Democrats, Is There Anything They Can't Do?

Well, they can't seem to keep a campaign promise. I must have done something in a previous life to earn such easy targets as Democrats. I can't imagine what that could be though. :)

Now Democrats are breaking YET ANOTHER campaign promise of not seeking to extend voting to solicit more support for a particular bill. Usually, it's 15 minutes, but:

Now in the majority and facing their first close vote with the $124 billion wartime spending bill, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) is leaving open the possibility that Democrats might extend the vote beyond the usual 15 minutes.

Asked Wednesday night whether Democrats would keep to the time limit, Hoyer paused, then pointed out that many votes can run a few minutes longer for various reasons. Pressed further by a reporter who pointed out that Democrats themselves had often criticized Republicans on this very point, Hoyer said, "It won't be open three hours. How about that?"

"How about 30 minutes?" the reporter asked.

"I won't guarantee it," Hoyer replied.

On their first day in the majority in January, Democrats amended the House rules to mandate that a vote "shall not be held open for the sole purpose of reversing the outcome of such vote."

But of course, Mr Hoyer doesn't seem to remember just a few short years ago when he did the exact opposite.

In a July 8, 2004, news release, Hoyer railed against GOP leaders for extending a 15-minute vote to 38 minutes in order to defeat a spending amendment offered by former Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).

"House Republican leaders proved once again today that they will stop at virtually nothing to win a vote, even if that means running roughshod over the most basic principles of democracy such as letting members vote their conscience and calling the vote after the allotted time has elapsed," Hoyer said.

"They ought to be ashamed of themselves, but when it comes to holding votes open and twisting the arms of their own members they clearly have no shame,’’ he went on. “These back-alley tactics have no place in the greatest deliberative body in the world. They might be the lifeblood of the tin-horn dictator, but not a world leader. It's an embarrassment.”

The REAL embarrassment Mr. Hoyer, is your complete hypocracy when it comes to meeting your own needs. You either don't extend the vote or you do. You can't have it both ways. When you're not in power, you want a quick vote, when you are in power, you don't.

Democrats such as yourself are the reason why people's opinion of Congress is still low, even though the balance of power has shifted. The American public has seen through your bullshit campaign promises and are pissed that they've been lied to from your party.

Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com