I'm thrilled that the President didn't veto the spending bill (updated)

[onenote]

28. Right. There isn't a single politically savvy person that would have advised a veto

and that includes Bernie Sanders, Nancy Pelosi, and loads of progressive members of Congress.

A bit of history.

The budget resolution was introduced in the House on March 4. It passed the House on March 6 by a vote of 267-151, with a substantial majority of Democrats opposing the bill as then drafted (and virtually all repubs supporting it). It did not, as I understand it, contain the Monstanto provision.

The bill then went to the Senate, where an amended version (including the Monsanto language) passed by 73-26 on March 20. The only Democrat to oppose this amended version was Tester of Montana.

The bill then went back to the House, which passed the Senate version by a vote of 318-109 on March 21. Unlike the original version, this version garnered the support of a majority of House Democrats (going from 53 in support to 115 in support).

The version that originally passed the House over Democratic opposition was around 270 pages long. The revised version that passed with majority Democratic support was nearly 500 pages long. The additional language reflected a number of compromises, including but far from limited to the inclusion of the Monsanto language. There was enough "good stuff" added to the bill that a majority of the House Democrats were willing to support it, even with the Monsanto language, even though a majority had opposed it before the various compromises.

That's how legislation is made. Its not pretty, but its the process of give and take by which things get done if and when they get done.

So at this point, the bill is sent to the WH. Now, in theory, the president could've singled out the Monsanto provision and, notwithstanding the other things in the bill (not the least of which was keeping the government running), he could've vetoed it. Now, at this point, both Houses were in the process of adjourning for the Easter week. But, in theory, the president could've forced them back to work at the risk of shutting down the government.

The veto override would not give members an opportunity to vote on a version without the Monsanto language. It would have been an up or down vote on the bill as passed and vetoed. If Democrats switched their vote and sustained the veto, the government would have faced the threat of shutdown and there is absolutely no doubt who would take the heat for creating that situation -- the Democrats who had voted to fund the government and then switched their votes not to fund the government.

As for the process of then going about getting a vote on a Monsanto-less version, keep in mind that there are literally dozens of provisions that were included in the final version as part of various compromises. Pull one string, and the whole thing begins to unravel. The odds of putting humpty-dumpty back together again in the amount of time available would not be great. The repubs would have no reason to help avoid a shutdown since blame for it would clearly fall on the Democrats this time (for having reversed position).

Again, no one with an ounce of political savvy was going to suggest the President veto the bill. No. One.