now complaining that Republicans are unwilling to work with Barack Obama
But then again many of us know that Senator Harry Reid is a hypocrite as well as being F.O.S.!!!
More evidence that once again Senator Harry Reid is a hypocrite as well as being F.O.S.!!!
And speaking of power, this is what Harry Reid had to say back in 2005 about the Republicans’ attempt at eliminating the filibuster for judicial nominees:
Back then Harry Reid was upset with the Republicans for being arrogant and using this arrogance to assume more power (Remember how the Democrats claimed the rights of the minority party must be protected?) yet now he seems to have been seduced by that very same arrogance of power himself.
But it gets even better, this is part of what Harry Reid said back in 2005:
Now that is priceless when looking at the deficits now, isn’t it?