Just in: LBJ says 'not enough votes' to pass Civil Rights Act; will drop the whole matter

[brentspeak]

In other news:

Washington says "Redcoats can't be defeated"; will surrender

Lincoln says: "Can't unify the Republic"; might as well let South secede

FDR says: "Republicans too mean"; New Deal legislation to be shelved

Truman says: "Fighting wars on two fronts too hard; let's go home"

Asked why President Obama's health reform proposal, unveiled Monday, didn't include a public option, Gibbs said, “There are some that are supportive of this," evidently referring to the 23 US senators who have signed a letter urging the public option to be passed through the reconciliation process.

But http://rawstory.com/2010/02/white-house-not-support-public-option">"there isn’t enough political support in the majority to get this through,” Gibbs said.

[Captain Hilts]

1. Brill! It's easier to just give in!

[The Wielding Truth]

2. Exactly! They must realize that they can make it happen!

[Jennicut]

3. There were more moderate Repubs back then that voted for that.

The original House version:

* Democratic Party: 152-96 (61%-39%)
* Republican Party: 138-34 (80%-20%)

Cloture in the Senate:

* Democratic Party: 44-23 (66%-34%)
* Republican Party: 27-6 (82%-18%)

The Senate version:

* Democratic Party: 46-21 (69%-31%)
* Republican Party: 27-6 (82%-18%)

The Senate version, voted on by the House:

* Democratic Party: 153-91 (63%-37%)
* Republican Party: 136-35 (80%-20%
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964


We are relying on Dem votes only. Some people want to believe something is there when it is not. And because there were so many Dems in the Senate at that time, LBJ got away with only needing 44 (!) of them, plus Republicans.
Would never happen today. Our system is more and more corrupt.

[ProSense]

7. Imagine that

31% of Democrats voted against the Civil Rights Act.

[surrealAmerican]

16. Southern Democrats mostly.

Remember, in the south, they were the segregationist party.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

8. You mean things changed between 1964 and 2010?

:wow:

[Jennicut]

9. Yeah, just a bit.

Sometimes I think 1964 was so long ago, and backwards compared to now. Other times....

[ProSense]

4. Just in:

Math

88th Congress (1963-1965)

Majority Party: Democrat (66 seats)

Minority Party: Republican (34 seats)

Other Parties: 0

Total Seats: 100

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

89th Congress (1965-1967)

Majority Party: Democrat (68 seats)

Minority Party: Republican (32 seats)

Other Parties: 0

Total Seats: 100

[Drunken Irishman]

5. Find me 138 House Republicans who will vote for the HCR bill.

And 27 Senate Republicans who will vote for the HCR.

Because that's how many Republicans voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

80% of House Republicans voted for the Senate Civil Rights Act in the House.

That's stark and you're comparing apples & oranges, my friend.

[Captain Hilts]

10. If they're against it, then we shouldn't fight for it! Just give in! Just give in! Just give in!!!

[Drunken Irishman]

12. Get off your ass and find the votes, bud.

Or stop bitching.

Go as Mr. Kucinich - who has in congress for over a decade, to find the votes. I'm sure he's so highly respected and beloved by his fellow congresspeople that he should have no problem convincing them!

[Captain Hilts]

17. Wrong verb. It's not about 'finding' it's about 'making'. Last summer was the time.

Opportunity probably lost.

[rufus dog]

21. Or you can just go propose other ideas at the last minute

to make yourself look good and continue the charade about how you are so progressive, all while getting shit done.

[CTLawGuy]

29. yeah

I mean Dennis Kucinich has used his awesome leadership to get so many bills passed. :eyes: I think that's why he keeps "almost" winning the Democratic nomination for president....

[Warren Stupidity]

6. The Civil Rights Act passed the senate with broad Republican support.

The votes were there.

[Captain Hilts]

11. Southern Democrats were the problem. nt

[Warren Stupidity]

14. Point being that LBJ had the votes.

Unlike Obama, who doesn't. Not enough votes to break a filibuster, and not enough votes for a simple majority to reconcile the public option into the bill. And if LBJ didn't have the votes he would not have wasted time and capital demonstrating that fact on the floor of congress.

[Captain Hilts]

15. No reason to just give up. Dems had the most progressive mandate since '32 and blew it.

He left it up to Baucus and Snowe.

He followed the debate instead of leading it.

[Skink]

13. What would Strom Thurmond do?

:shrug: really I have no idea.

[muntrv]

18. Too bad Obama can't jawbone with Congress like LBJ did.

[depakid]

19. Not as much a matter of jawboning as having credibility

as defined by consequences (which can be broken down more simply into punishments and rewards).

Age old concept- as applicable now as ever.

[Hippo_Tron]

20. That's more or less what JFK did

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MadBadger]

26. That news was just in, years ago

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Clio the Leo]

24. Breaking: Constitutional Convention Attendees Agree to Not let the Perfect Be the Enemy of the Good

At the Constitutional Convention, the delegates were concerned with the survival of the young nation. Many delegates called for strong protections for slavery, while many others hated the idea of putting into the Constitution the idea that there could be property in people. With the goal of forming a Union, they reached a compromise. Slave states would count 3/5ths of their slave populations towards their state populations to calculate taxation and representation in Congress. Additionally, Congress could not outlaw the international slave trade until 1808. The debate over the federal government’s power to regulate slavery continued through the Civil War.

http://www.articleii.org/slavery.html

Clearly not the ideal solution ... but what was the alternative?

[Scarsdale Vibe]

25. Progressives oppose passage of Civil Rights Act, "Doesn't go far enough, we should kill it."

[damonm]

27. Progressives also say:

"Kill Social Security - it's only for white guys."

[CTLawGuy]

30. [phone]

They also oppose Medicare because it only applies to people 65+

"It'd be soooo easy just to make everyone eligible for it. LBJ has no stones and no backbone, he's kowtowing to the corporate interests. Bobby Kennedy in '64! Kill the bill."

"There'll be this new 'payroll' tax that will hit workers. The American people will never stand for having to pay for old people's insurance on top of having to pay the corporations for health insurance."

[brand404]

28. K&R