Strike my earlier question
It helps if you actually look at the correct title(5315) when trying to follow this thing:o
Did however find a good link for searching and getting through the code though.
Learn something new everyday.
Link
Some Politics, But Mostly Poor Personal Relationships Across Party Lines
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To say the Republicans killed this bill b/c of a speech Pelosi gave opens one of two options:
1) They are spineless morons, allowing momentary politics to waive them over the good of their country and the request of their president.
2) They weren't going to vote for it to begin with, and Pelosi's speech gave them an out that would be useful in an election.
I can't say that Pelosi's speech was well timed or thought out, but is anyone surprised she would attempt to lay blame on the other party - and anyone would change their vote b/c of it?!?!
Part of #1; more of #2, but #3 is that there's just not a whole lot of "likability" out there any more. By that, I mean the ability to give each other hell in public, and then sit down right afterwards and have a drink and shoot the bull with the same folks you were fighting tooth and nail 10 minutes or so earlier. That's gone.
Let me give you a practical example I specifically know about. Remember some years ago the House Republican congresscritter who got his cell phone conversations spied upon, and then made into a big deal politically by a Democratic congresscritter? Well, if that had happened back in Sam Rayburn's/LBJ's day, can guarantee you that would have gone nowhere, and it would have been squashed by Democratic leadership. They wouldn't have done it, because personal relationships to them were more vital than partisan politics. And they were right.
These days, it's anything goes, and reaching across the aisle (particularly in the House) is extremely difficult. Senate is a lot more friendly environment, so you can cut deals on these really big issues.
Another problem in the House is the predominance of female leadership. I know that sounds sexist, but you'd actually have to see the whole situation evolve from an up close standpoint to really understand. Gender truly does play a role, in that the guys can be ripping each other a new one, and 10-15 minutes later be talking smack about sports and other things. Most of the guys just do not take it personally. I can guarantee you it's not the same with female leadership - and I'm not talking about Nancy Pelosi, but some of the others are damned difficult to deal with, and on a big one like this, the difference tends to come down to working with people you like.
There's one last point that needs to be made. Unlike in the Senate, the Speaker of the House has enormous power and control. If you are the Speaker, you're the big dog - it's your responsibility, it's on your watch.. If you call it for a vote, you damned well better be sure that you've got the votes, and you don't play a quickie cheat on your fellow partners, regardless of party or ideology - particularly right before a vote. And you always better have a "Plan B" in your pocket that your partners all know about, and they have to know you will play it if need be.
I can tell you that those unwritten rules have existed for a long time going back probably 50 years, and they apparently all got ignored on this one. Not good, that's just flat out poor politics.
Both Parties are venal and corrupt, period.
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Originally Posted by
tequila
Right. Viewpoints that disagree with your own interpretation are apparently misinformation now.
I think his point was that the situation is being played by both sides for political points and that since the Democrats are in charge, they bear the bulk of the responsibility.
Since over 30 years of Democratic policies to encourage if not force lending institutions to make questionable loans in the interest of 'equal opportunity' led in large measure to the current debacle, that means that both parties are guilty -- and attempts by either to tar the other are nothing but politics.
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The Speaker of the House doesn't have that kind of power. This isn't a parliamentary system. There are fewer procedural barriers in the House than there are in the Senate to getting votes to the floor, that's pretty much it.
You did note that according to most reporting, neither Party really tried to whip the vote?
Politics as usual, no more.