GOP Kills Science Jobs Bill By Forcing Dems To Vote For Porn

[fraga]

So sneaky yet so simple. (http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/05/gop-kills-science-jobs-bill-by-forcing-dems-to-vote-for-porn.php)

[Wild Cobra]

Call it what you will. There is nothing wrong with what the republicans are doing here unless you want to pay government employees to watch porn during work hours.

[boutons_deux]

I call it anarchic, destructive smash-mouth anti-Americanism.

- SpeakEasy - http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy -

The GOP’s Use Of Frivolous Sex and Porn Amendments to Kill Substantive Bills

Posted By Lee Fang On May 14, 2010 @ 1:06 pm In Uncategorized | 6 Comments


Yesterday, House Democrats were forced to scrap the COMPETES Act — a jobs bill to increase investments in science, research, and training programs. Despite initial bipartisan support, the bill went down suddenly as House Republicans staged a parliamentary ambush to insert a provision that would fire any federal worker “disciplined for violations regarding the viewing, downloading, or exchanging of pornography.”

The unadulterated partisan politics were on full display shortly before the vote. Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) unveiled the GOP porn amendment, announcing that it would be a referendum on the use of porn on government computers. However, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) quickly took to the floor to denounce the minority party’s “embarrassing” gimmicks to “undermine an important bill for my 9-year-old daughter, for your kids and your grandkids”:

JENKINS: If you think spreading pornography with a government computer is an act that should lead to dismissal, then vote for this motion. [...]

GORDON: For God’s sakes. And when it gets to the conference, we’ll take care of that even more. But everyone raise your hand that’s for pornography. C’mon raise your hand. Nobody? Nobody is for pornography? Well I’m shocked so I guess we need this little bitty provision that means nothing is going to gut the entire bill. This is an embarrassment. If you vote for this, you should be embarrassed.

Watch it:

Using a “motion to recommit,” the amendment scared enough Democrats to back the porn amendment, thus forcing Democratic leaders to pull consideration of the bill, possibly postponing it for weeks. House Republicans celebrated their success in obstructing the jobs bill, and promised more of the tactic in an interview with CQ. “We certainly should do more of this type of thing,” said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX).

But it’s not the first time Republicans in Congress have used sex-related amendments to sow division and kill substantive bills:

– Republicans, led by Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), fought to kill the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, a bill to boost energy efficiency, by forcing votes on sex related amendments. One amendment requires home contractors to ensure that no employee “has been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, a crime of child molestation, rape or any other form of sexual assault.” The amendment was successfully placed into the House version of the bill.

– In an attempt to kill health reform, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) offered an amendment to the reconciliation “fixes” in the Senate, to force the bill to go through the House again. His amendment would ban coverage of erectile dysfunction drugs for sex offenders. However, Coburn had offered his own version of a health reform legislation, the Patients’ Choice Act, and his bill did not even contain his own sex offenders provision he tried to force on the Democrats’ bill. His amendment failed.

– Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) tried to bog down the FY 2010 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill by staging a fight over grant money to study HIV risks of sex workers. The study Issa targeted was a $5 million project cleared by an NIH peer review process and was already underway. Nevertheless, Issa claimed that instead of studying Thai and Chinese sex workers, the NIH should just take “a $3.10 transit ticket to go across town” to complete the study. Avoiding a fight, Rep. David Obey (D-WI) abruptly accepted Issa’s amendment to remove the research funding.

In the one instance Democrats have stood up and opposed frivolous sex-related amendments, Republican campaign committees have quickly used those votes to claim Democrats support sex offenders. A release from the NRSC blared: “Barbara Boxer Votes To Allow Convicted Sex Offenders To Receive Taxpayer-Funded Viagra” shortly after Coburn’s amendment failed. The GOP has used sex as a political weapon to kill legislation designed to create jobs, fund research, reform health care and save energy. And as Rep. Smith noted, they plan to use this tactic more often.

Article printed from SpeakEasy: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy

URL to article: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/05/14/the-gop%e2%80%99s-use-of-frivolous-sex-and-porn-amendments-to-kill-substantive-bills/

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The Repugs don't give shit about the topic of their amendments. They only want to block progress and the work of Congress.

[Nbadan]

Barton is the same ass-hat who wants to bring Arizona-style immigration reform to TX..

[Wild Cobra]

Wow... Just wow...

the democrats refused to act on this. Cowards.

Oh well, when DC has 26 Escort Services to 23 McDonald's, I guess that's to be expected.

[boutons_deux]

yep, the Dems' nutsacs are empty.

America is such Beautiful Country when the Repugs' hate, lie, slander noise machine intimidates all opposition.

[Shastafarian]

Call it what you will. There is nothing wrong with what the republicans are doing here unless you want to pay government employees to watch porn during work hours.

Three hoorahs for Autodidacts!

Hip Hip HOORAH

Hip Hip HOORAH

Hip Hip HOORAH

Seriously though, why do you hate America (and science)?

[boutons_deux]

"There is nothing wrong with what the republicans are doing here unless you want to pay government employees to watch porn during work hours."

disingenuous WC bullshit, as always.

This is blatant, bad faith, anarchic, destroy-govt obstructionism, where they don't even bother to object to the content of the main bill.

[Ignignokt]

LoL you democrats are tools.

If you still want the funding vote for the ammendment. I can't watch porn at my job too. The republicans aren't stopping anything if you have the majority.

Anti Science? WhotttACunt Boutons GFY!

[boutons_deux]

"The republicans aren't stopping anything if you have the majority."

One senator can block in the Senate (a rule that's being reviewed)

did you read that it was stimulus/scientific research funds the Repugs blocked with their porn gambit?

[Wild Cobra]

Three hoorahs for Autodidacts!

Hip Hip HOORAH

Hip Hip HOORAH

Hip Hip HOORAH

Seriously though, why do you hate America (and science)?
You keep making less sense as time goes by.

Do you have some kind of degrading mental disease?

[Winehole23]

The old poison pill. An oldy but a goody.

[admiralsnackbar]

The old poison pill. An oldy but a goody.

Isn't it sad that people keep falling for it over and over and over and...

Wake up from your partisan shackles, shitheads.

[Stringer_Bell]

I am confused about the other examples given to show GOP killing bills, but the COMPETES Act amdendment appears to have been nothing more than an effort to ensure no government employee is screwing around on their computers on the job.

Why would the Dems think that's not fair? Create the jobs, ensure people aren't wasting tax payer money, get rid of the people watching porn and killing efficiency...what is the big deal? They don't deserve those jobs if that's what they are doing, give someone else a chance to get a government job.

[boutons_deux]

"COMPETES Act amdendment appears to have been nothing more than an effort to ensure no government employee is screwing around on their computers on the job."

bullshit.

It's shitty trick to kill the main bill, because the Dems aren't ballsy enough or smart enough to defeat the amendment.

The Repugs hate govt and expect/want govt employees to fuck off on their jobs in illegitimate govt, which they consider to be an infringement on illegally taxed citizens. They don't give a shit about what employees do on the jobs, the worse they do, the better they support Repugs ideology that all govt is bad.

[Stringer_Bell]

"COMPETES Act amdendment appears to have been nothing more than an effort to ensure no government employee is screwing around on their computers on the job."

bullshit.

It's shitty trick to kill the main bill, because the Dems aren't ballsy enough or smart enough to defeat the amendment.

The Repugs hate govt and expect/want govt employees to fuck off on their jobs in illegitimate govt, which they consider to be an infringement on illegally taxed citizens. They don't give a shit about what employees do on the jobs, the worse they do, the better they support Repugs ideology that all govt is bad.

That's doesn't explain why the Dems don't want the bill to say "anyone looking at porn on the job gets fired." There is nothing wrong with that at all, considering we've heard stories of SEC people bullshitting on the job.

Can you explain why it is bad to have something on paper that says you can fire people for looking at porn on the job?

PS: I'm not in troll mode, this is a legit question.

[Shastafarian]

You keep making less sense as time goes by.

Do you have some kind of degrading mental disease?

How could you say that to a member of the United Autodidact Society?!?! You of all people should know we need to stick together in times of crisis...like when we don't understand something or say incredibly idiotic things. Can I get a "Let's Go Hypocrisy" chant going? Who's with me?

[fraga]

Damn you Party of NO!!!

[boutons_deux]

How many MMS employees, Repug operatives/plants, got fired for screwing and doing cocaine with "lobbyists"?

For Repugs who hate federal govt and want it dead and out of peoples' lives completely, why do they want the federal govt micro-managing anti-porn as a federal law?

How about pandering to theocratic "Christian" hypocrites (who certainly watch porn from their Church offices)?

I'm sure there are millions more govt hours/year wasted looking at non-porn sites that have nothing to do with their govt jobs.

Why give govt employees internet access at all?

[Drachen]

Don't see a problem with this.

edit: to clarify, I don't see why voting yes on this bill would make a difference. I can't believe that its not already a fireable offense.

[Ignignokt]

Stringer Bell is what Winehole aspires to be, but can't.

[z0sa]

Yeah, I'm really not seeing the problem.

[admiralsnackbar]

As if the Congressmen make their money off their salaries in the first place :lol

This must have been a favor to their aides.