Unfreakingbelievable. Let's ignore for a minute the travesty and farce that is the practice of "riders," wherein completely unrelated questions of governance get tied to the same vote. It's patently absurd (and not in the good way), which, of course, endears the practice to the GOP like there's no tomorrow.
So they've done it again in all the wrangling over extending the payroll tax cut. Their idea of compromising on a little help for the middle and working class is to railroad approval for the Keystone XL pipeline. Obama said he would veto such a bill, and rightly so. So what does Emmanuel Cleaver do? You read the diary's title. Here are some of his correct statements:
...it’s not good government.
The pipeline should be discussed and debated in and of itself. If we throw the pipeline into this deal, it means that there will be no hearings on that.
He calls this move from the GOP "desperation" and says it's unfair to the American public to pass legislation this way. He says he considers himself an environmentalist. Then he says that he'd "probably" vote for it anyway, despite all of that. !@#$%&
And the worst part? It seems this is all about wrapping up and getting home in time for Christmas:
“I think most members on the Democratic side are going to look a little suspiciously at that. However, we’ve got to get a deal done, and if the president was serious about vetoing that, then I have a feeling we’re going to probably be here during the Christmas holidays.”
Well, Mr. Cleaver, I rather believe he was serious and if you're half the environmentalist you say you are, or are half as uncomfortable with voting for Keystone as you say you are, you'd follow his lead. The least you could do is stay silent instead of cutting Obama off at the knees. Why would anyone want to give the GOP the slightest encouragement on this?
Naturally, his office only accepts calls from constituents (as if the damage from the Keystone XL would only fall on those whose Congresscritters voted for it), so please, pretty please, find all the Missourians you know and spread this info so that Cleaver is inundated with calls on this. It's also true, though, that he accepts calls for the Congressional Black Caucus. Here is his office info:
KANSAS CITY
816.842.4545
INDEPENDENCE
816.833.4545
WASHINGTON, D.C.
202.225.4535
And here is John Boehner's info:
Office of the Speaker
H-232 The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-0600
Fax: (202) 225-5117
And I don't care if you're from Ohio or not; he is the Speaker of the House for everyone in the country, sadly. So please absolutely make a point of letting him have it. Cleaver at least deserves a polite scolding, but Boehner and his henchmen are the source of the whole sordid mess, so let it fly. Hell, call all your Congresscritters, just to be sure.
Toll free numbers for Congress:
1-866-338-1015
1-866-220-0044
1-866-311-3405
But the most important point in all of this is the object lesson in why retaking Congress is so critically important. We need better margins in the Senate and we need to retake the House yesterday.
the president's threatened veto, which relates to a proposed oil pipeline from Canada to Texas, had made it easier to round up support from conservatives eager to be seen defying Obama.
"Frankly, the fact that the president doesn't like it makes me like it even more," said Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan
Call his ass, too.
Obama used the bully pulpit. He led. He came out strong with a definitive promise of a veto. And what did it get him? Nonsense like the above.