Todd Harris, tweety, and INAFJ.org (I need a freakin' job)...

[babylonsister]

Someone needs to tell Harris (rethug strategist) that rethugs are scuttling the major jobs bill of the day, and he needs to stop acting so self-righteous.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_05/023793.php

COMPETES ACT SCUTTLED BY PORN PROVISION.... Just another day on Capitol Hill, where mature lawmakers, given enormous responsibilities, shape federal policy for 310 million people.

House Democrats had to scrap their only substantive bill of the week Thursday after Republicans won a procedural vote that substantively altered the legislation with an anti-porn clause.

Democrats had labeled their COMPETES Act -- a bill to increase investments in science, research and training programs -- as their latest jobs bill. It was the only non-suspension bill Democrats brought up all week.

But the Republican motion to recommit the bill -- a parliamentary tactic that gives the minority one final chance to amend legislation -- contained language prohibiting federal funds from going "to salaries to those officially disciplined for violations regarding the viewing, downloading, or exchanging of pornography, including child pornography, on a federal computer or while performing official government duties."

Fearing campaign attack ads, 121 Dems voted for the Republican motion, fearing they might be labeled pro-porn. Democratic leaders ultimately pulled their bill from consideration and vowed to tried again next week.

"It's absurd," Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) said. "It's specious, and it's disgusting. And those are the nicest things I can say about it."

I often wonder what Congress would be like if Republicans were serious about lawmaking and public policy. Maybe someday we'll find out, but I don't imagine that day will come soon.

—Steve Benen

[Mz Pip]

1. I would suspect that folks caught downloading

porn would be fired, not just disciplined.

This is just stupid.

Why the Dems cave into this extortion is beyond me. The Republicans are always pulling some kind of shit like this to satll legislation. This is just like they did with the health care bill when they wanted a motion denying sex offenders access to Viagra.

[babylonsister]

2. I wish someone was singing from the rooftops, and the media was

parroting them, that the rethugs are trying very hard to stall a jobs bill, despite whatever their reason is. This is ludicrous, and no one will even be aware of what they're doing.

[Clio the Leo]

3. Todd's trying to get Rubio elected....

.... Todd doesn't need to BELIEVE what he says, he just needs to make it sound believable ... to your average white middle to upper class Floridian.

[babylonsister]

4. It's a shame tweety or the dem strategist didn't seem to be aware

of this; I was. So again, a rethug gets to lie with impunity. :mad:

[Clio the Leo]

5. Sometimes I think Tweety's too vague in his sarcasm...

... did you catch what he said tonight in another segment, the one about teaching ethnic studies. The guy against the program made some statement about "indoctrination" and Tweety said something like, "Wow, I follow politics but I wasn't aware of that..."

Well, I adore Tweety and *I* know he was being facetious, but a lot of people wouldn't. There are times his humor doesn't deliver very well.