Every day we see these kind of stories in which the media spins it to put the Republicans in a bad light, when in fact it’s exactly the opposite. The Republics fought to get a line item veto added to the bill which would give the President the power to strike out individual pork barrel items in a large bill. But the Democrats would have none of that. So what happens? Jonathan Weisman writes a biased piece of crapola:
Senate Republicans scuttled broad legislation last night to curtail lobbyists’ influence and tighten congressional ethics rules, refusing to let the bill pass without a vote on an unrelated measure that would give President Bush virtual line-item-veto power.
The bill could be brought back up later this year. Indeed, Democrats will try one last time today to break the impasse. But its unexpected collapse last night infuriated Democrats and the government watchdog groups that had been pushing it since the lobbying scandals that rocked the last Congress. Proponents charged that Republicans had used the spending-control measure as a ruse to thwart ethics rules they dared not defeat in a straight vote.
"It’s as obvious as the sun coming up somewhere in this world that they tried to kill this bill," a furious Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) said last night in an interview. "And all 21 Republican senators up for reelection are going to have to explain how they brought down the most significant reform ever to come before this Congress. They brought this baby down."But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said insistence on a line-item-veto vote was proof that the GOP is serious about passing the toughest possible overhaul of the way Congress conducts its business. Efforts to give Bush power to strike individual items from spending bills have been struck down by the Supreme Court, but Senate Republicans insist that the latest version will pass constitutional muster.
What baloney. The Republicans wanted MORE ethics related reforms instead of less but we’re the bad guys. Idiots.
Of course the Senate negotiated and they were able to get this bill passed with the Democrats word that Sen. Gregg’s initiative (the line item veto) will go through on the next piece of legislation:
Under the agreement reached Thursday, Gregg will be allowed to offer his proposal as part of the next bill to reach the Senate floor, a proposal to raise the minimum wage while giving small businesses several tax breaks. That will take place on Monday.
Guess who is biggest enemy to allowing a line item veto? Sen. KKK Byrd:
The deal had to take in the objections of the Senate’s senior member, Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., who is vehemently opposed to any legislation that might cede the legislative branch’s power over the purse to the president.
I wonder why?
U.S. Sens. Robert C. Byrd and Jay Rockefeller, both D-W.Va., let Mattox know the slightly more than $110 million has already been secured in the federal budget. In addition, Byrd’s office explained that sometime in the summer, after first getting a hand on appropriations made by Republicans prior to the Democratic Senate takeover in November, earmarking funds for specific road projects will again take place.
Isn’t that special.
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