Procedural tricks and hoodwinking


Senate Majority Leader getting desperate
Simple question.

Why does Harry Reid want to limit debate on the immigration reform bill?

And why are they resorting to procedural tricks of a minority if they think they have the American people behind them?

The so-called clay pigeon is how he's expected to do it, under a strategy that was still taking shape Monday.

The tactic gets its name from the target used in skeet shooting, which explodes into bits as it is hit. In the Senate, an amendment is the target, and any one senator can demand that it be divided into separate fragments to be voted on piecemeal.

Under the tentative plan, Reid as early as Friday would launch his target - an amendment encompassing all 22 proposals - and shoot it into its component pieces. The Senate would then vote on ending debate on the immigration measure, which would take 60 votes and limit discussion of the bill to 30 more hours. After that interval, all 22 amendments would have to be voted on, with little opportunity for foes to interfere.

Ironically, the move is usually used by mavericks - not leaders - to slow down legislation, not free it from a procedural thicket.

The more I see of this immigration "reform" effort and the more I see of the public reaction, the more I think this may be the turning point where people start questioning what their government is doing to them.

At least I hope so.

— NeoWayland

Posted: Tue - June 19, 2007 at 02:50 PM  Tag


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