The fallout from the Paris terrorist attacks will begin to play out on the House floor Thursday as the chamber is set to approve a bill to block any refugees from Syria or Iraq from entering the country unless they pass a strict background check and receive government certification.
The bill, which was crafted by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), is expected to pass with a big bipartisan margin. A sizable number of Democrats are likely to cross the aisle and vote for it, despite White House opposition, said lawmakers in both parties. Some rank-and-file Democrats are concerned about looking soft on national security even as French authorities continue to track down suspects from last week’s deadly attacks.
Many currently in Congress ran on promises to tackle jobs and the budget. Instead, they have taken on NPR and Planned Parenthood. Many experienced Republicans have been frustrated by the newcomers who don’t seem to understand Washington protocol. Republicans have ended up blocking Republicans.
The lack of grown-up behavior is driving Americans to despair. In a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, only 26 percent said that they were optimistic about the future when “thinking about our system of government and how well it works.” That’s less than half the level of optimism felt in 1974, during Watergate.
The Democrats are only showing themselves to be slightly more adult. The party leaders opposed Dennis Kucinich’s bill to just dump Afghanistan at the end of the year and bring everyone home. Many Democrats felt his plan was foolish and irresponsible and most voted against it.
Though it has been inserted as text into the Congressional Record before, the supreme law of the land has never been read aloud before in the body known as “the People’s House.”
The man responsible for the exercise, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., says it’s more than just a simple civics lesson.
“This is a very symbolic showing to the American people,” said Goodlatte, “and it’s a powerful message to members of Congress. We are a nation of laws, not of men.”
One has to ask, how long will this reading take and who will read it? Will they all take turns? Will only Republicans be allowed to read? This exercise sounds about as interesting as watching paint dry or grass grow. How often will this exercise happen? Ah, here are the answers:
Though it has been inserted as text into the Congressional Record before, the supreme law of the land has never been read aloud before in the body known as “the People’s House.”
The man responsible for the exercise, Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., says it’s more than just a simple civics lesson.
“This is a very symbolic showing to the American people,” said Goodlatte, “and it’s a powerful message to members of Congress. We are a nation of laws, not of men.”
It appears that some folks are confusing the Constitution with the Bible. Additional rules have been approved:
The emphasis on the Constitution won’t end with the reading of the document. The House on Wednesday approved a package of rules for the 112th Congress, put forward by Cantor, that includes a provision mandating that all bills cite their constitutional authority.
Now this is beginning to sound like the SOL objectives. It’s going to be a long 2 years before everyone gets sick of all this. I wonder how many of those rascals will being the newspaper and a smart phone to play with? I hope no one gets caught napping.
Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central will testify before the Subcommittee on Immigration on Friday along with Arturo Rodrigez, president of United Farm Workers.
Arturo Rodrigez, president of United Farm Workers, joins Stephen Colbert to discuss the impact illegal immigrants have on American workers. Additionally, he discusses the difficulty of agriculture work and insists that most Americans don’t want this kind of work. The above application is on his website at www.takeourjobs.org. He had 3 applications he has placed in the fields. Colbert makes the 4th.
Colbert worked with Arturo Rodrigez and his efforts to show that immigrant agricultural workers were not taking jobs from Americans. Colbert literally worked in the fields as part of this initiative. I expect it is those experiences he plans on sharing with Congress.
Stephen Colbert presents his point of view to Congress:
Meanwhile, Gretchen, Doocy and Killmeade are all having hissy fits that a ‘comedian’ would be called in to testify before Congress. There is a rumor that Colbert will testify in character. They spent Thursday morning taking crack shots at Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, saying that Comedy Central was the station of the Democratic Party.
The irony was, Bill O’Reilly just interviewed Jon Stewart on Wednesday. During the interview O’Reilly remarked to Stewart that he mocked both parties and satirized President Obama. Apparently the terrible morning trio of friends doesn’t listen to O’Reilly. Gretchen was the most outraged that a comedian would be testifying. Doocy mocked Colbert and the entire Comedy Central line-up. Gretchen even remarked that some people considered Stewart to be a news reporter or something to that effect. I found that no stranger than people thinking she was a news reporter. Stewart at least admits he mocks people. Their outrage was amusing.
Certainly we will hear more from Colbert and his congressional testimony. Didn’t Kevin Costner just testify before Congress?
Today we might find out the real reason Colbert testified before the congressional subcommittee. Is there any reason anyone can think of that Colbert should not be testifying before congress? Is it, as Carlson stated, a waste of the taxpayers’ money?
The following letter from Congressman Gerry Connolly should put to rest any fears that Rep. Connolly is soft on crime. He has fought hard for funding for this program and other law enforcement in Prince William, Fairfax and for the state of Virginia. See his letter to the editor printed in the Manassas News & Messenger in its entirety:
The Dec. 30 News & Messenger editorial opposing legislation in Congress to eliminate the federal 287(g) program that trains and deputizes local law enforcement officials to help identify and remove undocumented immigrants who commit crimes is right on the mark.
The current draft legislation would kill the 287(g) program in use in Prince William County and dozens of other jurisdictions across the nation. I will not support any termination of this vital program.
While there have been some excesses in the program, overall communities enrolled in 287(g) have had success in removing criminal aliens from our midst and targeting gangs, drugs and human smuggling. Given these facts, I believe 287(g) should be improved, not eliminated.
