The Hastert Rule: "a majority of the majority"

[sabra]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003306543_hastert16.html

<snip>

Hastert's team has shut House Democrats out of the governing process, refusing to allow their bills on the floor, limiting debate, calling midnight votes on complex bills that few have read. The Hastert Rule decrees that the House will consider only bills approved by the GOP caucus — "a majority of the majority" — and the speaker has enforced it with few exceptions.

DeLay spearheaded the K Street Project that made corporate lobbyists and rank-and-file Republicans so dependent on party leaders. And early in Hastert's tenure, DeLay whipped Republicans to defeat a resolution that Hastert supported on the Kosovo war, fueling perceptions that "the Hammer" was the real power. But Hastert and DeLay agreed about almost everything else. And Hastert's influence gradually increased, especially as DeLay became distracted by scandal.

For example, Hastert encouraged an effort to oust Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., as a committee chairman after Smith bucked party leaders on veterans benefits. He angrily chewed out then-Sen. Robert Smith, R-N.H., for holding up a bill full of pork-barrel projects for vulnerable House members before the 2000 election. He held open a 3 a.m. vote in 2003 on the prescription-drug bill for three hours until he could round up a majority, and persuaded Rep. Robin Hayes, R-N.C., to switch his vote to pass the Central American trade bill.

[Fridays Child]

1. K&R

[texpatriot2004]

2. K & R nm

[RobertSeattle]

3. Worst.Speaker.Ever.

OK, Gingrich is a close 2nd.

[tavalon]

4. Damn, that would be a hard choice

Between Hastert and Gingrich. They are both large and ugly cockroaches.

[Lerkfish]

5. cockroaches are offended by the comparison. film at eleven.

:rofl:

[Hippo_Tron]

6. LMAO That's bad...

[Hippo_Tron]

7. It did come back to bite them in the ass w/ voting rights act though

[gratuitous]

8. Same stunt the Republicans pulled in the Oregon legislature

A majority of the ruling caucus had to be behind anything that came to the House or Senate floor, effectively blowing up any chance of "bipartisanship" or "let's do what's best for the state." Instead, it's a sure-fire recipe for the most extreme elements of the ruling party to run the whole show. If a proposal doesn't garner the majority support of the ruling party, it's dead in the water. And because the Elephant soars over all when it comes to the Republicans, the most extreme elements can threaten their fellow Republicans with all sorts of nastiness if they stray from the party line. And deliver on that nastiness, as well.

Regardless of what the Democrats propose, or any legislation that would garner full Democratic support and 50% minus 1 support of the Republicans, the legislation dies before it can ever hit the floor for one of those sacrosanct "up or down" votes the Republicans are always squalling about.

Now that their death-grip on the levers of power is starting to slip out of their blood-stained hands, look for the Republicans to make all kinds of whiny noises about "bipartisanship" and "collegiality," notions they've despised for the past 12 years.

[MallRat]

9. And yet, The Seattle Times is all in favor of it.

They inexplicably endorsed incumbent GOP Congressman Dave Reichert (WA-8).

Actually, it's not inexplicable at all:

Check out the press release from Reichert's office:

Rep. Dave Reichert (WA-08) voted yesterday to approve H.R. 5638, the Permanent Estate Tax Relief Act of 2006, which will provide permanent estate tax relief. . . .

"It is simply unconscionable that the federal government levies a tax upon the passing of a loved one - a tax on money that has already been taxed, I might add," Rep. Reichert said. . . . "Permanent relief from the death tax is important for family-owned businesses such as the Seattle Times Company, a fourth- and fifth-generation family business that is a fixture in our area. By approving this important measure, we are once again taking bold action to reduce unnecessary and unjust taxation on the American people."

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/10/15/175734/74