Gotta love the Democrats. When they talk about fiscal responsibility, they mean it. Well, they want you to believe they do. But then they unveiled this huge spending bill and all claims were gone.
Democrats have unveiled a massive spending bill combining the budgets of 13 Cabinet agencies with increases in aid for lower-income college students, while cutting President Bush's funding requests for foreign aid and closing military bases.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Tuesday slammed Democrats' plans to advance the huge $463.5 billion measure through the House on Wednesday without giving Republicans or rank and file Democrats a chance to offer changes in an Appropriations Committee session or on the floor.
Most lawmakers — and the public — were to get their first chances to read the budget tome Tuesday, barely a day before the House was supposed to vote it up or down.
"If we're going to spend $463 billion of the taxpayers' funds, we ought to have more than an hours' worth of debate, Boehner said. "And maybe the (Democratic) majority ought to let Democrats and Republicans offer amendments."
But Democrats such as Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey of Wisconsin had little sympathy, saying Republicans wouldn't make tough budget choices before the election and didn't try to clean up the mess afterward in a lame duck session.
Weren't Democrats the ones claiming there was going to be a spirit of integrity, civility, and bipartisanship in this Congress? Oh, yeah! They were:
"It's about the issues that are relevant to the American people's lives. It's a new direction. It's what they sent us here to do," (House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi said.
"And we will do it, first and foremost, by making this the most honest and open Congress, in a spirit of integrity, of civility and bipartisanship, and in a way that is fiscally sound."
Well, we already know how long Democrat civility lasts because we've had so many examples of it I'm starting a new category for 'em.
But weren't the Democrats also the ones complaining that they were shut out of the decision-making process? Why, yes, they were!
Ever since the 2002 elections, Democrats have struggled for a unifying message to rally their troops, at least on Capitol Hill. The war and the economy didn't do it fully; too much division within Democratic ranks. But abuse of majority power is something all minority Democrats can agree on, and Friday's events opened a new opportunity to amplify what they believe is a valid complaint.
Democrats lost no time in making it. E-mails alerted journalists to rush to the disputed library in the Longworth House Office Building. Later in the afternoon, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi invoked a rarely used parliamentary device to force a debate on the House floor over the actions of chairman Bill Thomas (R) of California. The debate pulled out all the rhetorical stops: Rep. Robert Menendez (D) of New Jersey compared the incident to what happens in police states that Hispanic refugees flee. Rep. John Lewis (D) of Georgia recalled facing dogs, arrest, and jail as a civil rights activist in the 1960s.
What was the Democrat complaint? That there was no debate on the budget. Hell, Pete Stark of California was so mad, he compared the Republicans to fascists (not like the Bush = Hitler analogy was new then or now):
Mr. Chairman, there are some of us who remember this world in the 1930s, when Hitler suspended the Bundestag to promulgate conservative ideology and not let people speak. It is a shame that the Republicans in the House, Mr. Chairman, have taken up that same ideology and are denying a chance for debate and open discussion of a budget. It does smack of fascism...
Is Petey gonna call the Democrats fascists now?
Cross-posted at Common Sense Political Thought.
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