Register to Vote at Rock the Vote

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Happy Mother's Day, but just from the Democrats

All of us here at BoydaBloc, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, Congressman Dennis Moore, and 235 other members of the United States House of Representatives would like to wish you and your mothers a very happy Mother's Day.

Kansas Republican Representatives Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran and 169 House Republicans would rather just play politics in the House.

On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.

"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.

Yeah, of course, Tiahrt had just voted in favor of the resolution, and, in this recommit, but then joined 177 other Republicans (just Repubilcans) in voting against it. This was an effort, you see, to prevent the House from accomplishing a singularly important goal:

As House Democrats tried to pass legislation to ease the mortgage crisis on Wednesday, Republicans served up hours of procedural delays, demanding a score of roll call votes: 10 motions to adjourn, half a dozen motions to reconsider, various and sundry amendments, a motion to approve the daily journal, a motion to instruct and a "motion to rise."

The high point came just after 6 p.m., when, after one of the motions to adjourn, 61 members lined up to change their votes, one by one. Forty-six went from aye to no, while 15 changed from no to aye. The maneuver ate up 28 minutes in all -- and caused an eruption by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who accused the minority of a "filibuster by vote changing."

The Mother's Day resolution wasn't a big deal, and, really, most of America's mothers are probably just fine today knowing folks like Tiahrt and Moran would rather play politics than honor them, but this sort of obstruction, this sort of rank partisanship, is ridiculous when people all around the nation are losing their homes.

File this one under "Callous, and they don't care."

(By the way, if you needed any more evidence this was just a game, Tiahrt's spokesman has affirmed that Todd does indeed still love his mother).

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

this kind of thing makes me sick.

Anonymous said...

Yeah wasting time on these kinds of legislation makes me sick too

Democrats should be trotting out their economic plan, immigration plan, plans for lowering cost of gasoline........ but none seems to be forthcoming ... just more hot air from a new group of politicians

Didn't they promise action when they became the majority party ... seems like same old tired retoric

Anonymous said...

silly republican doesn't understand the process...if it hadn't been for the republicans in congress this would have taken 5 minutes...and would have NOT prevented work on literally anything.

and this congress has already done more to help normal people than the republicans did in 10 years.

Anonymous said...

Yeah .... I guess it is easier to comment on that than telling me exactly what the MAJORITY party has done on the major issues .... like economy, immigration and energy policy that lowers gas prices.

Anonymous said...

increased the minimum wage

passed a bipartisan econ stimulus package

boyda, specifically, has worked with people on both sides to build a border fence

they've tried to increase the children health insurance program, they've tried to help with the housing crisis....but they've either been stopped by an out-of-touch president or by obstructionist republicans.

like that answer better? no, of course not...it's better to just say "they haven't done anything" and ignore what they have done.

Anonymous said...

The stimulus package is a joke ..... borrowing more money from foreign countries to give it away to people so they feel better for a few weeks is just a political ploy ..... does it fix any economic problems ..... not really.

The building of the border fence .... legislation is there .... the money to pay for it and the will to complete it is not there from Congress

And to be non-partisan, these problems involve both parties. Too bad people haven't gotten more when they voted for change last election. Seems like more Washington hype than actions.

Anonymous said...

i love how republicans try to nationalize things- nancy boyda has done a heck of a lot- or has tried to, at least.

she's been nearly perfect on immigration- which you people can't deny.

the stimulus package simply isn't enough...and more needs done in the long term. doing something to create jobs at home, rather than sending them to columbia or china, would do a hell of a lot to fix our economy.

Anonymous said...

the republicans in congress were jokes when they're in the majority...they're bigger jokes in the minority.

Anonymous said...

Democrats were jokes and whiners in the minority .... and still jokes and whiners when they are in majority

Anonymous said...

at least the democrats have passed laws to help poor americans instead o rich ones.

Anonymous said...

yeah in their world success and hard work should be punished with more government and higher taxes

Anonymous said...

no, people with the means should make our country better.

people who work hard shouldn't be punished because the don't make as much money as a CEO

This blog is not affiliated in any way with the Kansas Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, the Office of Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, or the campaign to re-elected Congresswoman Nancy Boyda. All commentary herein not directly attributed must be considered the opinion of the authors of this blog and not of any other individual, including Congresswoman Nancy Boyda.