Vote on spending bill abruptly postponed

[kentuck]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/11/1351084/-Vote-on-spending-bill-abruptly-postponed?detail=facebook

<snip>
Uncertainty over the fate of the so-call cromnibus grew Thursday afternoon, when the House concluded debate on the bill and then, rather than voting, Speaker John Boehner called a recess. That strongly suggests Boehner is unsure if he has the votes needed to pass the bill, which would fund most of the government until September, but also relax rules on Wall Street and increase political contribution limits.

Earlier in the day, it had taken GOP leadership more than 30 minutes to squeeze through a procedural vote moving toward final passage of the bill. But with the White House issuing a statement of support for the bill (while simultaneously expressing disapproval of several major provisions in it), and even reportedly making calls to Democratic members of Congress to find out how they were voting, it seemed likely that enough Democrats would vote yes to offset some far-right Republican rebellion.

Similarly, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi condemned the bill and made clear her personal opposition, while tacitly giving Democrats permission to vote for it. Pelosi described the bill as "blackmail," but said she would "respect the decisions" of members voting for it. Clearly, though, Boehner was not confident of passage and wanted to take some time to count votes and possibly twist arms. Those might be Democratic arms, though:

....more

[B Calm]

1. When does the government shut down?

[kentuck]

2. It's all like a partisan chess game...

without regard to consequences. OK, Democrats, your move!