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Budget Passes House With No GOP Votes
The House gave President Obama the budget he asked for Thursday, voting 233-196 for the $3.6 trillion plan that includes a deficit of $1.2 trillion.
Neel Kashkari, acting interim assistant Treasury Secretary for financial stability, right, is greeted on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, March 11, 2009, by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, prior to testifying before the House Domestic Policy subcommittee hearing on the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
No Republicans backed the budget plan, which ramps up domestic spending, increases taxes on the wealthy and funds Obama's ambitious health care, energy and education proposals. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was not apologizing for the breakdown of bipartisanship.
"The American people want us to find our common ground where we can, but they did not send us here to split the difference," Pelosi said. "They want real change, and we have come here to make a difference."
While the budget was dismissed as a "road map to disaster" by House Republican leader John Boehner, of Ohio, it also disappointed liberals who wanted to see less defense spending and more investment in economic and social renewal at home.
After progressive alternatives advanced by California Democrats Barbara Lee and members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Lynn Woolsey and members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus were dismissed by margins of 318-113 and 348-84, respectively, the House rejected Wisconsin Republican Paul Ryan's tax-cuts-for-the-rich plan on a 293-137 split. (Thirty-eight Republicans, 21 percent of the party's House caucus, joined 255 Democrats in voting "no" on Ryan's plan.)
In the final vote on the budget, all 233 supporters of the budget were Democrats.
Of the 196 "nays," 176 came from Republicans and twenty from Democrats.
Most of the dissenting Democrats were southern and western members of the conservative "Blue Dog" grouping. But one of the House's most progressive members, Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinich, also voted "no."
Said Kucinich: This budget is a statement of principles for the upcoming year, and I cannot accept it in its entirety. I will not vote for a budget that ties military spending to the operational funding of our government. This year, the budget includes $130 billion for war funding. The Washington Post reports today another 10,000 troops may be sent to Afghanistan, bringing our total number of troops there to as much as 78,000 by 2010 -- a more than 100% increase from today's troop levels. This budget is a plan that authorizes the expansion of the war. I simply cannot endorse a budget or a plan that sends more of our brave men and women to Afghanistan, a conflict which has the potential to become this generation's Vietnam."
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33 Comments so far
Show AllDennis, Dennis, Dennis...if only you would take that last leap of faith and bolt the Democrat party. A person with principles is truly alone there.
Your leader Madame Pelosi says, "(the people) want real change, and we have come here to make a difference," but all the sweet talk in the world won't turn this rape into a seduction.
Talk about your Hope and Change. Like you, I hope Dennis will change his party affiliation; and while that may be unlikely, it rates better odds than fulfillment of the widespread hope that Obama will change from his "right center" political stance.
No Republican votes? My, what a surprise.
Yes, more tax cuts for the rich, that's what we need. Look how well it has worked since the Reagan revolution began! Paul Ryan is a throw back to the bad old days.
No Democrat with any sense or morals should have voted for this travesty either.
It's a disgrace. But after two bail out bill's and an Omnibus bill filled with pork and bull, why should this be any different?
Nancy continues to lead us over the cliff my fellow Lemmings.
"Nancy continues to lead us over the cliff my fellow Lemmings."
Last year the people of San Francisco had a golden god given opportunity to replace Pelosi with a true progressive Cindy Sheehan and yet they blew it. Imagine what Speaker Cindy Sheehan would have done. You won't believe how the Obamabots at work and online act when I try to tell them that that so-called "stimulus" bill contains mainly more tax cuts for the already well to do and corporations and pork barrel spending. They just call me a rightwing mental case and even poke fun and tease me and those who say the same warnings. Maybe corruption has trickled down to our electorate ? Is there any way to get these people to listen and learn and put partisanship aside ?
If Cindy had been elected, she would not have been the Speaker; seniority determines who gets that title and position. That might account for Pelousy's win. Not that I think that that is a good reason. Mitch McConnell is the Minority Leader of the Senate as the Senator from my state, Kentucky. I wouldn't vote for that fuque-faced SOB under any circumstance, but a lot of the yokels/locals believe that because of the leadership position he retained by being re-elected, there will be many benefits for the commonwealth. Many people call these benefits "extra pork". That's likely why the Whore from the Bay breezed right back in.
Ok, so I don't know this political system very well. Thanks for some more of the clear up. MM is so disgusting to begin with and I saw a few videos of the way he tried to defend his pork barrel hypocrisy. Yuck ! Look, I still am open to Democrats and Republicans but only those who'll actually quit their selling out. The closest I can see in the Republican Party is Ron Paul and even he is a mixed bag. As for the Democrats, I seem to be seeing a smaller number of those who won't sell out.
You're learning, and you're doing a fine job of it. We can all learn from each other and we can all glean insight from other people's perspectives. Don't stop!
Kucinich is one of the few Democrats I admire but I just wished he would switch to Independent. The Democrats are treating him badly ! I voted for him in the Democratic primaries and the day he was forced to withdraw I couldn't stand it and when everyone laughed at me for supporting Kucinich and told me to be "nice" and support Hillary or Obama, I was even more angry and upset and kept Nader. I even cussed and sweared at them. When will more Democrats learn to be like Kucinich? Then again, when will more Republicans learn to be like Ron Paul who I voted for in the Republican primary ?
I have no idea why Nancy Pelosi keeps being elected, except that is Southern California and she must be telling them what they want to hear.
She is killing the Democratic party. (with plenty of help)
Northern California, Thomas. San Francisco Bay area to be precise.
Thanks for the clarification! I'd get lost crossing the street. Now if you could just explain to me why they keep electing her???????????????
No prob. See my comment to JenniferBenningfield, below. I believe that will answer your question.
Kucinich will leave the Democrats as soon as Ralph Nader wins the presidency. In other words, 99.5% chance it won't happen. The main problem is that nobody is that focused on the war right now, it's the economy and jobs. So if we have to spend money to make money, that's where we are at right now. The war will come back into the spotlight soon enough though...how long can the media hold it's ADHD attention on the jobless and the poor economy? The recession won't last forever...right? Not with the oodles of money being pumped into the system.
"The recession won't last forever...right? Not with the oodles of money being pumped into the system."
I would suggest to you that most of this money will have little effect on ending this recession. I would also suggest that what it does guarantee is some fairly stiff inflation next year.
Slight rephrasing suggested: instead of "oodles of money being pumped into the system," how about "oodles of money being looted from the taxpayers" (as in, where DID those TARP billions go, anyway?).
"Kucinich will leave the Democrats as soon as Ralph Nader wins the presidency."
LOL..Good one Nate......(Actually I admire Mr.Nader but............) I always thought I was "progressive" until I started reading the comments here on CD....LOL Compared to most here I am either a right wing republican, or even worse, a committed Democratic centrist...lol (The vilified centrist)
I know I've always been a liberal and since I've been called everything from a mole/troll to a Right winger.....you must be Atilla the Hun! (LOL)
LOL
One of the Main reasons for the state of the economy is that the country has no money - the reason the country has no moneyy is because its all being spent on war. that and we give our money to Israel so they can spend it on war - the inhumane treatment of the people of Gaza.
That darned America, the cause of all the worlds troubles. And if it wasn't us, it was Israel. And the Siri Lankans, the people in Darfur, etc should be glad they are not in as much trouble as the Palestinians in Gaza. They are only experiencing real genocide in Darfur, etc.
Bloomberg has made a summation of all payouts and pledges as part of the bailouts and rescue packages beginning with Bush's first bailout. The grand sum is 12$Trillion. The 2008 US GDP was 14$Trillion.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=armOzfkwtCA4
"After progressive alternatives advanced by California Democrats Barbara Lee and members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Lynn Woolsey and members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus were dismissed by margins of 318-113 and 348-84,"
It's the conservatives stupid!
ezeflyer
Sir....it's not Conservatives putting this budget forward, nor is it Conservatives passing it. This is anything but a Conservative budget. In fact its a budget put together by people that don't seem care one whit for the poorer citizerns of our country, let alone anyone else.
The only term for these folks is irresponsible.
If I understand ezeflyer correctly, he or she is pointing out that the few progressives in Congress were rolled by a bipartisan majority, and that the votes against the budget, those of Kucinich and a few others aside, were cast by old-school fiscal conservatives. Hence the irony of the riff on Slick Willie's aphorism.
Thank you
Thank you Jethro, I gotcha Eze. Age doesn't always translate to wisdom or smarts.
No cracks Ya'll!!!
Dennis J Kucinich was right again. Damn we should have got him into the White House.
AD
Regardless of whether Dennis Kucinich remains in or leaves the Democratic Party, his immense value for all of us is that he cogently explains why he voted against Mr. Obama's war-budget. His statement is crystal-clear.
It is probably not a coincidence that Mr. Kucinich was one of the co-signers of the case brought to the US Supreme Court against President Clinton in 1999. In a nutshell: the case against Clinton stated that he had violated our constitution by ordering the bombing of Serbia without a Congressional declaration of war. The Supreme Court ruled for Clinton with the following justification "once Congress has appropriated funding for a specific war that appropriation is the equivalent of a Congressional declaration of war".
While one may argue that this is a weak ruling it is nevertheless the law of our land.
I have in the past repeatedly pointed out that Senator Obama's Jeremiads about the war in Iraq were so much hypocrisy because he voted several times for funding that war.
The stand of Mr. Kucinich on the Obama budget trumpets loud and clear to his colleagues: "if you voted for this budget you are in favor of and support the war in Afghanistan/Pakistan. If things go sour there you are co-responsible for that mess because of the ruling of the US Supreme Court". Thanks Dennis!
Will the American people listen to Kucinich or to Pelosi?
So you would rather Obama hide the cost of the wars instead of including them in the budget figures? Sorry, but the last president already exhausted that option. The reason the budget seems so large now is that it accurately reflects the actual costs of the wars overseas. I would rather see a very large budget that includes all items instead of the alternative. To those predicatable people out there that are going to say that Obama's budget hides things too, I would recommend reading the actual budget before you flame me.
The ONLY Democrat worth anything is Dennis Kucinich - him not voting yes on this 3.2 Trillion dollars of money being Embezzled to the Elite Banksters just goes to show what a true sell out and a HOAX that Obama really is!
We need to get Dennis Kucinich Ron Paul & Cynthia McKinney together to form the party of the People.
That would be the only way to get the government back to serving the people and not the elite banksters.
http://enemyartistkristofer.blogspot.com
For those of you advocating for Kucinich to switch to independent, that is actually a very unwise move. Think strategically. If he leaves, the Democrats are going to put someone else to run against him. And guess what? Either that candidate is going to win or that seat will become Republican.
No matter how badly he is treated, he clearly is willing to tolerate it. And considering that he is the few Democrats who still cares about his nation, so should the rest of us. He's more use in power than out.