And the Bill of Rights lives another day….

June 28, 2006

The Senate came within one vote of actually passing a constitutional [tag]amendment[/tag] on [tag]flag burning[/tag] yesterday afternoon, giving us another two-year reprieve before [tag]Orrin Hatch[/tag] starts this nonsense up again.

In the end, the [tag]vote[/tag] went exactly as it was supposed to. The 66 senators who had expressed support — 14 Dems and 52 Republicans — voted for the measure, and efforts to sway some red-state Dems (Byrd, Conrad, Dorgan, Pryor) failed. Somehow, the republic will find the strength to go on.

It’s worth noting, however, that one got the sense yesterday that even supporters’ hearts weren’t really in the fight. They went through the motions, but everyone — on both sides — seemed to realize this was cynical, election-year theater that served no real purpose.

Dana Milbank, for example, explained that 19 Senate supporters of the amendment were asked specifically if “flag desecration” was the most important issue facing the nation. Some of them laughed at the idea, nearly all of them said “not even close,” and Hatch said it was at the top of the list, but only after “some serious goading.”

What’s more, the Senate GOP had scheduled four days of [tag]debate[/tag] for the measure, during which time Republicans could milk the issue for all it’s worth. Instead, yesterday afternoon, after less than two days of debate, everyone more or less agreed that this exercise in futility had gone on long enough.

Backers of the flag amendment had planned to make the issue the highlight of their last week in town before the July 4 recess. But by midday yesterday, they were flagging. Originally planning to spend as many as four days of debate on the amendment, they decided to get rid of it before sunset. “This is the day we’re dealing with it,” Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) vowed as he made his way to the chamber.

Out on a lethargic Senate floor, both sides were struggling to find speakers to fill the time for debate. Starting at 11 a.m., the lawmakers killed time with five quorum calls as they hunted for somebody to take the floor; one quorum call ended only when the senators decided it was time for lunch.

Political demagoguery is wrong, but half-hearted political demagoguery is just sad.

For what it’s worth, the GOP’s culture-war agenda for June — anti-gay constitutional amendment, permanent estate tax repeal, and flag-burning — went 0-for-3. With those votes out of the way, the chamber will now begin a debate on the future of Iraq, how to bring health insurance to 45 million uninsured Americans, and energy policies that can help address the global warming crisis.

No, no, I’m just kidding. Next up on the Senate agenda is another vote on a tax cut for Paris Hilton and a resolution criticizing the New York Times. It’s sure to be riveting.

What a preposterous waste of our money and our patience. These fat, lazy, selfish, greedy, irresponsible bastards virtually all deserve to be tossed out on their oversized backsides. Unfortunately they’ve got a 95% effective lockdown on their positions (some democracy). Perhaps we should introduce a constitutional amendment to prohibit any form of bribery (gifts, travel), force them to be in DC all but two weeks of the year, pay them the minimum wage?

  • Thank god for small favors. What a joke. Is there any possibility that they intend to use the losses on these three “mainstream” issues as a campaign ploy? Are they trying to change the debate from “Republicans can’t do anything” to “We need more Republicans so we can pass these ‘important’ measures?” I hate to be cynical but I have seen too much of this to accept victory.

  • I’m still trying to decide if it’s a good thing we won or a bad thing the amendment got 66 votes.

  • Karl Rove’s strategy is to attack the opponent by savaging what had been thought to be his major asset (Kerry’s valor, e.g.). I think the Dems should play the same game. All polls suggest that the major asset of the GOP is its historic reputation for sound fiscal policy and defense policy. During the upcoming campaigns for Congress, we should use CSPANs of this current frivolity – in the party which owns all three branches of government and the journalistic lapdogs – in our campaigns. While they debate flag-burning, and same-sex marriage, trillions in “tax relief”, etc. a voice-over says “Do these clowns realize that we’re bleeding dollars and lives in a pointless war and bankrupting future generations? Is that what we sent them to Washiington to do?”

  • Fools, every single one of them. The scary part is that our government is being run by [at least, if not more than] 66/100 fools, not that the amendment came as close as it did.

  • By the way, if you persist in thinking that there’s any hope at all, tell me what are Feinstein and Reid doing on the “yes” list?

  • CB writes: “Political demagoguery is wrong, but half-hearted political demagoguery is just sad.”
    Or you could look at it this way–the only reason it was half-hearted was because polls showed these pols that this “issue” wasn’t working with the heretofore invariably gullible public. How sad (sigh) for them. They went through the motions anyway because, well,,,that’s just what they do. Now, on to resolving to call the timid media terrorist lovers! Something’s gotta stick so their poll numbers go up. Karl says so. Look for more and more flailing before November. Their despair is that it’s not working, not that it’s shameless pandering and transparent manipulation.

  • Ed Stephan gave me an idea. How about indexing the minimum wage to Congressional salaries?

    I’ve wanted that for quite a while. Should’ve been pegged together since minimum wage’s inception. I think the chance of that happening, though, is about as likely as an “opt out” check box on next year’s 1040.

    What a waste of money these jokers are.

  • Demo ad:

    “While American Soldiers are fighting and dying in Iraq for your Freedoms, the Republican’t party is trying to take those Freedoms away. Trying to change the plain language of the First Amendment to take away your right to protest the misconduct of the Government. President Bush says our enemies hate our Freedoms. Does he hate them too?”

  • “Ed Stephan gave me an idea. How about indexing the minimum wage to Congressional salaries?” – NeilS

    How about pegging the FICA taxable amount of income to the congressional salary. Thus every time they raise their pay they are raising the Social Security tax. That would make SS solvent in no time 😉

  • As I expected and feared she would, my Senator Stabenow DID vote “Yea” on this abominable proposal. I sent her the following email today:

    “Dear Senator Stabenow,

    “How disappointing to see that you in fact did vote “Yea” on Sen. J. Res. 12. As I noted to you in my email on Monday of this week (today is
    Wednesday), this proposal would have gutted the very rights that the flag represents. The flag is merely a symbol of what are supposed to be god-given, inalienable and enduring rights.

    “No thanks to you, this abomination has failed — at least for now. Too bad that you feel a need to show your conservative stripes to position yourself for re-election. This vote, along with your vote to support another abomination that DID pass, the bankruptcy bill, along with not enough efforts to support auto workers and the need for universal health care, will win you a few more votes from those who abhor the middle class. But these votes will certainly not endear you to those of us who voted for you many times (all the way back to the Ingham County Board of Commissioners).

    “We expect you to act like a DEMOCRAT, not a “Republican-Lite” politician more interested in getting re-elected than in representing the interests of ordinary Michiganders that are being eroded away.

    “Shame on you for your vote. And shame on your staff that didn’t have the courtesy to even respond to my earlier email.

    “This is one Democratic voter that will have to reconsider his support of your political efforts for more than 20 years. I am deeply disappointed and disturbed at your rightward drift.

    “May I have the courtesy of a response, and may it be specific rather than a “thank you for expressing your thoughts” kind of letter? Of course, I expect just such a response — in snail mail no less, as with all the times I have emailed you in the past — because I know you prefer not to take on those who are displeased with your official actions but still happen to be too poor to be taken seriously.

    “Thank you for failing to protect the Constitution that you swore to uphold and DEFEND. It is not the flag that is being desecrated these days; it is the VERY CONSTITUTION that is being torn asunder by the right wing and the Bush Administration. “Thanks” indeed.

    “James S. Oginsky

    “P.S. Why is there NOTHING on your website about this proposed flag desecration amendment? Indeed, there is NOTHING on your website that even addresses the First Amendment in any way. Why not?”

    Fat chance that I will get a personalized response; I expect a snail mail letter that “thanks me for my views” — if I get any response at all.

    Anyway, I’m relieved that this effort failed, this time at least.

    P.S. to Neil S,

    Yesterday on another thread I apparently misunderstood some of your comments. It was not my intent to offend; I’m just fed up with the right wing hypocricy on a whole lot of issues — and as a former school administrator, the fact that they keep messing with schools and kids, but do not seriously fund or care for them, really hit a hot button. I apologize. I promise to read more carefully in the future, and reflect, before I hit the “post” button!

  • No, no, I’m just kidding. Next up on the Senate agenda is another vote on a tax cut for Paris Hilton and a resolution criticizing the New York Times. It’s sure to be riveting.

    And let’s not forget the bill that the House is considering to forbid the federal courts from considering any question of the legality of “under God” in the pledge. And the beat goes on.

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