From Wednesday’s edition of the Morning Jolt . . .
An Abominable Obamnibus
Boy, it wouldn’t be the last gasps of the Democrat-run Congress without one more last-minute avalanche of runaway spending, huh? The Hill sets the stage: “Senate Democrats have filed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that would fund the government through fiscal year 2011, according to Senate GOP sources. The 1,924-page bill includes funding to implement the sweeping healthcare reform bill Congress passed earlier this year as well as additional funds for Internal Revenue Service agents, according to a senior GOP aide familiar with the legislation. The package drew a swift rebuke from Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee. ‘The attempt by Democrat leadership to rush through a nearly 2,000-page spending bill in the final days of the lame-duck session ignores the clear will expressed by the voters this past election,’ Thune said in a statement. ‘This bill is loaded up with pork projects and should not get a vote. Congress should listen to the American people and stop this reckless spending.’”
Late last night, our own Robert Costa talked to Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who “warned National Review Online on Monday about Reid’s potential maneuver. ‘Sounds like they want to dual-track [the START treaty] with the terrible omnibus bill,’ he said. ‘I’m really concerned . . . . I’m not going to be sleeping very well this week.’ Wesley Denton, a DeMint spokesman, tells NRO that despite pressure from Reid, the South Carolinian plans to read aloud the omnibus bill, for as long as it takes. He will point out that the Senate could easily pass a continuing resolution sans pork-laden projects.”
There are no really bad four letter words in this post from Pat Austin, blogging at And So It Goes in Shreveport; but you can tell she’s* a little hot under the collar. Eh, make that supernova under the collar: “You should never, EVER blog when drunk or furious. Ever. Considering that my head is about to explode and that I should definitely be drinking, I probably shouldn’t even be typing my name right now, much less attempting to read the Proof-That-Harry-Reid-Has-Lost-His-Mind Crap-Laden-One-Way-Ticket-To-The-Loony-Bin-For-Life Omnibus bill. No, I’m not drunk, but I oughta be to get through this piece of bovine excrement spending bill. Is he freakin’ CRAZY? Don’t answer that. Is he KIDDING here? Don’t answer that, either. And what in the HELL is wrong with these ‘Republicans’ who are thinking about going along with this crap-sandwich? Did they learn NOTHING from the November election? Let me suggest that this is way, WAY out of the scope and function of a lame duck Congress. Way way. There is no freakin’ way that this thing should go through as is. Who in the hell is going to read a 2,000 page piece of crap like this ever, much less right now when they’re all trying to get out of there for Christmas?”
Hugh Hewitt wants to see the Republicans make an all-out stand: “The House and Senate GOP have to gum up the entire works until the Senate Democrats agree to stop the bum’s rush of bad legislation. Where are the conservative Bernie Sanders? The public also has to use the time to let the 23 Democrats on the ballot in 2012 know that a vote for lame duck spending won’t be forgotten over the next two years. I wish the Senate GOP would have seen this coming when they quickly agreed to the absurd deal that has become a Christmas Tree of special interest giveaways.”
* Originally referred to Pat Austin as a “he.” My apologies.