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Fearless Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 10:45 AM
Original message
Super Congress: Super Fraud
I for one do NOT welcome our new Congressional overlords.

It is a miscarriage of democracy that this idea is even being entertained by the leaders of the Democratic and Republican Parties. If this were to pass into law, Congressional leaders would be able to select, based on their own criteria, a panel of six Democrats and six Republicans to supersede the Congress. This tactic will be used to ram through legislation that otherwise would die in debate. Essentially with this program you will get a panel of Congressmen who decide that a particular bill is credible. Perhaps cuts to social programs (SS, Medicare, Medicaid). They "pass" this bill onto the larger Congress who ISN'T allowed to debate the bill's merits and demerits. Their only power is to vote it up or down. This is not democracy. This is OLIGARCHY.

"Oligarchy (from Greek ὀλιγαρχία, oligarkhía<1>) is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. These people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, corporate, or military control. The word oligarchy is from the Greek words "ὀλίγος" (olígos), "a few"<2> and the verb "ἄρχω" (archo), "to rule, to govern, to command".<3> Such states are often controlled by a few prominent families who pass their influence from one generation to the next.

Throughout history, most oligarchies have been tyrannical, relying on public servitude to exist, although others have been relatively benign. Aristotle pioneered the use of the term as a synonym for rule by the rich, for which the exact term is plutocracy, but oligarchy is not always a rule by wealth, as oligarchs can simply be a privileged group, and do not have to be connected by bloodlines as in a monarchy. Some city-states from ancient Greece were oligarchies."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oligarchy


We would elect officials who would choose based on their own criteria for what makes a competent Congressman an overarching group... "one ring to rule them all" if you will. Let's think about the kinds of people who would get this selection and who would do the selecting.

Would a Senator Kennedy or Sanders ever be chosen? An FDR or LBJ? Not at all! The establishment would chose establishment Congressmen, those who would vote with their party leader most. Think about the kind of DLCer's we would have running roughshod over Congress.

Now think about one more thing. What if corporations were able to get people elected to Congress. (If? I know, don't make me laugh!) What if you then make it so that corporations and other SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS such as BIG OIL, BIG PHARMA, and BIG AGRA only need to secure SEVEN Congressmen in power to control the ENTIRE COUNTRY'S AGENDA.

Bills that pass through the "Super Congress" would supersede other bills in "Lesser Congress". They would get first crack at it. Before long, the only bills that would ever see the light of day will be ones that go through the "Super Congress". The only bills that ever get voted on will be those who the "Super Congress" decides are good for the country.

This idea has come up now because of two reasons and they are the "extremes" of the two parties. The fact is that we have a Democratic Party and a Republican Party in pieces. In regards to the debt bill, the shard of the Republican Party (the Tea Party) will not accept tax increases. In the Democratic Party the shard is the corporate and Blue Dog Democrats. They want to trade SS/Medicare/Medicaid cuts for a debt ceiling bill.

Creating this "Super Congress" will bypass both of these groups. It will make a "cut, cap, and balance" or similar bill HAPPEN. It will lead to CUTS TO SOCIAL PROGRAMS. It will lead to the American people footing the bill AGAIN instead of corporations who caused this mess. This "Super Congress" is a front for special interests who want to take control of this country and legislate as quickly and efficiently as possible. Why buy off all of Congress if you only need to buy off SEVEN PEOPLE.

In short, we are talking about the end of democracy. The "Super Congress" is nothing more than a ploy to further strip the American people of their democratic rights.
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emulatorloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 10:48 AM
Response to Original message
1. "entertained by the leaders of the Democratic" Are you sure Democrats are "entertaining it"?
McConnell's proposed this piece of shit because wimpy Boehner has lost control of the teabag caucus.

I think it is a huge assumption at this point that Reid and Pelosi are taking this seriously.
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Fearless Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 10:52 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. "Under a plan... by Senate Minority Leader... and his counterpart Majority Leader Harry Reid"
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emulatorloo Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 10:57 AM
Response to Reply #2
5. I am planning to burn up the phone lines on Mon to my rep and Senators. See also:
Edited on Sun Jul-24-11 10:59 AM by emulatorloo
Democrats cool to Boehner's two-step debt-ceiling plan
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4933675

This can be stopped. We can play a big part in stopping it/
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Fearless Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 11:02 AM
Response to Reply #5
8. +1 Here's all the contact info for everyone...
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fredamae Donating Member (622 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 11:03 AM
Response to Reply #5
10. Me too! Toll Free #'s for House & Senate
Edited on Sun Jul-24-11 11:04 AM by fredamae
Toll Free
Senate 1-888-245-0215
House 1-866-338-1015

Just ask for your congresscritter.
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Proud Liberal Dem Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 10:55 AM
Response to Original message
3. Agreed
this idea is a real POS and hopefully DOA.
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woo me with science Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 10:55 AM
Response to Original message
4. K&R
And the march continues.
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Trajan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 10:57 AM
Response to Original message
6. This is absolutely unconstitutional ....
It will never fly ...
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IndianaJoe Donating Member (664 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 11:10 AM
Response to Reply #6
11. Agreed. This is ridiculous. n/t
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Old and In the Way Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 11:01 AM
Response to Original message
7. A "Super Congress" will still be deadlocked.
I doubt sincerely that a Republican 'moderate' would be part of this group. Wishfully hoping that Democrats would choose our team on the same strong ideological footing....we arrive exactly where we are now. The only thing this does is allow Mitch McConnell/John Boehner to offload responsibility from their inability to get a compromise done within their Party. Lets not help them avoid their legislative failures.
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CarmanK Donating Member (459 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 11:03 AM
Response to Original message
9. TPARTY NATION-POWERS IN THE HANDS OF A FEW!
THIS is really a bad idea and definitely a real and present danger to our democracy. Who in the hell do these people think they are. There is weak leadership and extreme ideological leadership dominating Congress right now. The Senate has to fix the FILIBUSTER RULES. They are unable to do business. All they have to do is change the rules of the way conduct their business, not defy the basic intent of the constitution. This move is an attempt to RUN GOVT LIKE A BUSINESS and we all know where that leads. Managements gets all the Whipped cream while the rest of the people get whipped. This is BAD, BAD, BAD. And I certainly hope this is finally worth fighting for. The country goes into default, that is one thing, we can cure a credit crisis by getting rid of those making the poor destructive decisions in the next election. The people will have no power or voice in the operation of this committee. The Corporations, their money and lobbyists will influence. ALEC will be writing our laws and no one will be enforcing them because govt of,by and for the people will be defanged and weak. It must stop here.
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Overseas Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 11:14 AM
Response to Original message
12. If we could vote in our six, that might be different.
We would vote in ardent members of the Progressive Caucus.
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Fearless Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 11:22 AM
Response to Reply #12
13. The problem is that that will never be allowed to happen, even by our own party...
We have to be careful too about giving that kind of power to the Republicans as well. They could, with the same chances as we have, select six of the most wing-nut Congressmen as they can find.
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Overseas Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 11:24 AM
Response to Reply #13
14. I agree and hope the Super Congress idea dies.
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Fearless Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 11:26 AM
Response to Reply #14
15. +1!
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Gidney N Cloyd Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 11:39 AM
Response to Original message
16. Much more efficient for the Corporatocracy to buy 7 politicians than 268.
Edited on Sun Jul-24-11 11:39 AM by Gidney N Cloyd
They could probably even buy a couple extra just in case one breaks.
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virginian8v Donating Member (7 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jul-24-11 04:28 PM
Response to Original message
17. Quash the "Super Congress"
There's a petition to quash the "Super Congress" plan. If you oppose this plan, please sign and share: http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-congress-and-the-president-to-reject-the-idea-of-a-soviet-style-super-congress-now
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