Republicans Shut Out of Conference

[bigsixfive 341]

Republicans Shut Out of Stimulus Conference Negotiations

by Connie Hair

02/11/2009

Republicans have caught the Democrats in a midnight “stimulus” power play that seeks to cut Republican conferees out of the House-Senate negotiations to resolve a final version of the Obama “stimulus” package. Staff members from the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) met last night to put together the “stimulus” conference report.

They intend to attempt to shove this $1.3 trillion spending bill through in the dead of the night without Republican input so floor action can take place in both chambers on Thursday.

I spoke with House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) moments ago about this latest version of Democratic “bipartisanship.” Pence told me, “I think the American people deserve to know that legislation that would comprise an amount equal to the entire discretionary budget of the United States of America is being crafted without a single House Republican in the room.”

UPDATE: Some Republicans reportedly were in the late-night conference. But -- at least from the Senate -- the official Republican conferees were excluded. HUMAN EVENTS has received e-mail confirmations from the staffs of both Sens. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) and John Thune (R-S.D.) saying that they had no participation in the conference.

From other Senate sources, we understand that the RINOs were there: one senior staff source told us that the most likely suspects were Sens. Arlen Specter (RINO-Pa) and Susan Collins (RINO-Maine) whose staffs may have been there.

HUMAN EVENTS has attempted to verify that report with repeated e-mails and phone calls to Specter’s and Collins’s staffs. We have been unable to get a response so far.

Earlier, the House-Senate deal was announced in a press conference held by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the three RINOs. Reid especially praised Susan Collins for her tireless work in developing the $789 billion deal.

So now we know the names of two unauthorized Republican "conferees": Specter and Collins. The presence of Maine's Olympia Snowe -- the third Republican who sided with the Democrats in the Senate stimulus vote -- has not been confirmed.

The "compromise" bill may be brought up in the House and Senate as early as tomorrow.

We will continue to update this report as information becomes available.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=30667

Congressman Gives Speech in Front of Pelosi's Office: 'There Are More Shady Deals Going on Behind Closed Doors'

Chairman of Republican Study Committee Rep. Tom Price blasts congressional leaders for not making the stimulus bill negotiations open to the public.

By Jeff Poor

Business & Media Institute

2/11/2009 1:59:36 PM

President Barack Obama has proclaimed his administration will be more open than the previous administration. However, his counterparts in the House and the Senate aren’t following suit.

The Washington Post has reported that negotiations between House and Senate Democrats have resulted in a stimulus bill with a price tag of “about $789.5 billion.” This agreement raised the ire of Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., and he went outside of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office to express it.

“My name’s Tom Price and I represent the Sixth District of Georgia and [am] the privileged chair of the Republican Study Committee,” Price said. “It’s now noon on Wednesday. I’m standing outside the office of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. The door is closed. We just heard news break there’s been an agreement between the House and the Senate on the non-stimulus bill."

Negotiators were slated to meet later in the day. However, since news of a deal was leaked to the media, Price questioned if there were “shady deals” going on.

“It’s curious because Republicans were invited to a meeting they said at 3 o’clock this afternoon,” Price continued. “What this means is there are more shady deals going on behind closed doors -- without the public, without Republicans in attendance.”

The Georgia congressman had also called on congressional leaders to televise the House-Senate negotiations. However, as much as the press has helped the Obama administration trumpet a new era of transparency, there has been little call from the television media for these negotiations to be televised publicly.

“As the House and Senate move to negotiate the final text of the so-called stimulus bill, I have called on Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to make good on that promise and allow any and all House and Senate negotiations to take place in an open and public forum,” Price wrote in a Feb. 11 blog post for Red State. “By allowing television cameras in the room as negotiations take place, we can provide the transparency American taxpayers expect.”

http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2...0211135318.aspx

http://change.gov/agenda/ethics_agenda/

End the Practice of Writing Legislation Behind Closed Doors: As president, Barack Obama will restore the American people's trust in their government by making government more open and transparent. Obama will work to reform congressional rules to require all legislative sessions, including committee mark-ups and conference committees, to be conducted in public. By making these practices public, the American people will be able to hold their leaders accountable for wasteful spending and lawmakers won't be able to slip favors for lobbyists into bills at the last minute.

[Tigermike 4,266]

"Republicans have caught the Democrats in a midnight “stimulus” power play that seeks to cut Republican conferees out of the House-Senate negotiations to resolve a final version of the Obama “stimulus” package. Staff members from the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) met last night to put together the “stimulus” conference report."

That describes dimocrat bipartisanship as well as anything they have ever said or done.

Keep it up the nation is watching. All those independents who voted for dims in the last election are watching.

[BamaGrad03 0]

I doubt we will get ANY resident Democrats slamming this practice. They'll probably throw out some obscure reference to a time when Republicans shut out democrats.

As if that makes this childish display OK.

[arnaldoabru 11]

I doubt we will get ANY resident Democrats slamming this practice. They'll probably throw out some obscure reference to a time when Republicans shut out democrats.

As if that makes this childish display OK.

HumanEvents?

[BamaGrad03 0]

I doubt we will get ANY resident Democrats slamming this practice. They'll probably throw out some obscure reference to a time when Republicans shut out democrats.

As if that makes this childish display OK.

HumanEvents?

Typical.

[Justin5 20]

Well I'm not going to try to justify it, because honestly I don't care to convince you.

BUT.

Why do you think they deserve to be in the conference to work on a bill they already voted against? The bill (after conference) will still have to be passed by both chambers, and if they still have a problem with it then they have the right to vote against it.

[Grumps 3,706]

Well I'm not going to try to justify it, because honestly I don't care to convince you.

BUT.

Why do you think they deserve to be in the conference to work on a bill they already voted against? The bill (after conference) will still have to be passed by both chambers, and if they still have a problem with it then they have the right to vote against it.

I don't have a problem with the democrats enjoying their new-found power and exploiting it every chance they get...it does not surprise me at all, but I really did think they would at least pretend to try a bi-partisan approach for more than a few hours after The One was coronated. Surely you can see that this behavior after HOPE AND CHANGE was rammed down our collective throats is somewhat hypocritical. Overall, though, it is probably good to learn the way the administration will really work early, since it will be much harder to be stabbed in the back if the Repubs refuse to turn their backs.

Surely you can see that if the administration had allowed republicans to be involved in the creation of the bill that the entire perception of the new administration would be much different. They do not seem to care about how they are perceived...that may prove to be a good move and may prove to be a huge mistake. We will see.

[bigsixfive 341]

They do not seem to care about how they are perceived...that may prove to be a good move and may prove to be a huge mistake. We will see.

Exactly. Their actions will result in complete and total ownership of anything passed. Its either going to make the Democratic party look like the savior of the fool. For the sake of the country I hope its the former, but 90% of that bill points to the latter.

[arnaldoabru 11]

Well I'm not going to try to justify it, because honestly I don't care to convince you.

BUT.

Why do you think they deserve to be in the conference to work on a bill they already voted against? The bill (after conference) will still have to be passed by both chambers, and if they still have a problem with it then they have the right to vote against it.

I don't have a problem with the democrats enjoying their new-found power and exploiting it every chance they get...it does not surprise me at all, but I really did think they would at least pretend to try a bi-partisan approach for more than a few hours after The One was coronated. Surely you can see that this behavior after HOPE AND CHANGE was rammed down our collective throats is somewhat hypocritical. Overall, though, it is probably good to learn the way the administration will really work early, since it will be much harder to be stabbed in the back if the Repubs refuse to turn their backs.

Surely you can see that if the administration had allowed republicans to be involved in the creation of the bill that the entire perception of the new administration would be much different. They do not seem to care about how they are perceived...that may prove to be a good move and may prove to be a huge mistake. We will see.

How was HOPE AND CHANGE "rammed" down your throat. You had one vote just like everbody else.

Maybe if the Neropublicans had any ideas they would have been invited.

[bigsixfive 341]

Maybe if the Neropublicans had any ideas they would have been invited.

Could you please look up who Nero actually was and what he stood for before you say Neropublicans again?

[OldNewby 27]

I would imagine that few Republicans wish to touch this freight train load of hog manure with a 10 foot pole. Why not let the shysters have all the "credit".

[TigerHeat 9]

Well I'm not going to try to justify it, because honestly I don't care to convince you.

BUT.

Why do you think they deserve to be in the conference to work on a bill they already voted against? The bill (after conference) will still have to be passed by both chambers, and if they still have a problem with it then they have the right to vote against it.

I don't have a problem with the democrats enjoying their new-found power and exploiting it every chance they get...it does not surprise me at all, but I really did think they would at least pretend to try a bi-partisan approach for more than a few hours after The One was coronated. Surely you can see that this behavior after HOPE AND CHANGE was rammed down our collective throats is somewhat hypocritical. Overall, though, it is probably good to learn the way the administration will really work early, since it will be much harder to be stabbed in the back if the Repubs refuse to turn their backs.

Surely you can see that if the administration had allowed republicans to be involved in the creation of the bill that the entire perception of the new administration would be much different. They do not seem to care about how they are perceived...that may prove to be a good move and may prove to be a huge mistake. We will see.

How was HOPE AND CHANGE "rammed" down your throat. You had one vote just like everbody else.

Maybe if the Neropublicans had any ideas they would have been invited.

This was not the platform that The One ran on. He would have never been elected if the centrist, non-partisan voters knew all this he would pull (capitulation to Iran being chief among them).

[Grumps 3,706]

Well I'm not going to try to justify it, because honestly I don't care to convince you.

BUT.

Why do you think they deserve to be in the conference to work on a bill they already voted against? The bill (after conference) will still have to be passed by both chambers, and if they still have a problem with it then they have the right to vote against it.

I don't have a problem with the democrats enjoying their new-found power and exploiting it every chance they get...it does not surprise me at all, but I really did think they would at least pretend to try a bi-partisan approach for more than a few hours after The One was coronated. Surely you can see that this behavior after HOPE AND CHANGE was rammed down our collective throats is somewhat hypocritical. Overall, though, it is probably good to learn the way the administration will really work early, since it will be much harder to be stabbed in the back if the Repubs refuse to turn their backs.

Surely you can see that if the administration had allowed republicans to be involved in the creation of the bill that the entire perception of the new administration would be much different. They do not seem to care about how they are perceived...that may prove to be a good move and may prove to be a huge mistake. We will see.

How was HOPE AND CHANGE "rammed" down your throat.

My bad, I guess those words were hardly mentioned during the campaigning.

You had one vote just like everbody else.

You forget about ACORN

Maybe if the Neropublicans had any ideas they would have been invited.

I bet that's it.

[RunInRed 19,658]

Well I'm not going to try to justify it, because honestly I don't care to convince you.

BUT.

Why do you think they deserve to be in the conference to work on a bill they already voted against? The bill (after conference) will still have to be passed by both chambers, and if they still have a problem with it then they have the right to vote against it.

Decent points. Remember, not one Republican in the House voted for this bill so I'm not sure how they would now all of sudden be a constructive voice in conference. I have more of a problem with the Senate GOPers being left out...they should have representation. But make no mistake, the majority of the negotiating has to be geared at keeping those three votes on board.

As Justin pointed out, at the end of the day, every one will get to vote. The bill will pass. Republicans will vote no and continue to to hate the legislation. Democrats will think they did the right thing. For the sake of the Country, we all should hope it works. Time will tell.

[autigeremt 7,549]

No need to answer either one of you. YOU WON, WE ALL LOOSE!

The rise of the Socialist American Trifecta is here. Bow to the masters.

[Tigermike 4,266]

Well I'm not going to try to justify it, because honestly I don't care to convince you.

BUT.

Why do you think they deserve to be in the conference to work on a bill they already voted against? The bill (after conference) will still have to be passed by both chambers, and if they still have a problem with it then they have the right to vote against it.

Decent points. Remember, not one Republican in the House voted for this bill so I'm not sure how they would now all of sudden be a constructive voice in conference. I have more of a problem with the Senate GOPers being left out...they should have representation. But make no mistake, the majority of the negotiating has to be geared at keeping those three votes on board.

As Justin pointed out, at the end of the day, every one will get to vote. The bill will pass. Republicans will vote no and continue to to hate the legislation. Democrats will think they did the right thing. For the sake of the Country, we all should hope it works. Time will tell.

Kind of reminds me of the pilot telling the passengers to bend over stick their heads between their legs and kiss their asses goodbye.

But make no mistake, the majority of the negotiating has to be geared at keeping those three votes on board.

Maybe that would have been good enough reason to include the Republicans in the the conference negotiations. But don't let bipartisanship get in the way.

We know he won.

[RunInRed 19,658]

I agree the GOP Senators should have had representation.