I have to hand it to lefty politicians – they’re nothing if not two-faced. When they’re in the minority they complain that they not given the opportunity to be heard. When they take over the majority, however, they’re perfectly willing to make the trains run on time and debate be damned. Consider this “before and after” montage from various Senate lefties.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV) TODAY ON TIME FOR CONSIDERATION: “It Couldn’t Be Any Further From What The Founders Had In Mind.” “Because it couldn’t be any further from what the founders had in mind. They didn’t write this esteemed body’s rules so that we could stare at the hands of the clock, which are right up here, as they rotate around each other without end.” (Sen. Reid, Floor Remarks, 12/3/09)
Now let’s look at the other side of the coin.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): “It Is The Genius Of The Founders That They Conceived The Senate As A Solution To The Small State/Big State Problem. And Central To That Solution Was The Protection Of The Rights Of The Minority. … Without Robust Debate, The Senate Is Crippled.” (Sen. Harry Reid, The Good Fight, 2008, P.195)
SEN. RUSS FEINGOLD (D-WI): “Without The Unique Feature Of Extended Debate, The Senate Will Be Much Less Able To Stand Up To The President Or To Cool The Passions Of The Explicitly Majoritarian House. … This Is Not A Minor Provision, Either. The Founders Clearly Didn’t Think So, Because They Made It The Only Provision In The Constitution That Cannot Be Amended.” (Sen. Russ Feingold, “Statement of Senator Russ Feingold On Judicial Nominations and the Nuclear Option From the Floor of the U.S. Senate,” Press Release, 5/17/05)
SEN. RICHARD DURBIN (D-IL): “I Know What The Senator [Sen. Reid] Said About His Commitment To The Traditions Of The Senate, To The Constitutional Principles That Guide The Senate, Such As The Protection Of The Minority So There Will Never Be Another Tyranny Of The Majority…” (Sen. Richard Durbin, Congressional Record, 4/27/05, p.S4438)
SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D-WA): “I Believe In Giving The People A Voice, In Standing Up For Those People Who Sent Me Here, And In Protecting The Rights Of Minorities Everywhere. One of the first things every child is taught about American Government is the separation of the three branches. This separation and the checks and balances that come with it are fundamental to the greatest system of government ever created. This system is worth protecting.” (Sen. Murray, Congressional Record, S.3510, 4/13/05)
Gag me with a spoon.
