Frist Ducks Responsibility For Unfinished Spending Bills, Blames ‘Systemic Flaws In America’s Processes’
Frist Ducks Responsibility For Unfinished Spending Bills, Blames ‘Systemic Flaws In America’s Processes’
The USA Today blasted the 109th Congress in an editorial today, accusing lawmakers of “lowering the achievement bar.” The paper complained, “Congress even punted its most basic job: approving all 11 annual spending bills that keep the government’s lights on.”
Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) responded by blaming the Senate’s inaction on the appropriations process:
Some problems Congress faces stem from systemic flaws in America’s processes. No matter who has been in charge, all appropriations bills have passed on time on only three occasions in the past 30 years. Improving things will require a strong mutual commitment on the part of the White House and the leadership in both houses of Congress to reform the spending process, fix entitlements, tackle earmarks and eliminate the deficit.
While it’s true that it is a difficult task to pass all 11 appropriations bills exactly on time, the 109th Congress’ lowered the bar and set a record for its dismal performance. The fiscal year started months ago and the Senate only approved two spending bills this year, leaving “almost a half-trillion dollars of spending bills” for incoming lawmakers.
Conservative members of the House are not buying Frist’s excuses:
- Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA): “The Senate, quite honestly, has not done its work. This is not an anomaly. It has become the norm in Congress, and I’m appalled by that.”
- Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO): “There’s so much to do and we’re punting. It’s irresponsible. There’s no excuse for it.”
- Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA): “I think it’s shameful. … The Senate got into a trap of inactivity.”
Congress did not always operate this way. “In 1994, when Republicans swept back to power in the House after four decades,” GovExec.com reported, “there was no spending mess to clean up – all appropriations bills had been enacted by the Democrats before the end of the fiscal year.”
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Frist, I actually felt sorry for you when all the Republican senators were blaming you for all their problems, in a typical Republican, neo-conservative way.
December 11th, 2006 at 2:45 pmThen I read the above quote. I’m reassured that you are still one of them.
Thank goodness your not running for President
Improving things will require a strong mutual commitment on the part of the White House and the leadership in both houses of Congress to reform the spending process, fix entitlements, tackle earmarks and eliminate the deficit.
He’s absolutely right.
So how does a Republican Whitehouse, Republican House of Representatives and Republican Senate fail to do that for four years?
December 11th, 2006 at 2:48 pmAnd we expected anything else from this sterling example of Repug leadership?
Isn’t “Pass the Buck” one of their best skills?
Besides…… it is all Clinton’s fault!
December 11th, 2006 at 2:48 pmThere is a flaw in our process. Hacks like Frist can get elected to the Senate and rise to the top of the leadership ladder.
December 11th, 2006 at 2:52 pmYeah, what he is not saying are that Republicans are the flaw in the system
December 11th, 2006 at 2:53 pm#3:
December 11th, 2006 at 2:53 pmYou’re right!! Oh, how could I forget that. It makes sense now!
The Republicans couldn’t get the bills passes, because they are still blinded by their hatred for Clinton!
DAMN YOU CLINTON, FOR BEING SO HATE-WORTHY!!!!
I suppose that a Congress that feels entitled to 2 day work weeks can’t get anything done. Just imagine if they had a real job or real bosses, instead of the schmucks who vote for them again and again.
December 11th, 2006 at 2:55 pmNo matter who has been in charge, all appropriations bills have passed on time on only three occasions in the past 30 years.
Yes, Mr. Frist, very few bills are passed on time.
But with you and your party in charge, the most basic bills failed to pass at all.
Hiding behind the “systemic processes” (you know, the same you and your party could have changed while in charge if they were too cumbersome), is absolutely disingenuous.
December 11th, 2006 at 2:59 pmFrist Ducks Responsibility For Unfinished Spending Bills, Blames ‘Systemic Flaws In America’s Processes’
Typical Republican. Its always someone elses fault with them. Blame the Clenis!!
Funny though, I seem to remember a Repuke saying they did this on purpose to sabotage the Democrat’s first 100 hour plan.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:04 pmFor the last friikkkkkin 6 years, these jackasses have held both houses of congress and the white house?
December 11th, 2006 at 3:07 pmIt takes an incredible set of cojones to lay the blame on the SYSTEM?!!
Excuse me, gotta go…
My WTF-Incredulometer is blaring again. Neighbors said they were calling the cops the next time it went off unattended….
Frist also of course bamed the democrats for his failures.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:12 pm[...] any takers? [...]
December 11th, 2006 at 3:12 pm“Mr xleader, get lost. You have been a cancer on our goverment!”
December 11th, 2006 at 3:16 pm“The first thing democrats did when they took over congress was raise spending by half a trillion”
I’m sure this is how the media will spin this one.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:21 pmCaption contest!
Sen. Bill Frist, thinking to himself:
“Hmmm. Did I leave the iron on this morning?”
December 11th, 2006 at 3:25 pm14, caption contest
‘Did I drink too much fig juice this morning?’
December 11th, 2006 at 3:29 pmCaption contest entry:
December 11th, 2006 at 3:30 pmA first! Sen Bill Frist, thinking!
When Billy Boy kills his next heart patient when in private practice again, will it be the Democrats fault?
December 11th, 2006 at 3:33 pmDid Frist make this diagnosis by looking at C-span videotapes?
December 11th, 2006 at 3:40 pmThis is politics, pure and simple.
Nancy Pelosi has already listed the 100 Hours agenda. Now the Republicans can whine about how Pelosi’s ignoring the spending bills in order to appease special interests.
If they do go after the spending bills first, Republicans will point to the 100 Hour agenda and Read-My-Lips her.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:47 pmImproving things will require a strong mutual commitment on the part of the White House and the leadership in both houses of Congress to reform the spending process, fix entitlements, tackle earmarks and eliminate the deficit.
That statement requires a lot of martinis to block off the logical part of the brain. 6 years these buffons had to fix all the problems he mentioned. 6 F-ING YEARS.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:57 pmI agree with you Joseph, this is a political caltrop.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:58 pmThere is a flaw in our process. Hacks like Frist can get elected to the Senate and rise to the top of the leadership ladder.
Comment by pgl — December 11, 2006 @ 2:52 pm
Elected in 1994 with NO political experience, and chosen as majority leader 8 short years later.
Quite an accomplishment indeed. And no, I’m not saying this as a supporter of Frist. But one thing about it is that I have to laugh at people like Joe Lieberman who told people in his state to not vote for Lamont because he had no past political experience.
December 11th, 2006 at 3:58 pmDid Frist make this diagnosis by looking at C-span videotapes?
Comment by PatrioticLiberalChristian(PLC) — December 11, 2006 @ 3:40 pm
Could be. Maybe he’s glancing at a video monitor in the pic above.
December 11th, 2006 at 4:03 pm- Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA): “The Senate, quite honestly, has not done its work. This is not an anomaly. It has become the norm in Congress, and I’m appalled by that.â€
- Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO): “There’s so much to do and we’re punting. It’s irresponsible. There’s no excuse for it.â€
- Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA): “I think it’s shameful. … The Senate got into a trap of inactivity.â€
Oh…everyone here knows that they are just being emotional!
December 11th, 2006 at 4:06 pmIn the picture, Frist is thinking about
December 11th, 2006 at 4:54 pmpussycats.Did Kingston forget that he was a huge supporter of the 2 day workweek? What a bunch of hippocrites! I’d hate to be one of Frist’s scrub nurses when he screws up. Wonder how many he’s gone through.
December 11th, 2006 at 4:57 pmCaption Contest:
A new exibit was unveiled at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum today.
December 11th, 2006 at 5:02 pmComment by Zooey — December 11, 2006 @ 4:54 pm
Maybe a bad kitty from his past? (nudge nudge, wink wink!)
December 11th, 2006 at 5:05 pmDid Kingston forget that he was a huge supporter of the 2 day workweek? What a bunch of hippocrites! I’d hate to be one of Frist’s scrub nurses when he screws up. Wonder how many he’s gone through.
Comment by anne — December 11, 2006 @ 4:57 pm
Maybe he’s received a sh*tload of complaints from consituents after he whined on TV, and is now trying to distance himself?
December 11th, 2006 at 5:08 pmMaybe a bad kitty from his past? (nudge nudge, wink wink!)
Comment by WC
Know what I mean, know what I mean?
Say no more, say no more…
Heh.
December 11th, 2006 at 5:16 pmWhat else can we expect for a Doctor who examines his patients by video. If anyone gets sick please don’t call Dr. Quack. I read he had patients in African where no one could could file a malpractice complaint. No wonder so many people died in African only not all from war, aids but from Doctor Quacks visits. No wonder Frist didn’t look to help the Katrina victims. They all looked like the people he killed in Africa. The world leaders should take note to Doctor Quack so he doesn’t kill others with his fake ID.
December 11th, 2006 at 5:52 pm(Frist) Elected in 1994 with NO political experience, and chosen as majority leader 8 short years later.
Comment by WC
And how about a guy who was an alcoholic and unsuccessful businessman until age 40, who got elected as governor of Texas at 48 and as president six years later?
December 11th, 2006 at 5:54 pmFrist is part of the Blame America First crowd.
December 11th, 2006 at 5:57 pmI looked at Frists picture and I swear I saw BRAIN ACTIVITY! Not much but, some-maybe teensy but, some- do not remove him from life support yet.
December 11th, 2006 at 6:06 pmKingston whining about the shamefulness of the Senate’s trap of inactivity is just soooo precious! Old “Don’t make me work for the health of my family” Kingston? The man who this past year worked less than any Congress in history Kingston? Now, Frist is an absolute dick, but the level of the Kingston hypocrisy is off the charts! Now that Conrad Burns is gone, I need not despair for Kingston will bring all the comedic relief I can handle.
December 11th, 2006 at 7:23 pmtest
December 11th, 2006 at 7:25 pmI went on the Frist Congress creature site. I could not find a “Contact Us” link. Too bad! I would have let him know that I have a living will and that I have instructed my family and friends to respect my wishes.
Also, I have counseled the animal shelter near where I live to take an order of protection against Bill Frist. I hope that shelters in Tennessee do the same. Frist is a psycho.
December 12th, 2006 at 12:12 amI went on the Frist Congress creature site. I could not find a “Contact Us†link.
Comment by New Yorker
The site used to have a “Contact Us,” but it’s probably just as well that you didn’t find it. Last year I fired off a rather pointed complaint about Frist’s behavior, and then I started receiving “Dear Lora” e-mail from it, as if I were some supporter of the psychopath. I had to request a couple of times before I finally got “unsubscribed.”
December 12th, 2006 at 12:28 amMaybe the systemic problem has been the 2.5 day workweek.
December 12th, 2006 at 8:03 amThis good-for-nothing time-wasting Congress had plenty of time to waste on phony issues like flag desecration amendments, anti-abortion proposals, and other crap that was never going to get passed.
No wonder they didn’t have enough time to deal with the IMPORTANT business of running and funding the government. :-P
December 12th, 2006 at 10:33 amThe new norm for Republicans. Screw up something and then blame others or blame the system.
“No responsibility here. No, not me” says Frist.
Why do Republicans hate democracy?
December 12th, 2006 at 1:59 pm