I’ve been around awhile and I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen a time when Democrats in congress finally voted to end the Vietnam War by voting against funding it any further. This was a move that took Democrats years and years to live down. Conservatives blamed Democrats for losing the war for decades.
But now the tables have turned.
Witness two key events. The first was last week’s Republican filibuster to bring the Senate to a grinding halt before it could pass a $130 billion appropriation to fund both the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. Republicans, formerly and famously known as the rabid warmongers of that legislative body, preventing passage of a defense appropriations bill to support troops out there in harm’s way.
Giving lie to the bumper sticker that you see around this place all the time: “I support the troops.”
But the icing on the cake took place today at Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Austin senatorial office. Teabaggers, or more specifically, members of the group Common Sense Texans, an affiliate of the Texas Tea Party, protested the Senator’s vote to break the filibuster.
Ironically, the teabaggers held their protest because they were mad that in breaking the filibuster, the Senate was then able to proceed on to consider that little compromised-into-oblivion disaster they had there in HR 3590, the healthcare reform bill.
Hutchison cried foul, saying that she was for the filibuster before she was against it.
What Senator Hutchison is saying, of course, is that the 60 Democrats who voted to break the filibuster were enablers. They enabled Kay Bailey to do the right thing and support the troops.
What the teabaggers are saying is that they hate the fact that the 60 votes to break the filibuster enabled the senior senator from Texas to vote to support the troops.
And this could all have gone away but for the fact that Hutchison is in it neck deep trying in vain to attract Republican primary votes. And Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, who actually has some Texas National Guard troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan took her to task over her vote as well.
Doubtless we will revisit this little caper again in 2010 in the gubernatorial race.
Rick Perry and Texas Teabaggers: the gift that keeps on giving.
But now the tables have turned.
Witness two key events. The first was last week’s Republican filibuster to bring the Senate to a grinding halt before it could pass a $130 billion appropriation to fund both the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. Republicans, formerly and famously known as the rabid warmongers of that legislative body, preventing passage of a defense appropriations bill to support troops out there in harm’s way.
Giving lie to the bumper sticker that you see around this place all the time: “I support the troops.”But the icing on the cake took place today at Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Austin senatorial office. Teabaggers, or more specifically, members of the group Common Sense Texans, an affiliate of the Texas Tea Party, protested the Senator’s vote to break the filibuster.
Ironically, the teabaggers held their protest because they were mad that in breaking the filibuster, the Senate was then able to proceed on to consider that little compromised-into-oblivion disaster they had there in HR 3590, the healthcare reform bill.
“We know that she is against the health care bill, but she could have slowed it down so we can spend more time talking about it and read it in the light of January.”That last little bit, “in light of January” has to do with the stimulus bill that teabaggers all hate. You know, the one that Kay Bailey Hutchison voted for.
Hutchison cried foul, saying that she was for the filibuster before she was against it.
“‘When the votes were already there — the 60 were there, of course — then why would you walk away from having the support for the troops?’ Hutchison said Saturday during an interview with Fox News. ‘But had there not been 60 votes and we could have made this health care bill go over into next year, then we would ave certainly done the continuing resolution for the troops.’“Diabolical.
What Senator Hutchison is saying, of course, is that the 60 Democrats who voted to break the filibuster were enablers. They enabled Kay Bailey to do the right thing and support the troops.
What the teabaggers are saying is that they hate the fact that the 60 votes to break the filibuster enabled the senior senator from Texas to vote to support the troops.
And this could all have gone away but for the fact that Hutchison is in it neck deep trying in vain to attract Republican primary votes. And Rick Perry, Governor of Texas, who actually has some Texas National Guard troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan took her to task over her vote as well.
Doubtless we will revisit this little caper again in 2010 in the gubernatorial race.
Rick Perry and Texas Teabaggers: the gift that keeps on giving.
3 comments:
KBH goofed bigtime. This had nothing to do with troops and everything to do with expediting socialism input health care sector. She said as much an hour before her vote. The Senator has no chance in a GOP primary.
I am tired of Republicans pretending to support the troops, and most politicians for that matter. There is only one member of Congress that has actually supported the troops by voting against these wars. If you want to support the troops then you need to call for bring the troops home, now!
Big mistake from Senator Hutchison. Nobody believes this was about the troops, and anyone who claims it was is re-writing history.
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