Would we have allowed bush to rule by a Star Chamber?

[NightWatcher]

A "super congress" made up of 12 members whose powers trump the "little representatives". The Super Congress or Star Chamber would be made up of 12 members, 6 from each chamber and six from each party.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/23/super-congress-debt-ceiling_n_907887.html

Who gets to pick said 6 Democrats? Would they chamber in the open or behind closed doors? So we're supposed to be cool with no filibuster, no debate from the "little representatives" like a Kucinch, Frank, or other slightly left leaning rep, but a bulldozer crew who could push through anything?

Please tell me that some of you realize that this is a bad idea to form a very small cabal to rule. We already have a relatively small representative body, lets please not ursurp this with a smaller power concentrated in the hands of a dirty dozen.

[originalpckelly]

1. We know we wouldn't.

And we know that we do have to rise up if this is true. It's spreading like a fire on the internet. There is another source that's middle market credible, so I assuming we're dealing with something real here.

You'd have to be a moron to be blind to what's happening here. This nation has fallen off a cliff as far as life is concerned, and things are probably about to get very, very bad. Just coming up with this kind of a general body that is permanent and would eliminate all kinds of debate, is a bad bad thing.

Debate is the only thing we have to protect us from dictators. Slowing the process is the only method by the normal people of nation may defeat tyranny.

We must understand this. If we do this, we are singing a deal with the devil, and this nation will end up in a civil war because of it. The Tea Party people who are violent are bound to hate this, and they will be the ones who are violent. It doesn't matter how much the left does to try and stop the violence, it will happen.

The fact that this kind of a trial balloon is out there is terrifying. What are they not telling us that they have planned? That's the scary thing.

[Old and In the Way]

2. This is the Republican Dream on steroids.

They could eventually be down to 6 people in both chambers, but still yield the same power as 500+ Democrats in Congress. I hope all of the so-called "Constitutionalists" will be as concerned with this subversion of our Democracy as we are. Somehow, because this is being promoted by one of their own, I doubt it.

[originalpckelly]

4. They will be too.

This may be the uniting moment when both sides realized we've been played like a fiddle.

[emulatorloo]

3. Of course we realize this. This is McConnell's desperate attempt to "get around" the TeaBag Crazies

in the House. That crowd is ready and willing to default.

It is a stupid and egregious idea. Boenher and McConnell should drop the "tricks" and AGGRESSSIVELY get control over their Reps.

[originalpckelly]

5. They are effectively not even the same party.

[emulatorloo]

9. Unfortunately, Repub leadership coddled and promoted the Tea Party Types.

They created this Monster thinking they could "control" it.

Media cooperated by pretending these Extremists were credible candidates. 2010 voters were fed a "jobs jobs jobs" message that was a gigantic LIE.

This pisses me off so badly. Reid and Pelosi need to kick Boehner and McConnells asses.

[lame54]

6. each party?...

we know the D's and R's rule - but that is not a rule

any party can get voted into the house or senate

are they trying to permanently shut out any 3rd party from the super congress?

[emulatorloo]

8. I think they are trying to shut out the Tea Party caucus in the House at this point.

Boehner has lost control of them. This is McConnell's wimpy way of trying to get around them.

It is a HORRIBLE IDEA

[Chan790]

7. No.

I'd have fomented revolt, resistance.

[emulatorloo]

10. If this happens, that is what we will have to do. Protest Resistance

Mean time I am burning up the phone line on Monday to my rep and Senators.

[Major Hogwash]

11. I think we already did -- none of the Bush admin went to jail, Hopalong Cassidy.

So, the kind of cabal they are planning on forming now is to get around the President, because he's not from the right party.
Obama just doesn't "get it", he's not one of the "inner circle", he's not on their "cocktail party lists".

So, they have to thwart his authority somehow to keep the Democratic party from disintegrating before our very eyes.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. This would be done by a rules change for both houses, and that is a bit hard at this point

It would require broad support from the rank and file which I do not see happening in the Senate at this point.

[Major Hogwash]

16. What if they just held a tea party in the back room and drank McConnell Piss tea all day.

Until they agreed with the Mad Hatter?
You have no idea how strong McConnell Piss tea is, or you would agree as soon as you could to avoid drinking it.

[AndyTiedye]

13. He Did

Remember the "Gang of 14" that made sure that all of Bush**'s horrible judicial nominations got through?

[CarmanK]

14. I DON'T WANT A TPARTY NATION: the US is just fine with ME!

This attempt to run the country like a business is bad for the people. It is a further concentration of power in the hands of a few. It is in conflict with the US constitution in words and spirit. The Senate needs to fix its rules of conduct of business. Robert of Robert's Rules would be appalled at how the US Senate conducts itself. Reid is weak, the House is populated and frozen on a temporary basis by the ignorant, arrogant and extreme right wing tbaggers who will be gone in 2012. This cannot happen to us, even on a short term basis.

[The Big Vetolski]

15. This is formalized oligarchy, or rule by a few. 12 members, huh? I

supposed the Wall Street banks would be entitled to at LEAST three seats in this new House of Lords. God knows how important THEY are. I supposed there would be a Big Oil seat, a Big Pharma seat, a Big Agra seat, an HMO seat, and at least a couple of MIC seats, leaving two for rank and file Democrats and Republicans to provide a veneer of representative democracy.

That way, the cheerleaders for this new fascist Super Congress and their Leaders, will then say: "But, but, Barney Frank and Rand Paul are members, too! So the rank and file DOES have input!" and "but we had no choice! The Asian markets might have stumbled! That would have been ARMAGEDDON!!"

Meanwhile, be good little serfs and stop whining about the Job Creators gambling away your Social Security money betting on whether the price of oil will go up ten bucks a barrel by a certain date or not.

If this is enacted, you can kiss any hopes of peaceful reform good-bye, folks. Military coup in ten years likely.

[kath]

28. don't forget a seat for the Prison-Industrial Complex.

Gotta keep the War on Drugs going, don'cha know? Big big bucks in keeping people incarcerated.

[Frances]

17. Obama is going to have to do what Clinton

said he would do: Raise the debt ceiling himself

Other Presidents, for example, Lincoln had to seize power in emergencies for the good of the nation.

This is such an occasion IMO

[originalpckelly]

20. So, you'd go for an even worse situation where only one man has power?

Like fuck I'll go along with that either.

[piratefish08]

18. they are truly just making shit up as they go now, right?

how is this okay with ANYONE?


watch the Shock Doctrine people. it's still happening.

[Skidmore]

19. We did. Remember Cheney's shadow government?

My, how soon we forget.

[woo me with science]

21. Way to distill it so people can understand. K&R.

It's us against the banks.

They have the power. They intend to win.

[ThomWV]

22. Bush did absolutely anything he wanted right after 9/11 and sure, we'd have given it to him.

This country was in trouble before 9/11, but the Republicans used it to push this country toward something horrible and they are dam near there.

[ljm2002]

23. It's a terrible idea, made in response to an untenable situation...

...and to me it shows how far down the rabbit hole we have gone. This does not bode well, not at all. It is our government acknowledging that they are unable to govern under current structures. But the proposed structure is worse. It mistakes the ability to act efficiently, for proper governance. In fact, it is the fascist ideal: the ability for a few to act, to call the shots, to keep the trains running on time. The antithesis of the messy processes of democracy.

It is heartbreaking to see where we are headed as a country. And by the way, I do not blame Obama for the current situation, although I do question some of his choices in dealing with it. But he was, as we all know, handed a huge mess to deal with, and on top of that had to deal with an intransigent opposition who not only are not cooperative but whose bedrock principle seems to be that they do not accept his authority, period. The only thing he could have done in the face of this is to rally the people, and I fear we are too divided for that to have worked, even if he had tried harder to be an FDR type figure.

Cry, the beloved country.

[Angry Dragon]

24. It looks like Treason to me

[mazzarro]

25. No way acceptable

I think that Congress as it is now is too small and should be enlarged.

[Desertrose]

26. Bad bad bad bad bad idea.

Really bad idea.

[kestrel91316]

27. ILLEGAL ILLEGAL ILLEGAL ILLEGAL ILLEGAL

Somebody needs to start drafting the lawsuit challenging this RIGHT NOW.

[Odin2005]

29. That is just wrong.

[Igel]

30. Yes, it is.

It's a nice idea though and might be worth a shot. Hard to carry out, I'd suspect.

But the way it's explained and the inferences drawn, just wrong.

[Horse with no Name]

31. We've officially entered Banana Republic status

we are no better than the dictators of third world countries who leave their citizens to live in poverty while they shit in diamond studded toilets.

[Faryn Balyncd]

32. Any Democrat who supports, votes for, or signs such a travesty should RESIGN.