Report: GOP Prepares 100-Day Agenda For Senate Takeover

[big_dog]

Source: The Hill

Republicans are putting together an agenda for the first 100 days of 2015 in case they win control of the Senate. Authorizing the Keystone XL oil pipeline, approving “fast-track” trade authority, wiping out proposed environmental regulations and repealing the medical device tax top their list. GOP senators insist they are not “measuring the drapes” after six years in the minority.

Still, they’re preparing for what could be a brief, intense window of activity before 2016 presidential politics begin to dominate the landscape. “We will have to be prepared if we are in a position to govern,” Corker said. “You got to think about those things you’d like to produce.”

To move their objectives, Senate Republicans must win in November and then work with a Democratic minority. Even in a best-case scenario, the party will be well short of a 60-plus majority able to block Democratic filibusters. But Republicans believe many of their priorities could be embraced by Democrats Senate Republicans want to dispel the image painted by Democrats over the past four years that they are obstructionists bent on grinding government to a halt.

They want to show they can get legislation passed after years of frustrating gridlock.
“One guy is blocking all the legislation — that’s the majority leader. If we get rid of him, then the spigot opens an we start passing legislation again,” said a Republican leadership aide, referring to Reid.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/217518-senate-gops-first-100-days

[bluestateguy]

1. Report: President Barack Obama picking out veto pens he can use

"Let's see the red one, or the blue one..."

[Veilex]

7. +1

[vi5]

12. Right.

As long as he doesn't feel his usual overwhelming need to be "bipartisan".

I'm not at all confident he'll veto even half of what they put through.

[SoapBox]

15. Oh I so agree with your post.

[freshwest]

47. Impossible to veto CR's. There is no line item veto. Don't think they won't try another shut down.

Just think of having Cruz or Paul as the majority leader. They are Koch puppets all the way.

The Keystone pipeline has been at the front end of every budget they've attempted to pass. They have threatened Obama for stalling them on it since 2009, after Bush promised it in 2007.

Charles Koch himself came out of his cesspool to threaten Obama in the summer of 2010, telling PBO he'd defeat him if he didn't sign onto the Keystone approval. The RW blogosphere knew what Obama was doing to stop them but MSM played their typical PBO isn't doing anything while alternative media twisted his flexibility into saying he was a fossil fuel supporter. Neither are true, but people cling to those hatreds.

It is a major reason for the creation of the Tea Party by the Kochs as it stands to double their net worth. The other one was to extend the Bush tax cuts, upon which Obama had laid out his infrastructure rebuilding and employment strategy upon in his budget, and on alternative energy to free us of dependence on the Middle East. A Saudi royal was upset about PBO's plan and said they needed to reduce the price of oil to keep the USA as a consumer to foil alternative energy programs by PBO.

MSM was fully complicit in all of it, whipping up the GOP for a Tea Party victory, and alternative media worked the other side to keep Democrats from voting in a heavily hyped election season. They also made each initiative Obama began look like ill-thought out, crooked deals.

This is what they sell the RWers on as to Obama's scandals when ketchup, haircuts, umbrellas and tan suits won't sell. All to keep an atmosphere of 'Obama is corrupt.' He's not, it's his progressive policies and the people that voted for them they are against.

Not ranting at you, just a general rant.

[DCBob]

49. It could get ugly.. I suspect there will be compromises that many on this board wont like.

But elections have consequences. If Democrats don't show up to vote, then we will get RW crap stuff down our throats.

[freshwest]

50. You got it. And love your sig line. We should vote to prevent them getting more power to hurt us.

[DCBob]

54. I stole that line from Morgan Freeman. It sums up my feelings perfectly.

[msongs]

2. makes one wish dems had a clue how to organize an agenda does it not? nt

[Bohemianwriter]

19. I find it strange...

That Liberals are supposed to be smarter cannot outwit a bunch of creationists and money grubbers....

Why can you not organize better, and scream down whatever RW power whore coming to town meetings?

[Fred Sanders]

27. Liberals are far smarter, have you watched Fox News, but a mass media in the hands of corporations

is a real obstacle to overcome.

That one would even question who the smarter ones are after all the crazy talk of the Republicans is deliberately not paying attention, likely.

How is this Breaking News, by the way?

[vi5]

38. The problem is the people at the top ARE smarter.

They are smart enough to know how to appeal to the masses, and distill things into easy soundbytes and to get their message across in a clear and concise manner.

Fox news is just the vessel through which they dumb things down and do this, and the people at the top of the Republican power structure are smart enough to get this and to do this.

Democrats are dumb enough to think that they can split hairs, play both sides of the fence, and put across a muddled message that appeals to everyone and that the average citizen will be smart enough or have the resources and wherewithal to "get it" amidst all the noise.

So yes, base liberals are smarter. But when it comes to the leaders of and power structures of both parties Republicans are far smarter.

[Fred Sanders]

39. Now it is just Republicans at the political top overcome by religiosity and racism. Not that smart.

[vi5]

41. They're not overcome with anything other than greed.

But they are smart enough to know how to play upon enough people's religiosity and racism to get them to vote for them and against their own interests.

The Democrats at the top aren't smart enough to know how to play against the same maneuvers and playbook that the puppetmasters of the GOP have been using for 25 years now, if not longer.

[Fred Sanders]

42. We are smart enough to encourage folks to vote, not suppress them, there is still that.

[padfun]

3. So Reid is the one blocking all of this?

I say BS

[Veilex]

9. Its just typical Grand Old Projection

[upaloopa]

4. If they do control the House and Senate then

they should build a couple of box seats in the gallery of both chambers for the Kochs.

[C Moon]

11. Wow. That is a creepy visual. :O

[deminks]

16. They will be there.

They are in the state legislatures regularly when their pet projects are up for a "vote".

[GoCubsGo]

5. If this isn't a reason to vote in November...

...and to strongly encourage your fellow Democrats to vote, I don't know what is.

[airplaneman]

6. Let me see if I got this right.

The republicans want to
-gut the environment.
-gut the middle class.
-gut "entitlement" programs.
-gut Obamacare.
This will prove they indeed know how to govern.
-Airplane

[OnlinePoker]

10. Didn't they already do these? n/t

[louis-t]

8. They are "in a position to govern" right now

but they won't. They will be "in a position to fuck up the country some more" if they take the Senate.

[santamargarita]

13. FUBAR is just another way of saying Republican!

[ballyhoo]

14. After the speech on going to war again, I think there is no chance

they will not win the Senate. However, unless something major happens, they will not beat Hillary Clinton for President in 2016. But, if a bunch of US servicemen start getting killed while fighting IS, then they may well win the presidency also.

[JCMach1]

43. The Senate landscape will be even worse in 2016 for Republicans than it is for Dems this year

if they take over it will be a VERY SHORT takeover

[ballyhoo]

45. Depends...If the Senate under Republican cuts entitlements

and Obama signs it, you may not see a Democrat in any branch again for many years. It all depends on what Republicans do. If somehow they vote on creating jobs and helping Americans, they will remain in power for a long time.

[adieu]

17. Yes, please. Tell the country exactly what you're going to do

just before the elections. Then it will be abundantly clear how out of touch and wrongheaded your "ideas" are. Please, proceed.

[SoapBox]

18. All while Dems sit silently, in their dark rooms, doing nothing.

There is a full out press by the Pukes, Baggers and their puppets in the media.

I recently had someone say that we had ALREADY lost the Senate...I said back, ya know we've not even voted yet? Response...oh, but I thought I heard on the news.



Dems better wake up...find a voice...and find a spine. Screw that "bipartisan" bullshit.

Oh...and all this crap how the President has lost minority support because he delayed an immigration plan? WELL...let the Pukes, Baggers and Haters take over and the DEPORTATION Buses might roll! Don't be stupid.

[Tikki]

20. Didn't robmey have one of those, also!!!... LOSERS can't be choosers...

Tikki

[yuiyoshida]

21. Republicans are pretty

cocky and arrogant aren't they? They only way they will get those seats are to STEAL THEM.

[Fred Sanders]

22. Veto, veto and more vetoes, too bad for the GOP, Democrats are also preparing their agenda when

they retain the Senate, so.....what does it matter what they are "planning"?

The Hill is another GOP propaganda outfit in any event....so....

[LynneSin]

24. And with the Senate filibuster filibuster filibuster

That too

[Fred Sanders]

25. Yes, forgot about that...and what would be the difference from Republicans filibustering now, except

Democrats will be filibustering crazy fascist agenda bills.

[YarnAddict]

29. Except that

Reid set a precedent with the "nulear option". Filibuster might be useless.

[CBHagman]

44. The filibuster change applied to nominees, not everything.

Since the so-called nuclear option, there have still been cases where the GOP used the threat of a filibuster to derail legislation that had majority support. In fact that's what happened with the attempt to advance legislation undoing Citizens United. See second story below.

[url]http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-24/senate-leaders-said-to-agree-on-filibuster-rule-changes.html[/url]

[url]http://www.thenation.com/blog/181590/senate-tried-overturn-citizens-united-today-guess-what-stopped-them[/url]

Fifty-four senators, all Democrats and independents who caucus with the Democrats, voted Thursday for the amendment to clarify in the Constitution that Congress and the states have the authority to do what they did for a century before activist judges began intervening on behalf of wealthy donors and corporations: enact meaningful campaign finance rules and regulations.

But forty-two senators, all Republicans, voted no. As a result, Udall noted, the Republican minority was able to “filibuster this measure and instead choose to support a broken system that prioritizes corporations and billionaires over regular voters.”

The Republican opposition effectively blocked further consideration of the amendment proposal, since sixty votes were needed to end debate and force a vote. And, even if the Republicans had not filibustered the initiative, actual passage of an amendment would have required a two-thirds vote.

[YarnAddict]

46. Do you think

they will limit the "nuclear option" in that way when they get the chance? No way. There will be no chance for the party in the minority to block anything they want. We will have to rely on the President's veto power--unless they can figure out a way around that, too.

[Big_Mike]

55. The problem is that on this issue, sixty-six votes were needed for passage.

All Constitutional issues require two-thirds, not even just 60 votes.

This one was a misfire for Sen. Reid. Normally, he plays the other side like a violin. On this one, his bow broke.

[LynneSin]

23. In a nutshell two more years of nothing getting done by Congress

Sigh

[rocktivity]

26. Hit Piece Propaganda Alert!!!

Who do they think they're kidding? They know perfectly well that Obama can veto their agenda into oblivion. And I sure hope the Dems are planning a 100-day agenda of their own if they should retain control!


rocktivity

[Fred Sanders]

30. Well, one could write an article for The Hill about that but doubt they would publish it.

[rocktivity]

33. The LEAST they could have done

was gotten a Dem's opinion!


rocktivity

[Fred Sanders]

28. Opinion piece, not breaking news...post while you can...

[Stryder]

31. Oh for Crissake.

Reid? Gridlock? Projection much? That said...
I don't think it's gonna happen (losing the senate) but if it does and we don't see
filibusters on Keystone and Fast track (at the very least), the jig is up and the curtain will
be pulled back for all who would see. I hate to think it but I sometimes do,
there ain't a whole lot of daylight between the party's. Mostly just the
face they show. Spineless Dems? Or complicit. I know, I know, flame away
but it keeps scratching at the back brain. I wish they'd prove me wrong
but it just seems we're being played. It wouldn't be much of a ball game
if they all wore the same uniform. It's just that they seem to kiss a lot of the same asses.

[blkmusclmachine]

36. It just means you're paying attention. And, yeah, I thnk we're being played.

[fredamae]

32. Are they also drawing

up articles of impeachment, the sales contract for our public lands and recruiting SCOTUS appointees?
The GOP sure feels sure of themselves. These kind of stories make ya want to just give up and stay home...and that may be all this is...a last ditch effort to psychologically suppress (depress) the voters so we'll stay home. We can't lose sight of who owns the media publishing these stories and the lengths the GOP will go to, employing a myriad of different and yes, even effective strategies-for the big win.

[jaysunb]

34. Measuring the drapes, are we ?

I love the delusion most of all.

[mountain grammy]

35. This makes me sick

and scared.

Will be knocking on doors for Mark Udall this weekend.

[blackspade]

37. What a bunch of disingenuous pricks

[malthaussen]

40. In other news, Dewey wins Presidency.

Not counting their chickens, much, are they? It would be so satisfying to see a massive DEM turnout and a midterm revolution.

-- Mal

[Webay111]

48. What is it with Republicans that attract weirdos?

[link:http://quietmike.org/2014/09/09/jordan-haskins-sexual-obsession/|

[Owl]

51. Discusting that Klobuchar and Franken are against the med device tax.

Protecting their rear-ends I guess, though disappointing.

[RadicalGeek]

52. This Should Be

Included in every GOTV message any Democratic candidiate sends.

Of course, it could also be a scorched earth agenda as this agenda would fire up the Democratic Base.

If this does happen I can see at least 2 Demos, and one Independentm that would have to be the MVPs (Most Valuable Progressives):

Al Fraken,
Elizabeth Warren and
Bernie Saunders(sp)

[Kalidurga]

53. I love the smell of GOP tears the morning after an election.

Even though the real work has to take place after the election. We have seen with our own eyes that TPTB has even corrupted our system of justice to the point where we have gone backwards on Civil Rights even though on paper most things look legit.