Comments on: What To Expect From The 114th Congress

By: dsws

dsws — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 15:16:13 +0000

I would add some blue state baggers like Toomey (PA) and Johnson (WI) to your list.

I don't know anything about them, but a glance at Toomey's article on Wikipedia shows that he opposed SOPA and PIPA. That's worth mentioning because it's a red-letter day (or should I say once in a blue moon?) when I find an opportunity to say three cheers for a Republican. (Contrary to Michale's frequent assertion, virtually-always disagreeing with Republicans does not mean agreeing with Democrats. I always have disagreed with bipartisan consensus on various issues including copyright.)

Also, my list of Republican senators who can't be counted on to vote with the party leadership omitted Marco Rubio. He wasn't on the list of Tea Party senators I got by googling, but the grandstanding requirements of his presidential aspirations apparently earn him a spot on mine. So here's the updated list:

Ted Cruz (TX)
Mike Lee (UT)
Jeff Sessions (AL)
Pat Roberts (KS)
Jerry Moran (KS)
Rand Paul (KY)
Mike Crapo (ID)
David Vitter (LA)
Tim Scott (SC)
Pat Toomey (PA)
Ron Johnson (WI)
Marco Rubio (FL)

By: Michale

Michale — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 13:41:23 +0000

If I may go off on a tangent for a moment... I am going to be off the grid for the day... Our middle son is getting married today... I wanted to post my Toast to the bride and groom because it was influenced by my friends here at CW.COM..... I'll keep my comments brief... That big 'wooosshhh' sound you just heard was the big sigh of relief coming from the Worley women.. I'de like to welcome the newest Worley woman to the family.. I would just like to impart 2 pieces of advice. Having been married to the same beautiful lady for 33 years I think I can speak with some wisdom on the subject.. The first is, don't sweat the small stuff. Ya'all are going to face trials in your lives together. There will be bad times and there will be good times.. Thru all of these, keeping perspective, keeping your priorities straight is job one. And there will be no bigger priority than each other..... The second piece of wisdom has a small story behind it. Betina and I were having a debate on some subject.. I turned to some net-friends to try and settle the discussion.. The answer I got from a friend named David was illuminating.. I was told, "Do you want to be right or do you want to be happy??" Being right all the time is not all it's cracked up to be... Trust me, I know... :D Here's hoping, my son, that you always choose to be happy... Thanx guys... :D See ya'all tomorrow... Michale

By: Michale

Michale — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 11:34:35 +0000

Democrats launch first filibuster of the year on Keystone
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/8/democrats-launch-first-filibuster-year-keystone/

Well, THAT sure didn't take long, eh??

And here I though Democrats were sincere when they complained about the filibuster...

Silly me...

Maybe McConnell should pull a Harry-Reid and abolish all filibusters until the 116th Congess, eh??

Michale

By: John From Censornati

John From Censornati — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 11:22:24 +0000

dsws,

I would add some blue state baggers like Toomey (PA) and Johnson (WI) to your list.

By: Michale

Michale — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 10:43:34 +0000

To be scrupulously fair here, I would expect nothing less.. :D both Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell seem like their hearts are in the right place. Politicians have a heart?? Who knew!?? :D (to say nothing of the problem the filibuster presents). But... But.... But... Democrats would NEVER stoop so low as to filibustering anything!!! Not after the demonized the filibuster for the last 6 years!! All legislation that makes it through Congress in the next two years is going to fall into two basic categories: veto-bait and necessary compromise. Republicans will pass any number of bills through the House intended solely to make life difficult for President Obama and Democrats. ".... nature of the beast.." -Colonel Hadley, THE FINAL OPTION The initial bill to fund the department will likely have some strident anti-Obama language in it, as well as some stridently anti-immigrant measures. To be scrupulously fair.... ;D "stridently anti-ILLEGAL-immigrant measures"... :D Awesome commentary.... :D I don't think, though, things are going to be as bad you you surmise.. If there is one thing that can be said about the GOP when the chips are down, when it's pucker time, they do what is in their own best interests.. The GOP knows that what they do now will make or break their run for the White House in 2016.. And fraction or division amongst the GOP will likely be behind closed doors.. Even the most recent incident with electing Boehner to Speaker wasn't all that bad... TBH, I wasn't much impressed with Boehner's reaction. Seemed to me to be a bit childish and pissy... On the other hand, if you are going to kill the king, you better make damn sure you KILL the king.. Call me a cup-is-half-full kinda guy, but I think we're going to see that government can actually work... Here's hoping that THAT little prediction doesn't come back and bite me on the ass... :D Michale

By: dsws

dsws — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 09:02:03 +0000

Are the Establishment and Tea Party factions in the Senate really that far apart? You can get elected to the House from a safe district by winning a primary and running unopposed in the general election, but all Senate seats have general-election opponents. Or at least they do if the candidate expected to win the dominant-party primary is so extreme as to be anathema to the centermost 20% of likely dominant-party voters in the general election. Of course the Tea Party senators want to grandstand for the lunatic fringe, but it's not clear to me that they want anything substantively that different from the Establishment wing, nor that the Establishment senators really have any problem with the grandstanding.

If the Republicans can make a deal among themselves, it only takes six Democrats to go along. Seven, counting Obama. But Obama will sign anything that's not blatant veto-bait. They just have to pair each truckload of the truly horrible stuff with some smidgen of what looks like progress on something unrelated, something that will show up in trivia questions as part of his legacy.

I don't think they really want to replace Obamacare with anything. They might rip out a few parts, though, in the hope that the whole thing will break down enough to have the public declare it a failure.

I suppose that one step toward answering the question of how far apart the Tea Party and Establishment factions are in the Senate would be to spell out who the Tea Party senators are.

Ted Cruz (TX)
Mike Lee (UT)
Jeff Sessions (AL)
Pat Roberts (KS)
Jerry Moran (KS)
Rand Paul (KY)
Mike Crapo (ID)
David Vitter (LA)
Tim Scott (SC)

Additions? Deletions? Analysis of their willingness to work with the Establishment faction?