General Discussion

IsItJustMe

(7,012 posts) Tue Oct 22, 2013, 01:11 PM Oct 2013

I am baffled. Maybe someone who understands congressional rules can help.

I still don't understand how the debt limit crisis was avoided. It is my understanding that even though a number of Republican Senators joined the Democrats in the Senate to pass a relatively clean CR, Congressman John Boehner still could have refused to bring that bill to the house floor for a vote.

Now you have Republicans saying that the Republican Senators who joined with the Democrats to pass the CR are somehow to blame for avoiding the default on the debt, which they seemed to want.

In the final analysis, in my understanding anyway, Boehner did not have to bring that bill to the house floor, regardless of what the Senate did.

Is my understanding of this correct, and if so, why aren't the Republicans blaming Boehner instead of the Senate Republicans?

12 replies

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I am baffled. Maybe someone who understands congressional rules can help. (Original Post) IsItJustMe Oct 2013 OP

The bill went to the House and the House passed it. Most of the votes came from Democrats. politicaljunkie41910 Oct 2013 #1

Yes you're correct, elleng Oct 2013 #2

Thank you, that's what I thought. IsItJustMe Oct 2013 #6

Yes it did go to the house. But Boehner could have refused to let it come to the house floor for a IsItJustMe Oct 2013 #3

That's right. Boehner decided to bring the bill to the floor for a vote as he didn't want the US PoliticAverse Oct 2013 #5

Remember that the leadership did not start this mess. They lead from behind. Mass Oct 2013 #7

The rules committee changed the rules the night before the debate. Boehner okaawhatever Oct 2013 #9

The House passed essentially a "blank" bill that the Senate then amended Recursion Oct 2013 #11

I knew someone smarter would come along thanks. We still need to get the word out that the gop okaawhatever Oct 2013 #12

Because they want to keep Boehner and his leadership in debt with the Tea Party for the next fight. Mass Oct 2013 #4

I get just as baffled by Congressional procedures dixiegrrrrl Oct 2013 #8

Boehner was in a position to keep it from coming to the floor Recursion Oct 2013 #10

politicaljunkie41910

(3,335 posts)

1. The bill went to the House and the House passed it. Most of the votes came from Democrats.

Reply to IsItJustMe (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 01:13 PM

Oct 2013

elleng

(130,972 posts)

2. Yes you're correct,

Reply to IsItJustMe (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 01:14 PM

Oct 2013

and, I guess they just need someones to blame.

IsItJustMe

(7,012 posts)

6. Thank you, that's what I thought.

Reply to elleng (Reply #2)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 01:20 PM

Oct 2013

So at the end of the day, Boehner decided not to default on our debt and not the majority of Republicans in the house. This makes it even more serious when you think about it. All the majority of Republicans have to do now is to get a new speaker who will go along with their program of defaulting on our debt so that we can start the next great depression. Yikes!!!

IsItJustMe

(7,012 posts)

3. Yes it did go to the house. But Boehner could have refused to let it come to the house floor for a

Reply to IsItJustMe (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 01:15 PM

Oct 2013

vote.

Is that correct?

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)

5. That's right. Boehner decided to bring the bill to the floor for a vote as he didn't want the US

Reply to IsItJustMe (Reply #3)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 01:20 PM

Oct 2013

to default. It's really that simple.

Mass

(27,315 posts)

7. Remember that the leadership did not start this mess. They lead from behind.

Reply to IsItJustMe (Reply #3)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 01:25 PM

Oct 2013

Actually, the bill they were pushing would not have closed the government, but Boehner was overruled by his caucus.

They wanted to negotiate with the DL and were hoping Obama would blink, but they have tight links with the financial establishment and were never going to default.

okaawhatever

(9,462 posts)

9. The rules committee changed the rules the night before the debate. Boehner

Reply to IsItJustMe (Reply #3)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 06:08 PM

Oct 2013

couldn't bring it to a vote. Only Eric Cantor could, even though he is junior to Boehner. That was a big problem. I spent a few minutes trying to review the process to answer the question more clearly but I don't have the time to look further. Someone knowledgeable will answer soon, but it's extremely relevant because it's something the Republicans tried to hide and needs to be well known.

Recursion

(56,582 posts)

11. The House passed essentially a "blank" bill that the Senate then amended

Reply to okaawhatever (Reply #9)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 06:12 PM

Oct 2013

Having done that, the privilege rule change did not apply.

okaawhatever

(9,462 posts)

12. I knew someone smarter would come along thanks. We still need to get the word out that the gop

Reply to Recursion (Reply #11)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 06:18 PM

Oct 2013

pulled that stunt in the rules committee. It's a perfect example of their attempt to minority rule and overturn our democracy.

Mass

(27,315 posts)

4. Because they want to keep Boehner and his leadership in debt with the Tea Party for the next fight.

Reply to IsItJustMe (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 01:18 PM

Oct 2013

This way, they can convince them to continue to obey to their orders (and obey the Hastert rule).

Anybody with half a brain knows that Boehner would not let default (neither would anybody else in the leadership. They are too linked with the financial establishment). But they somehow think that, if they had waited to the very last minute without blinking, Obama would have blinked. Also, the House leadership has not bad mouthed the Tea Party, even if they thought the strategy was ill-conceived.

I guess they think a weak and ineffective leadership is better than a stronger leadership that would try to get things done.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)

8. I get just as baffled by Congressional procedures

Reply to IsItJustMe (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 05:56 PM

Oct 2013

esp. since my civics classes were very very very long ago
so I find this website ever so helpful...

http://votesmart.org/education/how-a-bill-becomes-law

Recursion

(56,582 posts)

10. Boehner was in a position to keep it from coming to the floor

Reply to IsItJustMe (Original post)

Tue Oct 22, 2013, 06:11 PM

Oct 2013

But he had signalled weeks ago that he would not block an 11th-hour debt limit increase.

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