I mentioned yesterday that I hoped Republicans would vote to allow the motion to proceed, that way we can get to debate to highlight just how much Democrats hate the 1st Amendment, and they did
(The Hill) Â The Senate on Monday advanced a constitutional amendment meant to reverse two recent Supreme Court decisions on campaign spending.
Republicans are likely to vote against the amendment when it comes up for a final vote, but by allowing it to proceed, ensured that it will tie up the Senate for most of the week.
More than 20 Republicans joined Democrats in the 79-18 vote advancing the amendment, well over the 60 votes that were needed.
“We should have debate on this important amendment,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said before voting for cloture. “The majority should be made to answer why they want to silence critics.”
Darned right. Of course, we know how the majority of the leftist media will cover this. Oh, and a cranky, delusional senior citizen continued to be delusional
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he would gladly debate the issue for as long as Republicans require because the amendment is necessary to keep “dark money†out of politics.
“You’re either for campaign spending reform or not,†Reid said ahead of the vote. “This constitutional amendment is what we need to bring sanity back to elections and restore Americans’ confidence in our democracy.â€
Uh huh
https://twitter.com/WilliamTeach/status/509050536633827328
And remember when billionaire Tom Steyer offered to donate $100 million to Democrats if they held climate change stuff on the Senate floor? He basically bought Harry Reid and Senate Dems.
Powerline notes
So if Senators and Congressmen want to make sure they have their jobs for life, they can limit spending on campaigns challenging them to zero dollars. They can also ban books and movies that might influence voters in one direction or another–which is exactly what happened in Citizens United. For example, as the ACLU has pointed out, the proposed amendment would give Congress the power to ban the publication or sale of Hillary Clinton’s Hard Choices if she were running for office.
While the amendment’s policy implications are shrouded in uncertainty, it would mark a significant step away from the nation’s First Amendment tradition that “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech†and toward a system where incumbent politicians could heavily regulate any speech they deem to “influence elections.â€
Of course, this would mean Democrats could restrict their opponents. Republicans would be excoriated if they attempted to actually use the power of this amendment for their own purposes. Not that most would. Nor is the Amendment going anywhere. But, this is what Progressives want. Many say this is just for show, to put Republicans on the defensive, but, just like yesterday, I’ll say Dems really want this to pass, because Progressives are all about bigger and bigger government, putting more and more power in the hands of the central government, and continuously increasing control of citizens, businesses, and every aspect of American life.
More: Democrats are apparently unhappy that Republicans voted to…allow debate
(Politico) The legislation needed 60 votes to advance and Democrats took a cynical view of the 79-18 tally. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the GOP’s tactic was simply to “stall†because it would eat up limited floor time that Democrats are eyeing for votes aimed at encouraging gender pay equity and raising the minimum wage.
“They know we’re getting out of here fairly shortly and they want to prevent discussion on other very important issues,†said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). “I would love to be proven wrong. But if the end of this week, we end up getting 67 votes, you can tell me I was too cynical. “
I’m confused: isn’t the point of a procedural vote to attempt to move it forward so it can be debated? Obviously, this was purely a cynical and highly partisan move, not really serious, and now Harry Reid and his fellow clowns will be hoist on their own petards. The GOP should force debate prior to the election.
See more at Hot Air.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
