[jeffkrol]

McConnell blocks his own debt ceiling proposal - Salon.com

Today in Senate maneuvering: Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blocked a bill based on his own proposal, after he called for a vote on the bill in the first place so that he could prove that it would fail.

The legislation would have given President Obama the authority to raise the debt limit on his own, unless Congress could come up with a two-thirds majority to vote to stop him. The bill was based on a proposal McConnell made last year that would give the president “last-choice option” to avoid a default on the nation’s debt.

McConnell proposed a vote on the bill this morning, arguing that Democrats wouldn’t have the votes to pass it. Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., at first declined, but then called McConnell’s bluff this afternoon. This time McConnell blocked the vote.

“The Republican leader objects to his own idea,” Reid said. “So I guess we have a filibuster of his own bill.”

“This may be a moment in Senate history, when a senator made a proposal that, when given an opportunity for a vote on that proposal, filibustered his own proposal,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. “I don’t think this has ever happened before.”

[Parallax]

Unbelievable!
Then they wonder why they have approval ratings roughly equal to that of fleas and ticks at the Westminster dog show. .

[jeffkrol]

Oddball facts as we approach "the cliff"..............

495: Retired members of Congress who were receiving pensions as of October 2011.

5: Lowest number of years of federal service in which an active or former congressman is eligible for an annual pension at age 62.

80: Percent of a congressman's final active salary that may be used as the maximum starting amount of his or her retiring annuity.

By the numbers: Retiring politicians - CNN.com

[jeffkrol]

Obama Approval Rating In Gallup Fiscal Cliff Poll Soars - Business Insider

Republicans Are Getting Hammered For Their Handling Of The Fiscal Cliff Talks

The poll finds that only 27 percent of respondents approve of how Republican leaders in Congress are handling negotiations on the fiscal cliff so far. An astounding 63 percent disapprove. By comparison, 52 percent approve of President Barack Obama's handling, while only 43 percent disapprove.

Here's a look at the disparity, which is especially great among Independents:

WSJ "ducks and covers"..........

So successful has the White House been in defining this fight, few have stopped to consider how paltry that victory is likely to be

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324640104578163463238620682.html

Attentive readers will recall that over the past six years, McConnell has been responsible for most of the filibusters in America's 225-year

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Last edited by jeffkrol; 12-07-2012 at 09:12 AM.