House Rules Already Quietly Modified
Democrats, House Rules, House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi
Thomas Cole, The Course of Empire: Destruction, 1833-1836, New York Historical Society.
Even before Congress responded to the people’s protests by sitting up late to award the election to His Fraudulence, the democrats were already gnawing away at the foundations.
On Tuesday, as the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes:
Democrats eliminated a long-standing rule that allows the minority party to alter legislation on the floor before a vote. Speaker Pelosi and her caucus feared that continuing a practice known as a “motion to recommit” would allow the GOP to force Democrats to cast votes on controversial issues that may hurt them politically in the next election. This fear is even more acute for many moderate members given the rise of the party’s radical progressive wing.
Notably, Republicans never made a similar move when they held the majority. “This is a right that has been guaranteed to the minority for well over a century,” said Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla. “With today’s changes, the majority is seeking to silence views they are afraid of.”
Next up, Democrats essentially scuttled a requirement that legislation which increases the deficit be offset with cuts elsewhere. With deficits soaring regardless of which party controls what, the mandate was clearly ineffective. Yet the symbolism here is obvious and will allow Democrats to offer budget-busting legislation on a wide array of dangerous progressive priorities without concern for the long-term fiscal ramifications.
