How the Republican Government shutdown works

[ScienceRocks]

The overall goal is to defund everything and throw granny onto the street. They don't think we need science institutions, investment or much of anything. Fuck roads they say!

These idiots are dumb.

I totally agree because if government isn't doing it it ain't getting done.

You don't know what you're asking for. The poor deserve to drive on our roads just as much as the rich and so do they deservve the police...

So do they deserve warning from storms, etc...We will be a much weaker country if your idiocy ever seen the light of day. Are we a civilization or is this every man to himself?

We would be a weaker country that no longer strives to educate our children, learn more about science or much of anything...In away you're a lot like the taliban or the isis as they hate these things too.

 

[Oldstyle]

You guys misunderstand. We love it when you shut down the government. Every time you do, there is a serious backlash against the republicans. It is almost like we somehow engineered it ourselves, to your disadvantage!

Go for it, dudes!

Be careful what you wish for, Vandal...each time the government closes down it seem to affect the country less and less. At some point the people might realize that they don't NEED all that government...OMG...the horror!

That is called "anarchy". Do a Google on that, and see where it leads.

Smaller government does not equal "anarchy"...an over-reaching government equals "tyranny".

And in case you hadn't noticed the bigger our government gets the more our streets seem to be filled with anarchy.

 

[Oldstyle]

The overall goal is to defund everything and throw granny onto the street. They don't think we need science institutions, investment or much of anything. Fuck roads they say!

These idiots are dumb.

I totally agree because if government isn't doing it it ain't getting done.

You don't know what you're asking for. The poor deserve to drive on our roads just as much as the rich and so do they deservve the police...

So do they deserve warning from storms, etc...We will be a much weaker country if your idiocy ever seen the light of day. Are we a civilization or is this every man to himself?

We would be a weaker country that no longer strives to educate our children, learn more about science or much of anything...In away you're a lot like the taliban or the isis as they hate these things too.

There was a time, Matthew...when Americans were renowned for their individualism, ambition and can do attitude. Now we're known for being sheep, lazy and leading from behind. If you think that we're a stronger country now than we were a hundred years ago I beg to differ...

 

[MarcATL]

With everything Republicans can do to make this country better.....improve healthcare, energy, jobs programs, immigration reform...

Republicans put everything on a back burner so they can kill Planned Parenthood

They hate Obama more than they love America.

That's the long and short of it.

Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk

 

[MarcATL]

With everything Republicans can do to make this country better.....improve healthcare, energy, jobs programs, immigration reform...

Republicans put everything on a back burner so they can kill Planned Parenthood

They hate Obama more than they love America.

It is understood Republicans don't love America the way the rest of us do. It has to do with the way they are raised and a lack of character

That is crystal clear to see.

Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk

 

[mikegriffith1]

Uhhhh, after the last government shutdown, the Republicans regained control of Congress and increased their control of state legislatures and governors' mansions in a historic landslide. So I guess shutting down the government and forcing Obama to agree to a semblance of fiscal sanity didn't hurt them too badly, hey?

Do you guys just live on Mars or something? Do you not read/view any rational, accurate news sources?

 

[Wry Catcher]

You're too stupid to realize that paltry $400 was only done so that Barry could claim that he kept his campaign promise that he'd lower taxes for 95% of Americans.

You confusing Dubya's 2008 stimulus that 85% of the GOPers in Congress voted for BUT against Obama's that kept US out of a second GOP great depression!

TARP did far more to keep us out of a depression than Obama's stimulus ever did and that was Bush's baby! The Obama stimulus was Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid handing out goodies to their folks while letting the rest of the country twist in the wind while they went chasing after the ACA.

TARP? Oh right that 5 page document Dubya wanted. Hint GOP voted against it Bubs, BUT BOTH TARP AND STIMULUS was required THANKS TO GOP FAILED POLICIES, AGAIN


40% TAX CUTS

40% AID TO COUNTIES

20% WORK PROJECTS.

Failure? Sure, wasted tax cuts that Obama HOPED to get SOME GOP support with, AGREED! Like Dubya's $3+ trillion tax cuts were a waste TOO!

TARP was passed under George W. Bush, you moron! It was continued under Barack Obama. Are you really this clueless about what took place in 2007 through 2009?

No one is clueless on that period of time. Bush was in charge, and was the commander-in-chief. The economy tanked and Iraq turned from a quagmire into a fiasco.

What does Iraq have to do with the economy? Are you agreeing with the other idiot who seems to think that Bush didn't pass TARP? Because if you are...then you are indeed CLUELESS!!!!!

What did Iraq's invasion and occupation have to do with the economy? You are kidding, aren't you? If not, please refrain from calling anyone clueless.

 

[Wry Catcher]

Its strange....the Republicans control Congress now and the only tool they have in their toolbox is the threat of shutting down government

Then they are outraged when services are not available.
"What do you mean the park is closed?"

I would actually think that in a DEMOCACY that whoever has control of the legislative branch should have control of the government. That isn't true of other forms of government but I suspect that beneath this socialist attitude is a desire for those other forms of government.

Sigh, you do realize that our government was set up so that NOBODY would have too much control over the government and that was done deliberately by the Founding Fathers? We've got a Legislative Branch, a Judicial Branch and an Executive Branch so that one person or small group of people can't force their views on the rest of the country because the three branches provide checks and balances. Of course if you have a President who decides to side step Congress and conduct business through Executive Orders then that starts to become a problem.

Your naivete is amazing: You do understand the power of a single US Senator; the filibuster; the power of the Speaker of the House; EO's; and our nation's version of the First and Second Estates, don't you?

 

[Wry Catcher]

Uhhhh, after the last government shutdown, the Republicans regained control of Congress and increased their control of state legislatures and governors' mansions in a historic landslide. So I guess shutting down the government and forcing Obama to agree to a semblance of fiscal sanity didn't hurt them too badly, hey?

Do you guys just live on Mars or something? Do you not read/view any rational, accurate news sources?

Simple explanations are for the simple people. Tell a lie often enough and simple people believe it to be true.

As a good liberal I'm always willing to educate those who confuse cause and effect:

Questionable Cause

 

[Oldstyle]

You're too stupid to realize that paltry $400 was only done so that Barry could claim that he kept his campaign promise that he'd lower taxes for 95% of Americans.

TARP did far more to keep us out of a depression than Obama's stimulus ever did and that was Bush's baby! The Obama stimulus was Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid handing out goodies to their folks while letting the rest of the country twist in the wind while they went chasing after the ACA.

TARP? Oh right that 5 page document Dubya wanted. Hint GOP voted against it Bubs, BUT BOTH TARP AND STIMULUS was required THANKS TO GOP FAILED POLICIES, AGAIN


40% TAX CUTS

40% AID TO COUNTIES

20% WORK PROJECTS.

Failure? Sure, wasted tax cuts that Obama HOPED to get SOME GOP support with, AGREED! Like Dubya's $3+ trillion tax cuts were a waste TOO!

TARP was passed under George W. Bush, you moron! It was continued under Barack Obama. Are you really this clueless about what took place in 2007 through 2009?

No one is clueless on that period of time. Bush was in charge, and was the commander-in-chief. The economy tanked and Iraq turned from a quagmire into a fiasco.

What does Iraq have to do with the economy? Are you agreeing with the other idiot who seems to think that Bush didn't pass TARP? Because if you are...then you are indeed CLUELESS!!!!!

What did Iraq's invasion and occupation have to do with the economy? You are kidding, aren't you? If not, please refrain from calling anyone clueless.

Are you making the claim that our invasion of Iraq caused the financial collapse? Because if you are...that's one of the more absurd statements I've ever seen on here, Wry!

 

[Oldstyle]

Uhhhh, after the last government shutdown, the Republicans regained control of Congress and increased their control of state legislatures and governors' mansions in a historic landslide. So I guess shutting down the government and forcing Obama to agree to a semblance of fiscal sanity didn't hurt them too badly, hey?

Do you guys just live on Mars or something? Do you not read/view any rational, accurate news sources?

Simple explanations are for the simple people. Tell a lie often enough and simple people believe it to be true.

As a good liberal I'm always willing to educate those who confuse cause and effect:

Questionable Cause

How exactly does declaring "Questionable Cause" make what Mike posted a lie? Because you say that it is? Why do you think that the GOP accomplished a historic victory in 2010? What's your complex explanation of that? Barack Obama summed it up by saying "We got shellacked!" What would you like to add to that?

 

[Dad2three]

Obama CUT taxes for 95% of US dumbass

"We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families."
— Barack Obama on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 in a State of the Union speech

"We cut taxes. We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families. We cut taxes for small businesses," Obama said. "We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. We cut taxes for 8 million Americans paying for college."

Tax cut for 95 percent? The stimulus made it so

Yeah, that $400 one time tax credit was EPIC! So you and I got a $400 tax credit...and Solyndra got 550 million! Nice job on that "stimulus", Barry!

40% OF STIMULUS WAS TAX CUTS DUMBFUK

Solyndra? Dubya's thing?

Solyndra=1% of DOE energy money


Reuters: Venture Capitalists Point To Solyndra As One Of The Top 10 Companies "Ripest" To Go Public. Reuters reported in August 2009:
Investors eye top startups as IPO market awakens - Aug. 19, 2009


Market Conditions Shifted Significantly from 2009 to 2011


"advantages that were more important in 2009 when it received a $535 million U.S. loan guarantee to build a factory" than they are now, noting that the price of the silicon-based panels with which Solyndra was competing "has fallen 46 percent since then."
Obama’s Solar Bets May Avoid Solyndra’s Fate With Low Costs

Bush Admin. Advanced16 Projects, Including Solyndra, Out Of 143 Submissions
Hearings and Votes | Energy & Commerce Committee

DOE Under Bush Admin. Set Out Timeline For Completing Solyndra Review
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/Solar Background Document 1.pdf

Are you really going to come on here and defend the Solyndra loan as a good move, Dad? I mean REALLY?

Solyndra? Oh right part of THE GOP'S 2005 ENERGY POLICY THAT DUBYA SIGNED. AND THE GOP PUT UP $10 BILLION TO "PAY FOR IT". IT ENDED UP COSTING ZERO, EVEN WITH DUBYA'S SOLYNDRA BUBS! lol

What are you babbling about? The Bush Administration didn't OK Solyndra. They looked at it...decided the numbers didn't look good at all...and shelved it.

Then the guy who's running Solyndra bundles big bucks for the Obama campaign...visits the White House repeatedly once Barry' is ensconced in the Oval Office and "SHAZZAM"!...he gets millions from us taxpayers on a business plan that is AWFUL!

LIAR



Solyndra MORE CONservative nonsense!

Bush Admin. Advanced16 Projects, Including Solyndra, Out Of 143 Submissions
Hearings and Votes | Energy & Commerce Committee

DOE Under Bush Admin. Set Out Timeline For Completing Solyndra Review
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/Solar Background Document 1.pdf

In March, The Same Credit Committee Of Career Civil Servants recommended Approval
Exclusive Timeline: Bush Administration Advanced Solyndra Loan Guarantee for Two Years, Media Blow the Story

DOE Official: "It's The Same Group Of Career Professionals That Were On The First Committee."
Hearings and Votes | Energy & Commerce Committee


Second Largest Investor In Solyndra Was A Major Donor To Republicans




Reuters: Venture Capitalists Point To Solyndra As One Of The Top 10 Companies "Ripest" To Go Public. Reuters reported in August 2009:
Investors eye top startups as IPO market awakens - Aug. 19, 2009


Market Conditions Shifted Significantly from 2009 to 2011


"advantages that were more important in 2009 when it received a $535 million U.S. loan guarantee to build a factory" than they are now, noting that the price of the silicon-based panels with which Solyndra was competing "has fallen 46 percent since then."
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-15/obama-s-b
ets-on-abound-solopower-cut-costs-to-avoid-bankruptcy.html

 

[Wry Catcher]

TARP? Oh right that 5 page document Dubya wanted. Hint GOP voted against it Bubs, BUT BOTH TARP AND STIMULUS was required THANKS TO GOP FAILED POLICIES, AGAIN


40% TAX CUTS

40% AID TO COUNTIES

20% WORK PROJECTS.

Failure? Sure, wasted tax cuts that Obama HOPED to get SOME GOP support with, AGREED! Like Dubya's $3+ trillion tax cuts were a waste TOO!

TARP was passed under George W. Bush, you moron! It was continued under Barack Obama. Are you really this clueless about what took place in 2007 through 2009?

No one is clueless on that period of time. Bush was in charge, and was the commander-in-chief. The economy tanked and Iraq turned from a quagmire into a fiasco.

What does Iraq have to do with the economy? Are you agreeing with the other idiot who seems to think that Bush didn't pass TARP? Because if you are...then you are indeed CLUELESS!!!!!

What did Iraq's invasion and occupation have to do with the economy? You are kidding, aren't you? If not, please refrain from calling anyone clueless.

Are you making the claim that our invasion of Iraq caused the financial collapse? Because if you are...that's one of the more absurd statements I've ever seen on here, Wry!

I'm sorry, this Straw Man is build with wet straw covered in asbestos; your spin can't turn.

No single cause created the financial collapse of Oct. 2008, and the Great Recession. Spending Billions on the war of choice was part of it, as were the housing bubble, the Greed of Wall Street, the neglect of Congress and the White House.

Much like the attack on 911, the dots were there and ignored. The Master's of the Universe were making lots of money, and what Pol will turn their back on the power elite by killing the golden goose?

 

[Dad2three]

You're too stupid to realize that paltry $400 was only done so that Barry could claim that he kept his campaign promise that he'd lower taxes for 95% of Americans.

You're too stupid to realize that paltry $400 was only done so that Barry could claim that he kept his campaign promise that he'd lower taxes for 95% of Americans.

You confusing Dubya's 2008 stimulus that 85% of the GOPers in Congress voted for BUT against Obama's that kept US out of a second GOP great depression!

TARP did far more to keep us out of a depression than Obama's stimulus ever did and that was Bush's baby! The Obama stimulus was Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid handing out goodies to their folks while letting the rest of the country twist in the wind while they went chasing after the ACA.

TARP? Oh right that 5 page document Dubya wanted. Hint GOP voted against it Bubs, BUT BOTH TARP AND STIMULUS was required THANKS TO GOP FAILED POLICIES, AGAIN


40% TAX CUTS

40% AID TO COUNTIES

20% WORK PROJECTS.

Failure? Sure, wasted tax cuts that Obama HOPED to get SOME GOP support with, AGREED! Like Dubya's $3+ trillion tax cuts were a waste TOO!

TARP was passed under George W. Bush, you moron! It was continued under Barack Obama. Are you really this clueless about what took place in 2007 through 2009?

2007? Bubba, TARP was passed Oct 2008, with majority Dem support dummy

 

[Oldstyle]

You really ARE claiming that the Bush Administration approved Solyndra and didn't shelve it...aren't you? Wow...that's amazing. I mean really amazing! You're either terminally stupid...or shamelessly dishonest.

 

[Dad2three]

Obama CUT taxes for 95% of US dumbass

"We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families."
— Barack Obama on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 in a State of the Union speech

"We cut taxes. We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families. We cut taxes for small businesses," Obama said. "We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. We cut taxes for 8 million Americans paying for college."

Tax cut for 95 percent? The stimulus made it so

Yeah, that $400 one time tax credit was EPIC! So you and I got a $400 tax credit...and Solyndra got 550 million! Nice job on that "stimulus", Barry!

40% OF STIMULUS WAS TAX CUTS DUMBFUK

Solyndra? Dubya's thing?

Solyndra=1% of DOE energy money


Reuters: Venture Capitalists Point To Solyndra As One Of The Top 10 Companies "Ripest" To Go Public. Reuters reported in August 2009:
Investors eye top startups as IPO market awakens - Aug. 19, 2009


Market Conditions Shifted Significantly from 2009 to 2011


"advantages that were more important in 2009 when it received a $535 million U.S. loan guarantee to build a factory" than they are now, noting that the price of the silicon-based panels with which Solyndra was competing "has fallen 46 percent since then."
Obama’s Solar Bets May Avoid Solyndra’s Fate With Low Costs

Bush Admin. Advanced16 Projects, Including Solyndra, Out Of 143 Submissions
Hearings and Votes | Energy & Commerce Committee

DOE Under Bush Admin. Set Out Timeline For Completing Solyndra Review
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/Solar Background Document 1.pdf

Are you really going to come on here and defend the Solyndra loan as a good move, Dad? I mean REALLY?

Solyndra! You jerks make a big deal over a small mistake. Cheney's belief that Iraq would greet us a liberators costs over 4,500 Americans their lives, and untold Billions of Dollars.

Let's talk about how much Cheney steered to Halliburton, shall we?

If Solyndra were the only "small mistake" that was made then you might have a point but it wasn't...there were numerous "green" companies that got big money from the Obama Administration only to go belly up. They ended up costing jobs...not creating them.

Nice job at trying to divert the discussion from Obama to a Vice President who's been out of office for almost eight years now. Cheney and Haliburton? That's the best you've got?

Yes Dummy, the GOP's 2005 ENERGY POLICY that Dubya signed onto, AND CREATED A $10 BILLION RESERVE TO GET "GREEN ENERGY, CREATED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS, MOST UNDER OBAMA AND EVEN WITH SOLYNDRA, MADE MONEY FOR HE TREASURY, LOL

 

[Oldstyle]

TARP was passed under George W. Bush, you moron! It was continued under Barack Obama. Are you really this clueless about what took place in 2007 through 2009?

No one is clueless on that period of time. Bush was in charge, and was the commander-in-chief. The economy tanked and Iraq turned from a quagmire into a fiasco.

What does Iraq have to do with the economy? Are you agreeing with the other idiot who seems to think that Bush didn't pass TARP? Because if you are...then you are indeed CLUELESS!!!!!

What did Iraq's invasion and occupation have to do with the economy? You are kidding, aren't you? If not, please refrain from calling anyone clueless.

Are you making the claim that our invasion of Iraq caused the financial collapse? Because if you are...that's one of the more absurd statements I've ever seen on here, Wry!

I'm sorry, this Straw Man is build with wet straw covered in asbestos; your spin can't turn.

No single cause created the financial collapse of Oct. 2008, and the Great Recession. Spending Billions on the war of choice was part of it, as were the housing bubble, the Greed of Wall Street, the neglect of Congress and the White House.

Much like the attack on 911, the dots were there and ignored. The Master's of the Universe were making lots of money, and what Pol will turn their back on the power elite by killing the golden goose?

So our spending money on the war in Iraq caused a financial collapse to take place around the world? Really, Wry? Funny, those other countries didn't invade Iraq...why did their economies crater as well as ours? Did you really just make that argument after spouting off about "cause and effect"?

 

[Oldstyle]

Yeah, that $400 one time tax credit was EPIC! So you and I got a $400 tax credit...and Solyndra got 550 million! Nice job on that "stimulus", Barry!

40% OF STIMULUS WAS TAX CUTS DUMBFUK

Solyndra? Dubya's thing?

Solyndra=1% of DOE energy money


Reuters: Venture Capitalists Point To Solyndra As One Of The Top 10 Companies "Ripest" To Go Public. Reuters reported in August 2009:
Investors eye top startups as IPO market awakens - Aug. 19, 2009


Market Conditions Shifted Significantly from 2009 to 2011


"advantages that were more important in 2009 when it received a $535 million U.S. loan guarantee to build a factory" than they are now, noting that the price of the silicon-based panels with which Solyndra was competing "has fallen 46 percent since then."
Obama’s Solar Bets May Avoid Solyndra’s Fate With Low Costs

Bush Admin. Advanced16 Projects, Including Solyndra, Out Of 143 Submissions
Hearings and Votes | Energy & Commerce Committee

DOE Under Bush Admin. Set Out Timeline For Completing Solyndra Review
http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/Solar Background Document 1.pdf

Are you really going to come on here and defend the Solyndra loan as a good move, Dad? I mean REALLY?

Solyndra! You jerks make a big deal over a small mistake. Cheney's belief that Iraq would greet us a liberators costs over 4,500 Americans their lives, and untold Billions of Dollars.

Let's talk about how much Cheney steered to Halliburton, shall we?

If Solyndra were the only "small mistake" that was made then you might have a point but it wasn't...there were numerous "green" companies that got big money from the Obama Administration only to go belly up. They ended up costing jobs...not creating them.

Nice job at trying to divert the discussion from Obama to a Vice President who's been out of office for almost eight years now. Cheney and Haliburton? That's the best you've got?

Yes Dummy, the GOP's 2005 ENERGY POLICY that Dubya signed onto, AND CREATED A $10 BILLION RESERVE TO GET "GREEN ENERGY, CREATED TENS OF THOUSANDS OF JOBS, MOST UNDER OBAMA AND EVEN WITH SOLYNDRA, MADE MONEY FOR HE TREASURY, LOL

Now you're claiming that Solyndra made money for the Treasury? You're a complete moron, Dad! Seriously!

 

[Dad2three]

You're too stupid to realize that paltry $400 was only done so that Barry could claim that he kept his campaign promise that he'd lower taxes for 95% of Americans.

You confusing Dubya's 2008 stimulus that 85% of the GOPers in Congress voted for BUT against Obama's that kept US out of a second GOP great depression!

TARP did far more to keep us out of a depression than Obama's stimulus ever did and that was Bush's baby! The Obama stimulus was Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid handing out goodies to their folks while letting the rest of the country twist in the wind while they went chasing after the ACA.

TARP? Oh right that 5 page document Dubya wanted. Hint GOP voted against it Bubs, BUT BOTH TARP AND STIMULUS was required THANKS TO GOP FAILED POLICIES, AGAIN


40% TAX CUTS

40% AID TO COUNTIES

20% WORK PROJECTS.

Failure? Sure, wasted tax cuts that Obama HOPED to get SOME GOP support with, AGREED! Like Dubya's $3+ trillion tax cuts were a waste TOO!

TARP was passed under George W. Bush, you moron! It was continued under Barack Obama. Are you really this clueless about what took place in 2007 through 2009?

No one is clueless on that period of time. Bush was in charge, and was the commander-in-chief. The economy tanked and Iraq turned from a quagmire into a fiasco.

What does Iraq have to do with the economy? Are you agreeing with the other idiot who seems to think that Bush didn't pass TARP? Because if you are...then you are indeed CLUELESS!!!!!

You don't "think" going to a war on false premises, put on the credit card that cost $4 trillion hurt the US economy? lol


No Bubba, I argued TRUTHFULLY that the GOP refused to vote for Dubya's TARP, The Dems had to get it passed dumbsdh*t!

 

[MarcATL]

You all have this self delusion that somehow the GOP has prevented you from accomplishing an economic BOOM by blocking your programs...which is funny stuff considering that when Barack Obama came into office he was working with large Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate and could have done whatever he felt like with the economy and with immigration and the GOP wouldn't have been able to do a thing to stop him just as they couldn't do a thing to stop him with ObamaCare. So why didn't that happen? Doh!

Weird, the US economy was losing 700,000+ jobs a month when Dubya left? The economy lost 9%+ the last quarter of 2008?

A fleeting, illusory supermajority

It’s in Republicans’ interest right now to characterize the Democrats’ congressional majority in 2009 and 2010 as enormous. As the argument goes, President Obama could get literally anything he wanted from Congress in his first two years, so Democrats don’t have any excuses.

The stimulus wasn’t big enough? Blame Dems; they had supermajorities in both chambers for two years. There’s no comprehensive immigration reform? Blame Dems; they had supermajorities in both chambers for two years. There was only one big jobs bill? Blame Dems; they had supermajorities in both chambers for two years. And so on.

The right continued to push the line over the weekend.

Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace falsely claimed Democrats had a 60-vote Senate majority for the first 2 years of his presidency.

“For the first 2 years he had a filibuster proof majority in the Senate,” Wallace told LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, making the case that Obama has only himself to blame for his poor economic record.

I realize memories can be short in the political world, and 2010 seems like a long time ago, but it’s unnerving when professionals who presumably keep up with current events are this wrong. Even if various pundits lost track of the specific details, I’d at least expect Fox News hosts to remember Sen. Scott Brown’s (R) special-election win in Massachusetts.

Since memories are short, let’s take a brief stroll down memory lane, giving Wallace a hand with the recent history he’s forgotten.

In January 2009, there were 56 Senate Democrats and two independents who caucused with Democrats. This combined total of 58 included Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), whose health was failing and was unable to serve. As a practical matter, in the early months of Obama’s presidency, the Senate Democratic caucus had 57 members on the floor for day-to-day legislating.

In April 2009, Pennsylvania’s Arlen Specter switched parties. This meant there were 57 Democrats, and two independents who caucused with Democrats, for a caucus of 59. But with Kennedy ailing, there were still “only” 58 Democratic caucus members in the chamber.

In May 2009, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) was hospitalized, bringing the number of Senate Dems in the chamber down to 57.

In July 2009, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) was finally seated after a lengthy recount/legal fight. At that point, the Democratic caucus reached 60, but two of its members, Kennedy and Byrd, were unavailable for votes.

In August 2009, Kennedy died, and Democratic caucus again stood at 59.

In September 2009, Sen. Paul Kirk (D-Mass.) filled Kennedy’s vacancy, bringing the caucus back to 60, though Byrd’s health continued to deteriorate.

In January 2010, Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) replaced Kirk, bringing the Democratic caucus back to 59 again.

In June 2010, Byrd died, and the Democratic caucus fell to 58, where it stood until the midterms. [Update: Jonathan Bernstein reminds me that Byrd’s replacement was a Dem. He’s right, though this doesn’t change the larger point.]

Wallace believes the Dems’ “filibuster proof majority in the Senate” lasted 24 months. In reality, he’s off by 20 months, undermining the entire thesis pushed so aggressively by Republicans.

A fleeting, illusory supermajority

KA-POW!!!!

Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk