Senate Democrats mount third filibuster over Iran add-on to spending bill

[tomm2thumbs]

Source: Washington Times

Democrats twice filibustered an energy and water bill before last week’s recess and sustained their objections Monday, protesting what they called a “poison pill” add-on to $37.5 billion legislation that covers everything from flood control to the U.S. nuclear weapons program. They object to an amendment proposed by Sen. Tom Cotton, Arkansas Republican, that would halt President Obama’s attempt to buy heavy water from Tehran in the next fiscal year.

Mr. Obama would veto the underlying bill if it tries to stop any part of his controversial Iran deal, so Democrats had said it made no sense to even debate or vote on the measure.

All four but Democrats voted “no” in Monday’s test vote, denying GOP leaders the 60 votes they needed to proceed with the bill. <snip>

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, filed cloture on the Cotton amendment, setting up a test vote on the proposal as early as Wednesday.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/9/senate-democrats-mount-third-filibuster-over-iran-/

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only linking to Times as I could not locate info elsewhere - some of the article is obviously worded with a slant but tried to pull factual info for the info quoted above.

Sounded like the Republicans were trying to kill the legislation. Democrats said their promises to cooperate on the dozen 2017 spending bills came with two conditions: First, the bills must abide by spending levels the parties agreed to last fall, and second, that the GOP can’t ask for votes on tricky partisan proposals.

[Trust Buster]

1. Good, I'm glad to see that.

[Warpy]

2. Doesn't that grandstanding fuckwit realize that if we buy their heavy water from them

they'll lack the raw materials for nukes? Hasn't anyone explained that to him or is he just being his typical asshole self and not taking any advice from experts?

How the hell did someone that fucking ignorant ever get into office?

[Johnyawl]

3. He knows, he just doesn't care.

He'll do anything to kill that deal. And the republicans in general will spend the next 15 years attempting to kill off all of Pres. Obama's legacy.

[madokie]

4. I doubt he even knows what that is

"Heavy water is a form of water that contains a larger than normal amount of the hydrogen isotope deuterium, rather than the common hydrogen-1 isotope that makes up most of the hydrogen in normal water."

[houston16revival]

5. Democrats mount a filibuster? Our side did that?

They're doing their job for a change

Did McConnell grant them permission?

(I know he didn't but it seems like nothing happens without his OK)

[Igel]

6. Remember that the original "nuclear option" threat

was from the (R) because of (D) filibustering of judges.

(D), including Obama, as well as almost everybody on DU, objected strongly to the idea of going to a simple majority vote because it would have allowed more conservative judges to be appointed and weakened the power of the minority party in the Senate.


As for this particular issue, it does two things.

(1) It protects the President and makes it so he doesn't have to issue a veto. Big whoop.

(2) It increases the level of acrimony in the Senate, and makes it less likely that any compromise is possible.

(3) It plays to the party base, who'd rather see a spine rather than compromise, fighting rather than cooperation, obstruction rather than things less than perfect get passed.

It's the same game that the (R) are playing--except instead of trying to protect the President they are trying to embarrass him. The result is what we all say we hate but frenetically work for.