June 25, 2004

(Not so) Instant Karma's gonna get ya
Posted by Jon Henke

Jesse Taylor is upset about Senate Republicans maneuvering votes to to screw over John Kerry...

So, now you can just move around Senate votes to prevent the wrong Senators from voting for them. I have no problem with the normal congressional tinkering and rescheduling that goes on to shore up votes, etc. But, in this little forgotten corner of reality called "sanity" I'm trying to spruce up over here, don't you lose any credibility as a critic when you prevent someone from doing the thing you're mad at them for not doing?

In short, didn't they just shoot themselves in the foot by giving Kerry a ready-made excuse and Senate Democrats a ready-made line of attack? Has the giant collective Capitol Hill Republican brain been killed by years of steady movement conservative booze?

No, Jesse, those elephants just have long memories....
Democrats successfully used parliamentary tactics in 1996 to help derail then-Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole's candidacy for the White House and in the process forced the Kansas Republican to resign his seat - a fact that Republicans have never forgotten.
I will eagerly await a follow-up post condemning the Democrats for the same. For the record, I find both distasteful misuses of the responsibility of governance. But I'm not surprised.

(link via the increasingly invaluable Robert Tagorda)

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Comments

The Democrats have repeatedly stalled votes on judges by various parliamentary tricks, and they have the nerve to complain about this?

Sauce for the goose....

Posted by: Steverino at June 25, 2004 08:27 AM

I think it would benefit Kerry to resign - except he won't because until the Mass HOR and State Senate ram thru the vote to change the law to fill the vacancy he won't. Currently it calls for an appointment by the Gov who is a GOPer and the new law will require a special election. But hey that's not politics.

Posted by: Jack Tanner at June 25, 2004 08:49 AM

Or how about what MA Dems are doing to override the law that says if a Sen resigns, the Gov picks his replacement? They're trying to make it so if Kerry gives up the seat, the MA republican gov won't be able to do it...

Posted by: shark at June 25, 2004 09:52 AM

Cry me a river!!! Boo Hoo
Show a brother a little love and make a vote now and then you have something to cry about.....
Kerry dosen't even make the effort to attend a vote most of the time when he's in Washington, five min of your time won't kill ya John John!! lol

Posted by: Bill from NYC at June 25, 2004 09:56 AM