Metal Sludge Gossip Board

Disgraceful:

Washington (CNN) – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid fired off over a question about whether the Democratic-controlled Senate would vote to restore funding for children undergoing clinical trials at the National Institutes of Health.

Asked by CNN Chief Congressional Correspondent Dana Bash if the Senate would follow the House's plans to vote for a bill to fund the NIH during the shutdown, Reid blasted the GOP-controlled House and insulted Bash.

"What right do they have to pick and choose which part of government is going to be funded? It's obvious what's going on here. You talk about reckless and irresponsible, wow," he said. (read the full exchange below)

About 200 new patients come to the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, Maryland every week. Patients are now being told they will have to wait until the government starts up again to begin their trials, according to NIH spokesman John Burklow.

"In fact, six new studies would have started this week that we are deferring," Burklow said. Approximately 30 of the 200 new patients are children, he said, and about 10 of those children are cancer patients.

Pressed further if Reid would move legislation if it meant helping even one child, the Nevada Democrat grew more irate.

"Why would we want to do that? I have 1,100 people at Nellis Air Force base that are sitting at home. They have a few problems of their own. To have someone of your intelligence to suggest such a thing means you're as irresponsible and reckless," he said to Bash.

Reid said he supported comments made by Sen. Dick Durbin on the issue involving the clinical trials.

"When I raised that issue and others did, Senator Cruz decided to put the NIH on his bucket list of agencies that he was willing to save," Durbin said earlier in the press conference. "Well, it shouldn't stop there. He ought to ultimately open up the government, because there are so many agencies critically important to our country that are closed down today for no earthy reason."

– CNN's Val Willingham contributed to this report.

Bash: You all talked about children with cancer unable to go to clinical trials. The House is presumably going to pass a bill that funds the NIH. Will you, at least, pass that? And if not, aren't you playing the same political games that republicans are?

REID: Listen, Senator Durbin explained that very well. And he's, did it here, did it on the floor earlier, as did Senator Schumer, and it's this: What right do they have to pick and choose what part of government's going to be funded? It's obvious what's going home here. You talk about reckless and irresponsible. Wow. What this is all about is Obamacare. They are obsessed. I don't know what other word I can use. I don't what other word I can use. They are obsessed with this Obamacare thing.

As has been pointed out on the floor in the past few days, they did the same thing on Social Security, they did the same thing on Medicare, now they're doing it on this. It's working now and it'll continue to work and people will love it even more than they do now by far. So they have no right to pick and choose.

DANA: But if you can help one child, why won't you do it?

REID: I, listen...

SCHUMER: Why pit one against the other?

REID: Why, why, why would we want to do that? I have, I have 1100 people at Nellis Air Force Base that are sitting home. They have, they have a few problems of their own. This is, to have someone of your intelligence suggest such a thing maybe means you're as irresponsible and reckless

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/20 ... ?hpt=hp_t1

This is typical Republican bullshit. They tried to extort legislative change and now they are trying to avoid looking like the assholes they are. Sen. Cruz and his cronies should have given this plan a lot more thought before they resorted to strong-arm tactics.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey- ... 27251.html

A threat is an expression of intention to inflict harm on others unless the target of the threat agrees to do what the person making the threat demands. A threat uses coercion rather than persuasion to effect change. As a general rule, democratic governments do not negotiate with those who threaten their people with harm. The reason is simple: Democracies should not make public policy in response to threats, and those who threaten should not be rewarded for threatening harm to the nation.

What makes the House Republicans' decision to shut down the federal government an immoral and unconscionable "threat" rather than an ordinary political disagreement? The answer is simple. House Republicans who do not have the votes to repeal Obamacare through the processes of democracy threatened to close the federal government, to throw hundreds of thousands of innocent government employees out of work, and to damage the nation's economy unless the Senate and the President acceded to their demands. By threatening to wreak havoc with the national interest and inflicting serious harm on hard-working, loyal public employees, they are attempting to coerce rather than to persuade the government into doing what they want. The House Republicans, in short, are holding the nation itself hostage to their demands. This is not democratic governance. This is extortion, plain and simple. In any other circumstance, this would be criminal conduct.

Of course, as the House Republicans glibly say on the talk shows, the Senate and the President can "solve" the problem any time they want by giving in to those who are inflicting ongoing harm to the nation. But if they do so, they will inevitably invite similarly destructive behavior in the future. When dealing with a blackmailer, extortionist, or kidnapper, it is never a wise response to give in to the demands if the blackmailer, extortionist or kidnapper is a repeat player.

Of course, the House Republicans have every right to try to get their preferred policies enacted into law through the democratic process. They have tried to do this politically, electorally and judicially. They have failed at every turn. The have lost every time they have tried to repeal Obamacare through the legislative process. They have lost in the Supreme Court when they challenged the constitutionality of the law. They have failed politically with the electorate when they were soundly defeated in the 2012 election. Indeed, the only reason House Republicans can play this cruel and criminal game at all is because they gerrymandered congressional districts to enable them to control the House even though they were defeated by the Democrats in the national popular vote for Congress. Nonetheless, they are free to keep trying to achieve their goals in every legal manner. But what they cannot morally do is to attempt to get their preferred policies enacted into law by threatening to inflict harm on the nation and its public servants.

The behavior of the House Republicans is nothing short of reprehensible. They are not only harming innocent government employees and damaging the nation, but they are also dishonoring the very spirit of their oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Their behavior is nothing less than a perverse and unconscionable betrayal of our democracy.

There is a procedure laid out in the Constitution for passing and repealing laws and it doesn't involve threats and coercion. This shit is more Don Corleone and Tony Soprano than Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.

Great strategy by the dunces in the GOP. Piece by piece, "restore funding" for everything but Obamacare. Bet they really thought that would work.

Tea Baggers are taking a beating and the beatings will continue. Can't wait to see how they handle the debt ceiling. Most likely the GOP will fracture and non-stupid ones will vote with the Democrats soon.

Sheep_Mafia wrote:Disgraceful:

If Obamacare can save one child, then isn't it worth it? Why won't Republitards do it for that child?

How about the children of the government employees' who aren't getting paid due to this shutdown? What about those children?


I love the guilt trip some on the right are trying to lay out now..

They'll even use a child to further their extortion, meanwhile the country moves further towards default... Good work, Cruz and fellow Tea tards.....

The GOP blew the door off the hinges so Hillary can waltz right in.
Thanks!

Harry Reid is right. Fuck the Republicans who want to have their Butthurt Cake and eat it too.

You know that kind of dad that won't pay child support, but tries to buy his kids with little gifts?

Typical Repug bullshit.

This shit is backfiring on their asses big time. So, it's time to bring up the children. What about the children? Obamacare is already helping, and will help a whole hell of a lot of children, assholes. Why are you against that?

GOP is already melting. Supposedly they chewed out Cruz in a private conference. Boeher is reported to have said that he will form a coaltion with Democrats to raise the debt ceiling.

Boehner Tells Republicans He Won’t Let the Nation Default
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/04/us/po ... ml?hp&_r=0

WASHINGTON — With a budget deal still elusive and a deadline approaching on raising the debt ceiling, Speaker John A. Boehner has told colleagues that he is determined to prevent a federal default and is willing to pass a measure through a combination of Republican and Democratic votes, according to multiple House Republicans.

Funny...we didn't hear a peep out Sheep_Mafia when the SNAP program was cut by 40 Billion dollars a couple of weeks ago.

Metal Sludge wrote:Funny...we didn't hear a peep out Sheep_Mafia when the SNAP program was cut by 40 Billion dollars a couple of weeks ago.

Yeah, thanks for mentioning that! Repugs really care about the children, don't they?

DEATH ROW JOE wrote:GOP is already melting.

I saw my 92 year old step father yesterday. He has been a staunch Republican all his adult life. He served in the New Mexico state legislature for two terms. While having a chat about current national politics, he told me, "You're looking at a former republican who is now an independent".
He is massively ashamed of the GOP.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind wrote:We’re not going to be disrespected. We have to get something out of this. And I don’t know what that even is.

Rep. Michael Grimm, R-N.Y. wrote:This is not just about Obamacare anymore.