The Great Turkey Shoot of 2010

[Pangloss]

I've said many times that one of the reasons I follow politics as a hobby is because, like any American sporting event, when the stakes are high the really interesting things start to happen. Wednesday night was one of those moments, and it was a rare one. The details of those myriad amendments that Republicans were throwing at health care haven't gotten a lot of attention, presumably because the press recognized that they were mainly intended to cause the bill to have to be voted on again. But in ignoring the details, a fascinating example of political gamesmanship was overlooked.

 

What was so interesting about it was that it represented a free pass for Republicans to put up anything they wanted their opponents on record as opposing. Republicans knew that Democrats could not vote for a single amendment -- every single one of them had to have 51 opposing votes. This basically gave them a free pass to make Democrats look bad on any subject they might care to bring up for a vote.

 

And, hm, I wonder what Republicans could do with an on-record vote from their opponents that's contrary to their stated opinions? Say, a bit later this year?

 

"And so when you walk into that ballot box, remember that it was my Democratic opponent who favored providing Viagra to pedophiles."

 

(chuckle) Ain't politics fun?

 

That quote's from Kim Strassel's lovely piece on this today over at the Wall Street Journal. This is her weekly column as their resident political observer. The piece may have gone into subscription status by the time you read this but I'll drop a few more quotes below, which also detail some of the amendments.

 

Tom Coburn (R., Okla.) offered language to bar the government from subsidizing erectile dysfunction drugs for convicted pedophiles and rapists. Democrats voted . . . No! Orrin Hatch (R., Utah) proposed exempting wounded soldiers from the new tax on medical devices. Democrats: No way! Pat Roberts (R., Kan.) wanted to exempt critical access rural hospitals from funding cuts. Senate Democrats: Forget it! This was Republicans’ opportunity to lay out every ugly provision and consequence of ObamaCare, and Democrats—because of the process they’d chosen—had to defend it all.

 

And so it went, into the wee Thursday hours. All Democrats in favor of taxing pacemakers? Aye! All Democrats in favor of keeping those seedy vote buyoffs? Aye! All Democrats in favor of raising taxes on middle-income families? Aye! All Democrats in favor of exempting themselves from elements of ObamaCare? Aye! All Democrats in favor of roasting small children in Aga ovens? (Okay, I made that one up, but you get the point.) Aye!

 

Politics being what it is—and the self-flagellation mechanism Democrats had created just too good to pass up—Republicans did throw in a few unrelated amendments. So the majority also got to vote against further marriage penalty tax relief, against certain gun rights for veterans, and against extending small-business tax credits.

 

Oh, that is just NASTY!

 

Another interesting bit is that because Reid only needed 51 votes he was able to let a VERY SMALL number of Senators "out" of some votes that would have cost them at election time. The problem, of course, was that they ALL wanted out of these votes. Which means that some senior senators, or senators from areas that were hurting, got passes when others got stuck with having to vote. The back-room negotiating behind THAT must have been really something!

 

Mr. Reid, of course, only needed 51 members to block amendments, so he could afford to cut some members loose on tough votes. And, oh, to have been a bug on the wall as frayed Democrats debated over who got the outs. Harry, if you think I’m voting against tightening restrictions on illegals getting health are, you are unhinged. Wanna trade your vote for taxing kids on their wheelchairs for my vote for overcharging kids on their college loans? Can I get back to you on supporting criminal penalties for people who fail to buy health care?

 

Ah, politics. And yet people say it's not a game!

Edited March 26, 2010 by Pangloss

[Sisyphus]

If they really want to vote for those things, they should propose them as separate bills later.

[padren]

If they really want to vote for those things, they should propose them as separate bills later.

 

If they want to get into the mud fight, they should propose them all identically verbatim as part of a bill that also requires all members of congress and the senate to volunteer for surgical castration should they be convicted of criminal corruption associated with their public service.