McConnell shuts down the Senate.
McConnell shuts down the Senate.
This afternoon, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) essentially shut down the Senate floor “by forcing the Senate clerk to read aloud the entire 500 page global warming bill.” McConnell alleged that the Democratic leadership “refused to honor its commitments” and push through a significant number of judicial nominees.
Jim Manley, spokesman to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NY) has responded to McConnell:
Senator Reid pledged a good-faith effort to have the Senate consider three court of appeals nominees before the Memorial Day recess, with the explicit caveat that achieving that goal depended on Republican cooperation. The Senate did, in fact, confirm Virginia Supreme Court Judge Steven Agee to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in May, and Chairman Leahy expedited Judiciary Committee consideration of two nominees to Michigan seats on the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. These nominations were the result of many years of negotiation between the White House and the Michigan Senators.
Unfortunately, Republicans on the Judiciary Committee objected to expedited consideration of the Michigan nominees. As a result, it was impossible to have the Senate consider these two additional nominees before the recess, despite Senator Reid’s best efforts.
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Personally, I think they wanted it read out to them in full because most of the Republicans can't read...just like their leader.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:33 pm“by forcing the Senate clerk to read aloud the entire 500 page global warming bill.”
not that it will hurt any of them to hear it, but why is he
June 4th, 2008 at 4:33 pmpunishing that clerk?
Two weeks from now McConnell will claim this is the "do-nothing" Congress, with a straight face.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:34 pmbut, how the hell does the MINORITY leader get to do this???
June 4th, 2008 at 4:35 pmAnd you won't hear a word of it on the news.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:35 pmDidn't I read that McConnell is probably going to lose his seat?
June 4th, 2008 at 4:38 pmHeh. Pissy little barstid, ain't he?
June 4th, 2008 at 4:42 pmMy party right or wrong to hell with the country. Republican platform.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:43 pmCan you teach old dogs new tricks? Apparently not. Mitch McConnell (L(Loser)-KY) and the rest of the Ditto Head Club obviously forgot what gave them their "L" status. Keep it up Mitch, you're doing a heck of a job.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:43 pmKentucky is famous for it's whisky and bourbon. Explains a lot about Mitchy.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:44 pmMitch the Witch strikes again.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:49 pmRUCerious Says:
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Kentucky is famous for it’s whisky and bourbon. Explains a lot about Mitchy.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
No it doesn't
Their booze is fantastic ; McChinless sucks elephants balls
June 4th, 2008 at 4:50 pmMan, these repugs sure do gey pissy when they don't get thier way don't they?
Talk about acting like a bunch of pissed off 5th graders.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:50 pmMitch McConnell is dooming this planet. We must remove him from power. We need to bury the Republicans in November and establish a Permanent Progressive majority.
Repeat offender here, folks. Flag promptly.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:50 pmwow..will someone please explain that negotating with this current breed of republicans is about as wise as negotiating with a rabid dog?
they are going down in november, they need to be fought tooth and nail until then, any sensible democrat should know that there is massive political capital to be gained by showing these guys no quarter.
good, shut down the senate and house for all i care, nothing good can come of it while butcher bush is still in office..
June 4th, 2008 at 4:50 pmgey=get. (Been a long day)
June 4th, 2008 at 4:50 pmI believe that if Mitch wants the entire 500-page bill read, he should be required to sit there and listen to it. With rapt attention. No books, no papers to work on, no Playstation Portable, no nothing.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:51 pmThis November we will learn the answer to the question "is there intelligent life in Kentucky?" If Mitch McConnell is still around to pull this kind of stunt in January, the answer is "no".
June 4th, 2008 at 4:52 pmDitch Mitch, yes Mitch is on the list of senators seeking re-election coming November.
DitchMitchKy.com
June 4th, 2008 at 4:53 pmAh! I see McConnell's "rhetoric" was "objectionable" to the clerk. So this is Mitch's way of being an a-hole d0uchebag who can't get a date that costs $700 to laugh at his "polling place".
June 4th, 2008 at 4:55 pmMcMetal, how'd you know that was the #1 loser that showed up?
June 4th, 2008 at 4:55 pmI got it... I was a little slow there for a minute
June 4th, 2008 at 4:59 pmErr... Senator Reid is from Nevada, not New York.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:59 pmMcConnell: "Give me everything I want, or I'll hold my breath until my head explodes."
Can we sell tickets?
June 4th, 2008 at 5:00 pmAnonymouse Says:
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Err… Senator Reid is from Nevada, not New York.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
And McChinless is from another planet ; it's called a "typo".
June 4th, 2008 at 5:00 pmUseless bit of knowledge:
June 4th, 2008 at 5:02 pmMcConnell's office is just across the border from Cincinnati, and sits on the site of a Confederate fort.
Reich-wingers = Obstructionists. Fact.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:03 pmCitiDC Says:
Didn’t I read that McConnell is probably going to lose his seat?
His little hissy-fit today should be included in any tv ads.
After he loses in November, he will finally have the time to fulfill his dream of renting a motorhome with Larry Craig and touring the rest stops of the nation.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:04 pmWilco Says:
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Useless bit of knowledge:
McConnell’s office is just across the border from Cincinnati, and sits on the site of a Confederate fort.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Which is poetic justice , seeing as how McChinless is an old Confederate fart.........
June 4th, 2008 at 5:05 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman Says:
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Mitch McConnell is dooming this planet. We must remove him from power. We need to bury the Republicans in November and establish a Permanent Progressive majority.
June 4th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
No , "we" don't ; the horseshit GOP is doing just fine on their own of making themselves irrelevant ..........Strating with Chimpy and Co
June 4th, 2008 at 5:08 pmand how about Condi at the AIPAC! she seems to be doing just grrrrreat!
June 4th, 2008 at 5:10 pmMcMetal, no intention to diss the booze, just figured Mitchy has had a tad too much imbibed, he's having delusions of grandeur. And he's a toad.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:11 pmPerhaps, when he was a child, each Christmas his parents would load up his stocking with the state mineral.
Hey! We've got our very own 'Phony Soldier'! Quick phone O'Reilly and tell him to come and get him!
June 4th, 2008 at 5:13 pmHey! We've got our very own 'Phony Soldier'! Quick phone O'Reilly and tell him to come and get him!
June 4th, 2008 at 5:13 pmFastest double click in the West!
June 4th, 2008 at 5:13 pmRUCerious Says:
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McMetal, no intention to diss the booze, just figured Mitchy has had a tad too much imbibed, he’s having delusions of grandeur. And he’s a toad.
Perhaps, when he was a child, each Christmas his parents would load up his stocking with the state mineral.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Yeah , I and everyone here know what you meant ; it's just that booze isn't debilitating to everyone.
Just check out Teddy Kennedy (get well soon , BTW , Teddy)
June 4th, 2008 at 5:18 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman Says:
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MCMetal,
Tell Tired of Fighting that get back in touch with me, Bill. Or I will expose his secret here on Think Progress. Tell him Harry isn’t happy either.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
No thanks
I would rather go tell you to take a flying fu(k on the moon.
Go take a flying fu(k on the moon.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:19 pmPlease God - shut down McConnell . . . .
June 4th, 2008 at 5:19 pmMCMetal,
Tell Tired of Fighting that get back in touch with me, Bill. Or I will expose his secret here on Think Progress. Tell him Harry isn’t happy either.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Hopefully TP gets in touch with you through the FBI.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:21 pmSGT Stephen R. Sherman Says:
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June 4th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
How old are you , 10 ?
June 4th, 2008 at 5:28 pmmediamonkey Says:
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Smart move Mr. Mitch McConnell.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Perhaps to those with IQ's hovering around room temperature like you , skid mark.........
June 4th, 2008 at 5:34 pmTHIS PIECE OF CRAP TROLL SURE SOUNDS LIKE P. FLAG HIM NOW.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:35 pmThey're afraid they won't get their activist judges on the bench before they loose the unitary executive. They are appeasing the religious radicals' Constitutional terrorism.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:37 pmkaty Says:
but, how the hell does the MINORITY leader get to do this???
That would be my question too. If that was possible, then why didn't the Democrats do that when they were in the minority?
June 4th, 2008 at 5:40 pmMcMetal, perhaps the booze can have a strong influence on the weak-minded
June 4th, 2008 at 5:48 pmwhy didn’t the Democrats do that when they were in the minority?
The (R)s late-night roll-calls, closure votes, as well as deals made agreeing not to filibuster, right? Oh, and there was that threat of the 'nuclear option'. Simply put, the republicans play like spoiled brats.
June 4th, 2008 at 5:48 pmMcConnell is done...thank goodness!
Now can we get rid of that b!tch, Boner, too? I am so tired of WATB's not running the government.
June 4th, 2008 at 6:01 pmBilbo Hussein Baggins Says:
katy Says:
but, how the hell does the MINORITY leader get to do this???
That would be my question too. If that was possible, then why didn’t the Democrats do that when they were in the minority?
The Dems could not, and would not find a spine. They also are a bit more 'civil' that the right side. The right side has confidence and corruption issues, so it is in their blood to go for the throat. Dems are more 'polite', which has been a problem for them (remember the sternly worded letters?).
The right side is a spoiled brat - as Bob says in #48. They will kill to get their way. Competiton is not something the right side does too well.
June 4th, 2008 at 6:05 pmMs. Joanne Regrettably, the Boner is in a very safe seat. The best chance of getting rid of him is if the Rs dump him from leadership and he gets bored. Don't bury McConnell yet by the way. He is one nasty campaigner and bluegrass voters are pretty dim.
June 4th, 2008 at 6:25 pmPaleolib...please don't burst my bubble just yet.
A girl can dream, no? :-)
June 4th, 2008 at 6:41 pmAttention Senator Yellow-Spine (Made of Jello) Chickenhawk McConnell!!!!
June 4th, 2008 at 6:49 pmYour Selective Service Record has been FOIAed and received, the gig is up!
What a big phony liar you are,bad eyes,polio give me a break! What was the number of the National Guard Unit you said you served in? You know the one that you said you where in the day after graduating from Law School, in May of '67?
How were you a member of a National Guard Unit, sitting around the barracks, in your uniform waiting for your medical paperwork that had found you unfit to serve, "BUT" you didn't even take a physical until Aug of '67? How did that work,Senator?
How come New York University has no record of you, even applying to attend school that fall? You didn't lie to your Senator to get him to write a letter to the CG of Fort Knox, asking the General to speed along your discharge did you Senator McConnell? You know, you told the Senator you had been accepted at NYU, but you had even never enrolled!
It's going to be fun Senator, watching your beady eyes roll, your eye-lshes blinking a thousand times a minute, your small,cheerio-like mouth,quivering and drooling as you try to defend yourself, as the truth about your selfish cowardness, is exposed for everyone in Kentucky and the country to see and hear!
You'll be in big group of Yellow-Jello Spined Chickenhawks though: Bush,Cheney,Rush,Boortz,Hannity,shucks most almost all of your Republican counterparts are in the same boat with you.
Look forward to this fall Senator,your going to be butt- arsed naked for the whole country to see you as you really are!
A big, phony, lying Chickenhawk!
The important question is:
Was he wearing a flag pin?
June 4th, 2008 at 10:14 pmToo bad they didn't make the clerk read the USAPATRIOT Act out loud, we might still have a republic.
June 4th, 2008 at 10:22 pm“The strategy of being obstructionist can work or fail … and so far it’s working for us.” - Trent Lott Former GOP Senator, now big time lobbyist
The Republicans, if they can't control how our government works, will just shut it down.
And the Republican Sheople all baaaa, "The Democrats control congress".
June 4th, 2008 at 10:28 pmWill the people of Kentucky wake up to what a shill they have in the Senate? Maybe, if they pay attention and have anything but Rushbo on their radios and the Repug machine in their newspapers.
June 4th, 2008 at 11:32 pmCalling Bruce Lunsford, Demo candidate for Senate in KY:
Hey Bruce, where is your press statement about McConnell's antics today and his unwillingness to work on the Climate Bill. Time to get up and running, Bruce.
We want to get rid of McC, you want to be Senator. Let's work together.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:02 amHey, let's shut down the Senate too! we could sit there and read a list of all the American troops killed in Iraq by our moron-in-chief. We could also hold a Bush-style search through the Capitol building for McConnell's missing chin.
June 5th, 2008 at 12:25 am.
And still the troops are engaged, by order of Hier Bush, in an illegal opperation.
And still, Tellicoms go free.
And still,
.
June 5th, 2008 at 4:02 amWhy didn't Harry Reid hand Mitch a copy of the global warming bill and a roll of toilet paper and tell Mitch to go take a potty break and read the freaking bill quietly to himself. Tell the obstructionist asshat not to come back until he's finished and is ready to play nice with the adults. If he insists on a reading on the floor of the House, Reid should have told Mitch to get up off his ass and read it aloud to the whole class. If your going to obstruct the people's business at least do your own dirty work. God I hope when the next Administration looks into all the broken laws and underhanded shenannigans that the Righties have pulled for the last eight years that Mitch and the Boehner are scrutinised closely for aiding and abetting high crimes and misdemaenors by Bushco.
June 5th, 2008 at 7:40 amI'm sorry, but Harry Reid can also kiss my ass. This man is so concerned with 'procedure,' he won't take opposition to a lot of what the Administration is still doing with their agenda. Not that I have any sympathy for that jerk McConnell, who I believe is the consigliere of the Senate.
June 5th, 2008 at 9:53 am