Durbin tells Republicans: Welcome to the Internet

[JaJae]

The Democrats have failed to get their annual spending bills in on time and therefore have released a 3,400 page bill that is supposedly all inclusive. The bill does not give funds to our troops in Iraq, but it does give millions to "emergency" funding to lawyers of illegal immigrants among many other highly controversial things.

Republicans are complaining about the size of the bill, all the hidden agendas in it and the time they've been given to vote on it. So of course they'll be filibustering. The Democratic response essentially is "you've had plenty of time, vote now."

YouTube Video

If his 46 hour timeline is correct that means:
- Every senator would have had to read 1.25 pages of the bill every minute
- They would not have had any time to sleep, eat or go to the bathroom. No breaks.

If you agree that the Republicans should have done the above, then you agree with the Democrats. If you think our Senators should fucking read bills before they vote on them then perhaps you would oppose this and just perhaps you would agree with a Republican filibuster.

Mr. DeMINT. We like to say we are the world’s greatest deliberative body. I have to ask my colleagues tonight, on the largest bill we have ever considered, the most expensive bill we have ever considered, what deliberation? We don’t even know what is in this bill. We haven’t had any real debate. We are going to try to cut it off in an hour or so. This is a couple of times bigger than the Bible. It is bigger than Webster’s Dictionary. It has some of the most important provisions to direct our country over the next year that we could possibly consider. We don’t even have a desk copy… To bring this much spending and this many provisions, 3,400 pages plus in 24 hours, and ask us to vote on it is irresponsible.

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, for 46 hours and 8 minutes–for 46 hours and 8 minutes–the Senator from South Carolina has had an opportunity to go to the Internet and see this bill in its entirety, with his staff, and to read every page–46 hours and 8 minutes. For this Senator to suggest on the floor that we are sneaking this bill in, that people have not had a chance to see it, I would just say to the Senator from South Carolina: Welcome to the world of the Internet. This bill has been posted since 12:15 a.m. Monday morning on the Internet for your perusal. That is early to get up, I understand. It is an early time to be reading the bill. But, please, do not come to the floor and suggest that this is a mystery bill which no one has seen. For 2 days, this has been posted on the Internet . You have had your chance. Every Senator has had a chance.

Mr. DeMINT. Has the Senator read the bill? Have you read the bill?

Mr. DURBIN. Regular order, Mr. President.

How pathetic.

[motivez]

I don't like the idea of all of these bullshit earmarks attached to spending any more than I did when the Republicans did it. You'd think after all the complaining about it, Democrats would recognize that they have more to gain by not going back to the same old habits that no one likes

I have to laugh at the idea of Republicans caring about having enough time to read a bill though, they care about having time to read something that spends our money, but not about something that guts our civil liberties..?

They don't really care, but it makes for a nice political soundbyte.

Despite that, though, this bill is bullshit and I hope their filibuster makes them consider a more reasonable bill.

[Thorgrim]

DeMint is a Coburn-clone, there's a reason he lost his bid for power inside the GOP

Both parties get pork in this deal, they worked it out before hand...only last minute changes would cause a real delay, the preliminary work has already been handed around the senate

again, I have to point out that not everyone in this care shares the middle class white male view on earmarks, to the lower-middle class man in the company who is now going to make full retirement because the business will stay open thanks to a government contract put in as "pork", he is very happy with his representative/senator and would it consider it not only ethical but goood solid moral work

again, the minority of the country, heavily represented on here, would cry out that it was immoral pork

People did not vote for the Democrats over this, they voted for them on a slew of issues, only one of them slightly related to this, and it was that the GOP had members in its highest positions involved in personal bribes...just another reason to say this "party of morality" wasn't worth voting for anymore, they did not vote for the Democrats as the new party of ending all congressional spending