Confused By ‘Nuclear Option’ Spin, Right-Wingers Claim Obama And Biden Called Reconciliation A ‘Power Grab’
Confused By ‘Nuclear Option’ Spin, Right-Wingers Claim Obama And Biden Called Reconciliation A ‘Power Grab’
In 2005, frustrated by Democratic opposition to some of President Bush’s far right judicial nominees, Senate Republicans threatened to change the rules of the Senate in mid-session to prohibit Democrats from using the filibuster to block votes on judicial nominees. Then-Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) dubbed the maneuver the “nuclear option” because it would be so divisive.
For months now, conservatives have been trying to similarly label the budget reconciliation process, which has been used 22 times between 1980 and 2008, the “nuclear option.” With Democrats warming to the idea of using reconciliation to complete passage of health care reform, the conservative Naked Emperor News posted a compilation video to Breitbart.tv today of Democrats — including President Obama and Vice President Biden — denouncing the 2005 GOP plan to rewrite the Senate rules as a “naked power grab.” The video was titled “Obama & Dems in ‘05: 51 Vote ‘Nuclear Option’ Is ‘Arrogant’ Power Grab Against the Founders’ Intent.” Watch it:
As Media Matters notes, the video has now been promoted by right-wing luminaries such as Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Ed Morrissey, Matt Drudge, Fox Nation as proof of hypocrisy if Democrats use reconciliation for health care reform. Human Events even claimed that the Democrats were calling reconciliation “unconstitutional“:
The Obama White House has recently announced that they will go forward with a reconciliation process — sometimes called the “nuclear option” — to try and pass their government run healthcare plan in the Senate. This process circumvents a Republican filibuster and only requires a simple majority vote of 51 rather than 60.
What did top Democrats think of this process previously? See below…
Despite the fact that the Democrats weren’t talking about the reconciliation process, Congressional Republicans are falsely claiming on Twitter that they were. For instance, Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) links to the Human Events article and claims Obama and Biden “opposed reconciliation” in 2005:
As Media Matters’ Ben Dimiero notes, “The Democrats in the video are railing against the ‘nuclear option’ as defined by Lott, not the new definition conservatives have decided to bestow upon the phrase.” Additionally, as NPR reported today, the use of reconciliation to change health care would be in line with historical norms. “In fact, the way in which virtually all of health reform, with very, very limited exceptions, has happened over the past 30 years has been the reconciliation process,” Sarah Rosenbaum of the Department of Health Policy at George Washington University told NPR’s Julie Rovner.
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Confused By ‘Nuclear Option’ Spin, Right-Wingers Claim Obama And Biden Called Reconciliation A ‘Power Grab’
Not only confused, but monumentally stupid as well.
February 24th, 2010 at 5:52 pmLOL! Right Wingers are becoming more juvinile BY THE DAY! What a bunch of stupid morons.
February 24th, 2010 at 5:55 pmOnce again, the repubs were for it before they were against it, and they have no shame about lying about it. Rachel Maddow was 100% correct when she said they have no shame about their lies and hypocrisy.
February 24th, 2010 at 5:56 pmThey can’t keep their talking points and sound bites straight. God forbid they should actually have some substantive policy spelled out.
February 24th, 2010 at 5:56 pmHey wingnuts: words mean things.
February 24th, 2010 at 5:57 pmThey made a mistake doing this the day before the healthcare summit. Now Obama can set the record straight tomorrow in front of the TV cameras.
February 24th, 2010 at 5:58 pmOT
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton complained Wednesday that domestic political battles are hurting the president’s foreign policy goals and damaging America’s image abroad.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/24/clinton-obstruction-of-no_n_475371.html
Key positions remain unfilled to the consternation and confusion of our allies around the world.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:00 pm(Repugniscum Obstruction: holding up nominations just because.)
OT – does anyone know if there will be a audio-only stream for tomorrow’s summit? I’m going to be in a car but will have my trusty blackberry.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:01 pmI just read that the health summit will be on C-Span 3 starting at 9:45 am (Eastern?)
February 24th, 2010 at 6:03 pmI just hope that Weiner and Grayson will be at this summit tomorrow, or at lease some more dem`s go on the attack against them the wrong wing cult party of no.
we have a good opportunity to slam the wrong side party to the wall and we should not give them a inch from here on out!!!!!!1
February 24th, 2010 at 6:03 pmI heard Robert Gibbs say that reconciliation is there if needed. An option? Oh wait! An option is only allowed to be used by the republicans. When anyone else uses or even thinks of using THEIR option, it’s considered illegal. See?
February 24th, 2010 at 6:03 pmDoes someone need to explain to these idiots how democracy works?
February 24th, 2010 at 6:04 pmCanvas bag of sand
February 24th, 2010 at 6:05 pmStrapped to an old turtle’s back
GOP sports car
I can’t believe how childish this becoming. Al the Righties have left is buzz words, smears, and all out lies. They have no ideas, no progressive policy. In fact, they stand for nothing. Who will vote for a Party who has no clear message. These guys aren’t looking ahead for the long term. Their hysteria, Xenophobia and Homophobia will drive people away. Add the fact they are mostly old, white dudes, they will be finished in a few decades.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:06 pmI think this is going to be a great opportunity for Democrats to break the Republican party. They have handed the Democrats the ultimate issue: Republicans do not care about the country. It is only left to find out if Democrats will take the opportunity. The set up is beautiful, and Repubs did to themselves. They have greatly underestimated Obama.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:06 pmWell for the wrong side party tomorrow should be the start of the end for them,,,, they need to put up or shut up…. cause they dam sure are not leading!
February 24th, 2010 at 6:08 pmHere’s what the republicans are doing to us Democrats:
“The irritant of the sand is needed to make a beautiful pearl”
We are a beautiful pearl thanks to their stupidity, aggressiveness, and rigidity! Nothing can stand in our way now. :-)
February 24th, 2010 at 6:10 pmRemember “nuclear option” means whatever the hate radio hosts say it means right now. It’s really no different from “torture” or “socialism”. Just another word for something that is great only if the right wing does it.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:11 pmRush Limbaugh is catching on!…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qtzz0gfe2c
He’s accusing Obama and Democrats for setting a trap at the Health Care Summit. Bingo! Bah hahahahahahahaha!
February 24th, 2010 at 6:13 pmThe Republicans are not confused; they are misrepresenting facts to garner public support. The differences between 05 and today are nuances that most people do not understand. Dems need to get out in front of this because it will be a part of the Republican PR campaign about health care after the summit.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:17 pmThe nuclear option was when Republican became the party of no.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:19 pmThe list of ‘luminaries’ don’t need to stretch the facts to call out hypocrisy here, the repubs make it a lot easier to show. All they have to do is take anything an r has said in the last year and….nevermind.
Now hypocrisy is sooooo bad and immoral, right. How dare they. Whaaaaaaa
All the more reason to do it. Instead, something tells me this is enough that they won’t do it.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:19 pmKay@19, LOL! The Repugs are running scared! Either way, they lose. Obama is SMARTER then them. The repugs did the same thing to Clinton. They underestimated them. The will get spanked again, and they know it.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:20 pmI love setting traps for the republicans. Hey Newtie! I’ve got a single lady over here!!!!! *wacking Newtie with my troll swattah* See? It’s so easy!
February 24th, 2010 at 6:22 pmElBruce, that’s just pre-01/20/09 thinking.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:28 pmRoll away the stone
February 24th, 2010 at 6:28 pmCreatures of the night will flee
Checkmate, parasites!
Off Topic…. House votes to repeal The Insurance Companies Anti Trust Exemption. 406-19. I wonder who the 19 are?
February 24th, 2010 at 6:33 pmRepubs think they can say anything and get away with it, the voters need to send a strong signal that this is not acceptable.This will be the big issue of 2010 and 2012.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:33 pmP.D., here’s the vote tally:
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll064.xml
February 24th, 2010 at 6:34 pmAwwww, how cute. Rep. King voted nay!
February 24th, 2010 at 6:37 pmKay@29, Thanks. I think this is the second time you linked me.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:38 pmAlright, who is the VDT?
February 24th, 2010 at 6:38 pmIt was nice there for awhile when we were troll free.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:40 pmThe VD troll is back — not posting anything (to keep his cowardly identity a secret) but is voting down every post.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:41 pmThe vote down baby is voting down the truth again? Shocker! Poor widdle republicans! They’re coming unglued in the face of the Health Care Summit! I half expect them to blow up the White House tomorrow to keep the meeting from happening. Or maybe they’ll pull the fire alarm to clear the building….
….who knows what the crybabies are planning!
February 24th, 2010 at 6:43 pmThey’re not confused. They’re lying.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:49 pmSign on–over 1 million faxes sent already.
http://pol.moveon.org/virtualmarch10/action.html?rc=p_caf#”
Regressives are frieghtened HCR is close to passing.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:49 pmRepublicans being hypocritical again? Gee, what a shocker, huh?(she said, sarcastically)
February 24th, 2010 at 6:49 pmThis is not the nuklear option. This is the cosmic option where the repiggies get introduced to the real world.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:50 pmLOL! The vote downs are unbelievable. I guess the trolls are getting scared.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:52 pmRepiggies just lie and lie and lie.
It’s considered sound public policy to lie their butts off.
Sarah Palin lies when she claims to be Trigg’s mommie.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:55 pmMaybe TP has finally cracked down on their silly azzed comments so they just come through an spread their VD.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:56 pmzxbe says:
February 24th, 2010 at 6:59 pmThey’re not confused. They’re lying.
–
I think they’re both. They’ve lied so much that they actually believe the crap they spew and the rest of whatever is in their pathetic little lives was turned up-side down when Obama took office.
I just took care of the VDT’s perfidy.
February 24th, 2010 at 6:59 pmThe Klansmen who troll on this site are also corporate-owned.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:08 pmSo how many msm talking heads will now repeat the repub
February 24th, 2010 at 7:08 pmstuff-up and perpetuate their lie ?
it seems only fitting repukelsicum’s main mode of communicating with their braindead minions would be via twitter. afterall, what’s more fitting than a bunch of twits tweeting a bunch of twots?
February 24th, 2010 at 7:10 pmOff topic:
Whirlpool is telling it’s employees to not protest the company when they lay them off:
http://washingtonindependent.com/77601/whirlpool-warns-workers-dont-you-dare-protest
Weinies! (the real ones….Rep. Anthony Weiner!)
February 24th, 2010 at 7:11 pm*NOT Rep. Anthony Weiner! I meant to type. :-)
February 24th, 2010 at 7:12 pmbizarrobrain (Sponsored by Tysons chicken in a tube!) says:
I think they’re both. They’ve lied so much that they actually believe the crap they spew and the rest of whatever is in their pathetic little lives was turned up-side down when Obama took office.
You make a good point.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:15 pmzxbe says:
bizarrobrain (Sponsored by Tysons chicken in a tube!) says:
I think they’re both. They’ve lied so much that they actually believe the crap they spew and the rest of whatever is in their pathetic little lives was turned up-side down when Obama took office.
You make a good point.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:20 pm–
:D
If they’re not lying about each other lying through their teeth they’re flip-flopping or hate-mongering and then denying all of it and sometimes even denying that they denied something. Just wow.
So the president wants to hold a health summit with congress in an attempt to let all voices be heard and the republicans are calling this a trap.
Now I don’t claim to be an angel but it seems to me those who are afraid of being set up in a trap are either criminals or paranoid.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:26 pmThey have said so many things in the past year they can’t even keep track. Since they do not work from any sort of an ethical base, they have no idea what they stand for. Someone has to tell them and the bosses can’t be everywhere all the time.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:28 pmHoodathunk(sponsored by Take Back Our Blog, Inc.)) says:
They have said so many things in the past year they can’t even keep track.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:30 pm————————————————————
I think it’s called the McCain syndrome.
Everyone, run for the hills! The ebil gubmint is laying traps for Members of Congress! They invited them to participate in a summit on one of the biggest items on their agenda!
Don’t trust them when they say they want your input and ideas. They really just want to get you all in one place so the black helicopters can come and take you away to the secret FEMA re-education camps.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:33 pmRE: KayInMaine @ 48:
A bit more background…..
Whirlpool got stimulus money and then had the fcuking brass neck to announce (AFTER they accepted and apent the money!) that they were closing their U.S. plant and relocating to Mexico.
There need to be some rules re: stimulus money; e.g. If a company accepts it, they can’t outsource the jobs.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:33 pmRe: me @ 56:
Should be: accepted and SPENT the money.
If it’s any excuse, the letters are wearing off my keyboard.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:35 pmOH PLEASE! The Democrats in 2005 most definitely WERE talking about reconciliation! There never were two types!
I just listened to all of the audio clips from 2005 where Harry Reid, Chuck Schumer, Dianne Feinstein, Joe Biden AND then Senator Barack Obama said THE VERY SAME THINGS Republicans are saying now!
I’ll go so far as to say I agree completely with what they said in 2005 when they were the minority party in the Senate!
February 24th, 2010 at 7:42 pmReconciliation – what is it really?
It’s a rule of the Senate started in 1974 that states the NORMAL Senate Cloture Rules can be bypassed when a bill comes up that REDUCES spending or taxes!
The new bill as outlines by the President has 32 TAX INCREASES in it, not to mention unverifiable cost savings, so it’s clear reconciliation CANNOT be applied to the health care bill without DESTROYING the Senates rules.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:45 pmNever before has Tim Vacuous seemed more worthy of the nickname.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:46 pmTimmeh, I think your comment would have been more compelling if only you’d used more ALL CAPS.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:46 pmI challenge each of you to actually listen to what the above mentioned people said in 2005 and compare it immediately to their recent comments.
Then come back here and tell me they haven’t REVERSED themselves 180 degrees!
February 24th, 2010 at 7:50 pmI totally agree and I think the employees SHOULD protest! :-)
February 24th, 2010 at 7:51 pmTHE DEMOCRATS WERE TALKING ABOUT THE FILIBUSTER! The republicans were the ones using RECONCILIATION TO PASS GEORGE BUSH’S ATROCIOUS POLICIES!
February 24th, 2010 at 7:52 pmIt would be a waste of valuable space here, but I’m tempted to reproduce a multitude of quotes from them and compare them line by line with their current statements and the statements of the Republicans who are in the minority now in the Senate.
Any honest person would have to admit that the Democrats tune has changes 180 degress from 2005 now that they are in power!
February 24th, 2010 at 7:54 pmKay,
No they were not. Have you actually listened to the audio?
The Republicans had 55 seats in the Senate and couldn’t overcome the filibusters being used to block President Bush’s judicial nominations.
February 24th, 2010 at 7:58 pmKay,
Also, reconciliation ultimately was NOT used by the Republicans in 2005 because among other things, the Dems in the Senate had gone absolutely BALLISTIC in opposition to using reconciliation for that purpose!
Not unlike what we see today with the Democrats threatening to use it for a wholly inappropriate purpose!
February 24th, 2010 at 8:01 pmRalph,
Sometimes caps are appropriate here!
But what do you say to my argument?
February 24th, 2010 at 8:02 pmThe way tax cuts for the rich and deregulation were passed.
Irony?
February 24th, 2010 at 8:09 pmIT’S STUPID?
February 24th, 2010 at 8:14 pmTim Vaculik says:
You are not very good at picking up nuances. The nuclear option in 2005 was the threat to change Senate rules in the middle of a session of Congress. The procedural maneuver was threatened in regard to filibusters. But the nuclear option was not about the filibusters, rather it was about the procedure the Republicans threatened to use.
February 24th, 2010 at 8:32 pmTim, we’re not talking about the nuclear option here…do you want the ‘nuclear option?’
That’s fine with me… we could end the filibuster.
February 24th, 2010 at 8:56 pmI’m all for it… you wanna govern?
Win elections.
I bet those sanctimonious bastards would have no problem with any reconciliation or nuclear option if it involved disenfranchising minorities or persecuting gays or going to war with an Arab country.
February 24th, 2010 at 9:37 pmHoodathunk(sponsored by Take Back Our Blog, Inc.)) says:
——————————————————————————–
Everyone, run for the hills! The ebil gubmint is laying traps for Members of Congress! They invited them to participate in a summit on one of the biggest items on their agenda!
Don’t trust them when they say they want your input and ideas. They really just want to get you all in one place so the black helicopters can come and take you away to the secret FEMA re-education camps.
Haha sounds like the republican mindset!
February 24th, 2010 at 11:13 pmLoonie says:
——————————————————————————–
I bet those sanctimonious bastards would have no problem with any reconciliation or nuclear option if it involved disenfranchising minorities or persecuting gays or going to war with an Arab country.
Of course not..However, since this is for helping people here at home, they have a huge issue with it!
February 24th, 2010 at 11:14 pmIs the GOP having a massive Alzheimer’s moment or what!
February 24th, 2010 at 11:15 pmGoshdarnit, they’re morons and hypocrites!
February 24th, 2010 at 11:16 pmCome on guys is this really a surprise?
George Washington could never tell a lie, well the GOP can never say anything but lies.
February 24th, 2010 at 11:24 pmWhy is it that whenever a Republican moves his lips it is a lie?
Any more absolutely 100% of what they say is a lie. We have two things to “thank” for this. First and most important the MSM no longer fact check anything so there is no longer any punishment for non-stop lying. Second, Republican have Frank Luntz to poll test the words (lies) that resonate the greatest with the American public. I think we can be sure that Frank Luntz is behind today’s widespread use of the phrase “nuclear option” and that MSM will not correct the record.
February 24th, 2010 at 11:44 pmALL right-wingers are just plain STUPID… It’s always amazing to me how they even find a way to breath??? TOO much thinking…
February 25th, 2010 at 1:16 amNevermind that nobody except a handful of wingnuts have ever called reconciliation the “nuclear option”, and even they’ve only started in the past year. Or in most cases the started in the past week, once it became clear that Democrats might actually use reconciliation.
Republicans always seem to find new depths of hypocritical dishonesty to sink to, don’t they?
February 25th, 2010 at 3:03 amAre you really this stupid, or are you just trolling, Timmy?
The Republicans used reconciliation multiple times in the last decade. Of all times it’s been used in the past, the vast majority were by Republican Congresses.
The nuclear option is something totally different; reconciliation wouldn’t even have worked for what Republicans were trying to do with the nuclear option, because reconciliation cannot be used for judicial confirmations. It can only be used to reconcile (hence the name) budget-related bills between the House and Senate.
February 25th, 2010 at 3:10 ampezmiztix says:
more nukes.
Like a parrot, you repeat everything the right-wing echo chamber says…It goes like this…Right-wing idiot #1 says something that sounds pretty, then everyone picks up…then the trolls pick up…because they have nothing original…
I remember that there used to be a picture of a teacher giving a goofy look, saying, “Good work dickhead!”
February 25th, 2010 at 4:32 amThis is what Frank Luntz gets paid for.
February 25th, 2010 at 7:13 amthat’s where I am, pez…I suggest you go back to school…It’s called critical thinking…
February 25th, 2010 at 1:35 pmWhen will those FEMA Re-education camps be opened?
February 25th, 2010 at 4:10 pmSo the president wants to hold a health summit with congress in an attempt to let all voices be heard and the republicans are calling this a trap.
March 2nd, 2010 at 11:19 amNow I don’t claim to be an angel but it seems to me those who are afraid of being set up in a trap are either criminals or paranoid.