Official Conyers Signing Statment Hearing Thread #2

[Sydnie]

Thread #1 http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=89929&mesg_id=89929

[helderheid]

1. Rec 1 Thanks Sydnie!

[Sydnie]

2. You're welcome sweetie

:hug:

[helderheid]

4. I cannot believe these asswipes can defend *!

[blogslut]

3. Who is this guy speaking right now?

Getting into spats with the witnesses?

[Sydnie]

11. that was Rep Scott

I left the room for two seconds and it ended? What happened?

[rodeodance]

12. some Repug it seems to me.

[helderheid]

5. more recs y'all

[helderheid]

6. any idea when they'll come back? I didn't catch what Conyers said

[blogslut]

7. Four votes coming up

We will come back in 15

[OnceUponTimeOnTheNet]

8. K&R

[Bonobo]

9. Goodnight everyone. That was fun. That republican former congressman,

Mickey something impressed me with his intensity. Yes, maybe he is scared of Obama/Hillary but that doesn't matter.

[rodeodance]

10. they just adjourned till 12:30 pm ET (votes and lunch)

[Sydnie]

13. thank you!

I left the room for two seconds and when I come back they are gone. I thought the ended completely!

[helderheid]

14. They appear to be coming back in now

[Sydnie]

15. they are milling about

It looked like the witnesses didn't leave the room at all. No one brought them to lunch or supplied them with lunch or offered to call out for a pizza for them or anything? :shrug:

[helderheid]

16. BACK!!

[Sydnie]

17. Glad she clarified the ABA quote

Sensenbrenner and this asshole too need to get their facts straight.

[Sydnie]

18. but he is not announcing interpretations, he is saying that he will

not follow the law no matter what the interpretation of the law is and no matter who is doing the interpretation of that law.

[bdamomma]

19. hey I just updated myself with Thread 1, sounds like quite the panel

John will keep them in place.

[helderheid]

20. glad you're here!

:hi:

[helderheid]

21. HECKLER

[Sydnie]

22. Do we have a protester there?

Sure sounds like it!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

29. It was cool that they didn't take her out of the room and Conyers asked her to have a seat! That is

refreshing!

[bdamomma]

73. he is such a good guy, he is on our side.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

82. I love Conyers, and it is so wonderful that he's not being hid in the basement anymore! eom

[bdamomma]

double post sorry

[bdamomma]

72. this has been becoming a regular thing how do they get in?

I am not complaining I wish there were more!!!!

[Sydnie]

23. Jackson Lee up now

go get 'em!

[helderheid]

24. she acknowledged her constituent's points.

[watrwefitinfor]

25. She is agreeing "with the protester, there."

"Our beloved constituent!"

I love this woman.

Wat

[w8liftinglady]

26. they have had protesters at a lot of these hearings...love it!

[Sydnie]

27. She is on Fire

Yes or no ... no ... ok ... next subject. Loving her!

[watrwefitinfor]

32. She was taking no prisoners.

Could we have Rep. Lee for president???

[helderheid]

28. Off to vote "Not sure if it's because of the subject matter we're debating here"

[Laurab]

31. Oh, I'm sure it's just a coincidence.....NOT n/t

[Sydnie]

33. C-SPAN says they are voting on tabling a procedural motion

regarding debate on HJ Res 20.

Any idea what that resolution is?

[Sydnie]

30. Off to do other business again

but we can wait. There is time for both functions when necessary. I'd rather have them do this than miss an important vote.

[Laurab]

34. Conyers seems to be hinting that the votes are suspiciously timed n/t

[suffragette]

35. Question on ABA report that Rep. Lee cited

Been sick and busy so doing a lot of catching up.
The segment wit Barbara Lee went by quickly. She brought up an ABA report about the signing statements. Love the way she kept them to a Yes or No answer.
Went to google and found this link to what looks to be that report here: http://www.abanet.org/op/signingstatements/
Opened and read just the beginning.

"RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association opposes, as contrary 1 to the rule of law
2 and our constitutional system of separation of powers, the issuance of presidential signing
3 statements that claim the authority or state the intention to disregard or decline to enforce all or
4 part of a law the President has signed, or to interpret such a law in a manner inconsistent with the
clear intent of Congress;"

Sounds good.

Oops. Edited to add the question. Is this waht Rep. Lee was referring to?

[Sydnie]

36. Yes, it sounds like that is the report they are discussing. n/t

[suffragette]

38. Thanks Sydnie

And thsnks for posting the video link to this important hearing.
It's wonderful to see Conyers as the Chair - where he belongs.

[Sydnie]

40. It is, isn't it?

and not in a basement room with folding chairs!

[suffragette]

42. And in control of the light switches and mikes.

[Sydnie]

37. another vote has been called so the delay should be a bit longer

all procedural questions and votes on tabling.

This is about the appropriations bills left unpassed at the end of the last congress.

[helderheid]

39. BACK!!

[Sydnie]

41. Perhaps it's time to stop loading the bills, you asshat

It's not a baked potato at TGI Fridays you moran. Give clean bills, single issue, and then there is no problem!

[blogslut]

43. This collective ennui about the issue

- coming from (suprise) repubs is really pissing me off.

"What's the big deal? So he gives his opinion and doesn't tell us, doesn't have an oversight and it's never been brought before a court?"

Welcome to court, you nimrods.

[blogslut]

44. The lady sums it up

Signing statements take way the right of congress to overrule a veto

[Sydnie]

45. And the constitution is clear about vetos

and makes no provisions for signing statements at all.

[helderheid]

46. Hey man, what's your problem? He's being upfront about being a dictator!

[blogslut]

47. Out in open, my fanny

No, these signing statements aren't out in the open! Ahhhh!

[blogslut]

48. Who is the comb over?

Ya'll just disagree with the president

[Maven]

49. What CSPAN are you guys watching?

I can't find it.

[Sydnie]

50. Not on C-Span - stream link here

http://judiciary.house.gov/schedule.aspx

[blogslut]

51. Read the Original Post

The link is there - it comes from the Judiciary Committee site and the feed comes from that site

[Maven]

52. Derr...thanks. nt

[helderheid]

53. Heckler

[Laurab]

55. Abuse of the Executive Branch!

Loud and clear.

[blogslut]

54. Heckler

Please escort our visitor from the room. Girlfriend got her point out though. :)

[blogslut]

56. new congressman

I don't know him. He wants to make statement before he leaves to vote.

The ABA should not be accused of bad motives. Everyone here is here for our protection. ABA recommendations are reasonable. Should be some pre-clearance for signing statements.

[Sydnie]

57. she has clearly said it's not about his free speech numbnuts

it's about direction to the executive branch on what to enforce and what not to in any given law!

[blogslut]

58. The repubs keep playing the same, sad song

That older panelist guy is showing there's no recourse to signing statements...

The repub is trying to justify by dodging the issue of the fact that the prez is supposed to veto if he disagrees with a law.

[Sydnie]

59. a President is sometimes forced not to obey the law?

Damn, next time I commit a crime, I will have to try to use that in court. If he can do it, why can't the rest of us?

[originalpckelly]

60. That Assistant AG is such a Nazi puke!

I have a feeling he could have a calm conversation about torture.

[blogslut]

61. Shiff is grilling the pencil-neck

Trying to pin the guy down on whether or not the pres has been holding back portions of signing statements

[blogslut]

62. More ennui

from Goodlatte

Surprised that Conyers chose this silly problem for his first hearing as new chair.

Signing statements have never been used in courts, so there!

And throwing a curve about judges referring to foreign law...I smell straw

[blogslut]

63. Arthur Davis is awesome!

Brings up George Wallace and his defiance of Voter Rights and Civil Right bills and asks how Bush's defiance is different from Wallace. Sweet!

[doublethink]

64. That was a very good exchange .... he had the presidents enabler's head spinning.

:thumbsup: (The guy's defense was basically .... just trust the president okay!) :eyes:

[blogslut]

65. Gohmert is trying to be cute

Decides to read signing statements he disagrees with

Golly, they were all written by Clinton! How clever Gohmert. How is that helping your case?

[Sydnie]

68. What a dick he is!

Now, read some of blivet"s** in comparision asshat!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

66. Who is this asswipe that keeps bringing up Clinton? They are not there for Clinton, they are there

for the sociopath!

[helderheid]

67. I had to step away - what's happnin?

[Sydnie]

69. Dickhead reading Clinton's signing statements

but not reading any of blivet's** for comparison!

[originalpckelly]

75. Actually, I have personally reviewed a number of Clinton's statements...

and they are similar in nature to President Bush's. This is a bi-partisan problem.

[Sydnie]

86. I have as well

and I didn't find the majority to be anything like blivet's**. Most were not a challenge to the law. At least not the ones that I had read.

[originalpckelly]

90. Well, there were quite a number of them.

And I must admit, I was surprised the Republicans didn't go ape shit on him for them. Sad to see how they politicized oversight.

[seemunkee]

92. What is his point? They were in charge then too!

If they didn't like it they could have done something about it at that time and not been so damn worried about his sex life.

[blogslut]

70. The gentlemen's time has expired

Thank god.

Debbie is up next!

[blogslut]

71. Schulz

is using the Dubya signing statement RE: approval of Mike Brown to FEMA

The president just decided to ignore the qualifications for the FEMA administrator

[blogslut]

74. Ellison

"If signing statements are merely the president's opinion and have no legal validity, why have them?'

Dude tried to dodge the question by going back to answer Debbie's stuff. Ellison stopped him cold

[helderheid]

76. I'm loving Ellison

[blogslut]

77. This is great!

Ellison has Bush's goon agreeing that signing statements have no purpose!

[blogslut]

78. Old guy is spanking the committee

Get past your party!

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

80. That was a thing of beauty! eom

[helderheid]

79. POT MEET KETTLE, ASSHOLE!

[blogslut]

81. Go Ellison!

Eliminate the signing statements!

[doublethink]

83. What everyone else in the Executive branch is just too stupid to

read the passed law and need the fricking President to 'interpret it'? :wtf: ..... more b.s. ... yea lets eliminate these signing statements. All in favor say I! :)

[bdamomma]

88. too bad we didn't have some other sort of government like

Parlimentarian, Bush would be out be now, what are the pro's and con's to a parlimentarian government? just asking.

[doublethink]

91. A vote of no confidence for one thing ..... and under a Parliamentarian

system Bush probably would be gone ..... but with the hand we are delt here .... his 'enablers' on this committee today, and his 'enabler' witnesses argued in the end that yea these signing statements serve no purpose, don't change the law passed by the legislature .... BUT the laws need to be interpreted to the rest of the Executive branch under the President so they can understand what the law says. Yea the 'My Pet Goat' guy gets to be not just the decider, but the 'interpreter' too .... goobeldy goobaldy b.s. bla bla bla ... Oh but none of this signing statement crap is Constitutional by the way, and round and round we go! Long live the King huh? sigh ... keep the faith and Peace.

[blogslut]

84. That was great!

Excellent first hearing, Mr. Conyers!

[blogslut]

85. Last whine!

Gotta to get those Clenis signing statements on the record!

[helderheid]

87. They should put ALL presidential signing statements in - you compare them to *'s and you see the

abuse immediately!

[bdamomma]

89. we all know * has abusing his power, why can't they just say that.

I am grasping at straws I just want * out.