Tea Party Era Begins With Refusal To Debate 'Omnibus' Spending Bill

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/16/tea-party-era-begins_n_798036.html

The new, more Republican Congress won't arrive in town until next month, but the Tea Party Era unofficially began on the Hill Thursday night.

Republican leaders in Congress, blindsided by grassroots fury over the tax cut deal they made with President Obama, are now scrambling to show their allegiance to the anti-federal, anti-debt movement. The GOP brass, led by Senate party leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), did so tonight by eagerly backing the successful efforts of Tea Party favorites to block debate on a $1.1 trillion "omnibus" spending bill that would fund the entire federal government until next October -- but which contained billions of dollars in "earmarks" Republicans, including McConnell, once stoutly defended.

GOP senators, led by Tea Party acolyte Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), had demanded the entire 2,000 page bill be read by the Senate clerk -- a formality that is almost always dispensed with. Most of DeMint's colleagues privately dismiss him as a grandstanding freelancer who backed extremists who lost seats the GOP should have won. But McConnell and the rest of his team not only didn't want to challenge DeMint on the spending bill, they were glad to join him in showing their newfound distaste for earmarks.

But Reid announced Thursday night that he didn't have the votes he needed to block the maneuver or ensure debate after the reading of the bill. The reason, he said, is that nine Republicans who initially promised to support him had changed their minds.

reason why they are voting against or for a bill. Supreme Court judges are required to do so.

I think they should read a list of all those who stuck pork in a bill so we know who they are. Republicans put a whole lot of pork in this bill, yet tried to lay it all on the democrats. Even when questioned about "their" pork they tried to change the subject or finally said that their "pork" was not really pork!

requirement. Each bill would be part of a database, complete with every factual thing about posted online for all to view at will. Think of the possibilities for transparency and verification of facts.