For those who missed the action today - recommending this detailed account!

4:41 The motion to send it to the Judiciary Committee passed with only about 5 Dems voting No and 3 Republicans voting Yes. Presumably the 78 or so Dems who voted No on tabling believed that to be enough to appease their constituents, while 5 Dems actually had integrity enough to put the Constitution ahead of Pelosi and Hoyer. There was no discussion of a time limit for the Judiciary Committee to report back (even though there are precedents for insisting on one with impeachment resolutions). This bill has, of course, ALREADY been in the Judiciary Committee for months, and that committee has done nothing with it.

Roll call. These 5 Dems voted right: Filner, Kaptur, Kucinich, Waters, Towns.

4:19 p.m. There is now a 5-min vote underway on whether to refer to the House Judiciary Committee.

4:18 p.m. The procedural vote passed just barely (218-194). Of the 218, 3 were Republicans.

Roll call. These 5 Dems voted right: Filner, Kaptur, Kucinich, Waters, Watson.

4:14 p.m. The motion to table having failed, Hoyer moved to refer the resolution to the House Judiciary Committee. Kucinich tried to avoid that and get a vote on the resolution, but - unable to do that - asked for a vote on the decision to refer to committee. Hoyer withdrew his motion and then unwithdrew his motion. Boehner asked for 40 minutes of debate. Serrano as chair seemed clueless for a while, and then ordered a procedural vote on whether to vote on sending to committee. If this new 15-min vote passes, then they will vote on whether to send to committee.

more back in time:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/28469