United States News
See other United States News Articles
Title: Political Odd Couples Deliver First Defeat to House GOP Leaders (Patriot Act Extension)
Source:
ROLLCALL
URL Source: http://www.rollcall.com/news/-203237-1.html
Published: Feb 8, 2011
Author: ROLLCALL
Post Date: 2011-02-08 19:56:46 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 1387
Comments: 2
House conservatives and progressive Democrats came together Tuesday to hand the new GOP majority its first defeat of the 112th Congress by rejecting a Patriot Act extension. The 277-148 vote fell seven votes short of the two-thirds support needed for passage. In the hope of getting more support, Republican leaders kept the vote open for 35 minutes — about 20 minutes longer than scheduled and, according to a Democrat, in violation of the chamber’s rules. “Holding the vote open is against what they said the rules would be,” said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, an opponent of the legislation. “This is a significant defeat for the Patriot Act, because what you have here is a coalition of Democrats and Republicans who blocked this from happening,” the Ohio Democrat added. Kucinich, who helped whip opposition to the bill by calling conservative Members, said he hoped the defeat would fuel more opposition for the extension across the country. Members came to the floor at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday to take what many thought would be a largely perfunctory vote. Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) brought the bill up under suspension of the rules, a move that typically indicates that leaders are confident they have the votes. But the situation on the floor quickly unraveled, as the bulk of the freshman class joined with older conservatives and progressives such as Kucinich to beat back the bill. Cantor, Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and his entire whip team huddled for long minutes on the floor as they sought to find a way around the defeat, to no avail. Conservatives and progressives have long had deep reservations regarding the Patriot Act, which they argue infringes on citizens’ right to privacy. It remains unclear what the next step is for the bill. Cantor could bring the bill back under a rule or under suspension if Republicans are able to find the needed votes for passage. Bringing the bill under a rule would be an easier bar to reach, because only 218 votes would be required for passage.
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: Brian S (#0)
Excellent. Let's hope it STAYS dead.
Socialist ass-hats think "There will be no more money when the U.S. dollar has no value, until that time we can keep printing more." And yes, that IS from LF's answer to Ben Bernanke, go65, leading disfunctional and delusional socialist of the forum. "You want me to kill THE ENEMIES of Jappos, I'll kill THE ENEMIES of Jappos, Rebs, or Sioux, or Cheyenne... For 500 bucks a month I'll kill whoever you want. But keep one thing in mind: I'd happily kill you for free." Algren, "The Last Samurai" If Cantor pulls this stunt, he will have poisoned the freshman/tea party well of Congress. This could very well turn into a 'showdown' between the party hacks and the newbies. Should be fun to watch. I can't stand Cantor so I will be supporting the 'newbies' on this and of course I have opposed the PA since its inception.
Never swear "allegiance" to anything other than the 'right to change your mind'!
#2. To: Capitalist Eric (#1)
It remains unclear what the next step is for the bill. Cantor could bring the bill back under a rule or under suspension if Republicans are able to find the needed votes for passage. Bringing the bill under a rule would be an easier bar to reach, because only 218 votes would be required for passage.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]