In a late-afternoon vote, the effort by Republicans to strip federal funding from abortion-provider Planned Parenthood was blocked by Senate Democrats in a 53 to 46 vote that failed to meet the three fifths majority required to move forward.
The 60 votes were needed to end a Democrat filibuster. Even if that had happened, even if the bill passed the Senate and the House, the White House had already promised to veto it.
Republican lawmakers have already vowed that the fight over Planned Parenthood is just beginning The next step will be to try to defund abortion provider Planned Parenthood through the budget process, a move that is already generating a war of words over a government shutdown.
Though mostly along party lines, the vote did have some crossovers. Democrat Senators Joe Donnelly Joe Manchin voted for the bill. Manchin had this to say about the defunding effort:
More @ Truth Revolt
It is good thing that I am reading this on an empty stomach. I am at a loss for words to describe my disgust and contempt for the establishment Republicans. Why both to vote for any of them or why bother to vote at all? First, they have shown, in general, that they do NOT have the moral courage to do what is right, though unpopular. They will not stand on principle. Even when they have the support of the majority of the public, who voted them into office, they then break any and all promises given to change the status quo. Voting to defund that evil Planned Parenthood, ought to have been a no-brainer and a done deal. The one thing you can depend on from the Republicans, is for them to be utterly undependable. I have zero respect for any of them. May they all get EXACTLY what they deserve, and in full measure. They have been weighed in the balance and found wanting.
ReplyDeleteRepublican Senators Mark Kirk and Mitch McConnell voted against, though Senator McConnell had to as a matter of procedure so he could preserve the right to bring the bill back up. Senator Susan Collins voted for cloture, but vowed to vote against the actual bill.
DeleteLooks like Kirk was the main culprit.
All they have to do is vote for each appropriation as separate departments. Then only the parts that don't get enough votes to pass get shut down. So, basically... Obama will be shutting down Obamacare because it doesn't have the PP funds included.
ReplyDeleteAnd the libertarians should be carrying the water on this. It's not even an abortion argument. It is a crony capitalist argument where US tax money is going to pay huge bonuses for corporate executives to a company that will survive and stay in business just fine with zero tax money.
Thanks.
DeleteThe Republicans said they could stop all the Obama-Nonsense if they had the Congress. We back-lashed against Obama, Obamacare, Harry and Nancy and returned the Congress to the Republicans. We've still got Obamacare, the border is wide-open, the economy is on the precipice of a crash, food stamps are at a record high, Lurch is giving Iran a nuke, Lois and Hillary are both still avoiding jail, and nineteen Republicans want to be President. At this point what difference does it make?
ReplyDeleteReally. Secession or barring that, people would need to congregate in a kindred community.
Delete