Republicans in disarray over the farm bill

[ProSense]

Republicans in disarray over the farm bill

by Joan McCarter

Farm-state House members, including a number of Republicans, are trying to force House Speaker John Boehner to bring the House version of the farm bill to the floor before they recess at the end of next week. The current farm bill expires on September 30. While the Senate passed a bipartisan bill, with nearly a two-thirds majority vote back in June, Boehner has refused to move forward on the bill in the House. So nearly forty members have signed a discharge petition, a maneuver that would force the bill to the floor if the petition is signed by a majority of the House. Republicans Reps. Rick Berg of North Dakota, Kristi Noem of South Dakota and Dennis Rehberg of Montana are among the nine Republicans who've signed so far.

Meanwhile, the Democrat who introduced the petition, Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) says Boehner is playing procedural games to keep the bill off the floor. The Agriculture Committee chair delivered the text of the bill his committee approved on Monday, but apparenlty then, another committee claimed jurisdiction, which ties the bill up with the House parliamentarian.

“Games are being played in Washington, as Speaker Boehner is using all the moves in the procedural playbook to keep the farm bill off the House Floor. He has decided to personally overrule the bipartisan majority of the House Agriculture Committee by keeping the bill bottled up,” he said.

“Now, Speaker Boehner is preventing the reporting of the bill, over the objection of 35 Agriculture Committee Members who voted to report, and it’s been 64 days. Speaker Boehner needs to end the games, and allow the Congress to do its job by voting on the bill,” Braley added.

Boehner is putting his farm state members, and particularly those running for the Senate like Berg and Rehberg, in a terrible position. He's also pissing off the majority of the big farm trade groups. The discharge petition maneuver is unlikely to work; the majority of Democrats are opposed to the House bill because of the draconian cuts it makes to food stamps, while teabagger Republicans think it spends too much. The responsible thing for Boehner to do would be to bring the Senate bill to the floor, and work with Democrats to pass it.

But Boehner isn't a responsible leader, so for the first time in modern history, the House is choosing not to pass a farm bill.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/14/1131879/-Republicans-in-disarray-over-the-farm-nbsp-bill

[patrice]

1. Boehner probably trying to keep guys like Kevin Yoder from having to support the SUBSIDIES that put

him and Subsidy-Sam Brownback where they are. That'd be kind of embarrassing right before an election wouldn't it? To have Yoder support the SUBSIDIES that will make the Koch's little experiment in Disaster Capitalism in the state of Kansas work.

http://farm.ewg.org/

[tama]

2. Content free post

Didn't read the whole link, just the excerpt which had nothing about the content of the farm bill, just commenting the game. Game about what?

[ProSense]

4. Did you know

"Didn't read the whole link"

...that's the only way to find out?

[tama]

7. I know

And my post was a conscious dig about "games are being played in Washington". Rest of the article offers very little info: "draconian cuts it makes to food stamps" and "Republicans think it spends too much", and yada yada yada about games in Washington. Corporate media is constantly criticized for concentrating on the games and not informing about the content and issues. So should also blogger media be criticized.

[ProSense]

9. It's called a snip, and the link is embedded in the original blog post.

"Corporate media is constantly criticized for concentrating on the games and not informing about the content and issues. So should also blogger media be criticized."

Actually, the MSM article is about the games, and when the MSM fails to elaborate on just how Republicans are trying to game the system for political gain, bloggers should focus on that aspect. In fact, that is exactly the dynamic involving Romney and MSM reporting.

You seem to have a chip on your shoulder about bloggers.

[tama]

10. Why would I have problem with bloggers?

You bring up this info about the games, why not do also the more important job of citizen journalism of informing readers about the issues?

Or is it your intention to keep us distracted by the games so we learn nothing about the content and issues and cannot discuss them? I don't believe so.

[ProSense]

12. I get where you're coming from, and

"Or is it your intention to keep us distracted by the games so we learn nothing about the content and issues and cannot discuss them? I don't believe so."

...it's easy enough to start a discussion thread on any issue. Go for it. I promise not to stand in the way.

Still, it's not like policy discussions are all that popular. This is a big one: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021344371

Nothing!

[tama]

14. From where I'm coming

it's old. Finland had big Depression couple decades ago, and our own word for what your link speaks about. For me that was big 20 years ago, now I've grown weary of the ways of Government. I'm sorry.

I see popular policy discussions on DU all the time, with lot of wisdom and detailed expertize and creative brainstorming e.g. concerning agriculture. Good discussions with relatively strong consensus of goals and means. 'Organic' and 'local' give good idea of what we the people think about and want. Is what we want anyway reflected in the government paper they are gaming about? If not, why should we pay attention to what they are gaming about?

[BlueCaliDem]

3. Is this the same $960+ billion dollar "farm bill" government welfare

that cuts food stamps and gives more tax dollars to corporate farms?

And here I thought the TeaBaggers were elected to STOP "spending, spending, spending!". Shall I hold my breath and await the poutrage by Republicans who have suddenly rediscovered their frugal inner souls after going nuts with the country's credit card for eight years to protest this bill like they did the $787 billion dollar Recovery and Reinvestment (Stimulus) bill they couldn't shut up about?

[ProSense]

5. There have been so

many reports showing farmers upset that this bill is being held up, but failing to point the finger directly a Republicans.

[progressoid]

11. I know a lot of Repub farmers that gladly take their subsidies and then bitch about big government.

Their hypocrisy is stunning.

[atreides1]

6. Boehner is a tool

He was made Speaker because he's a hack...he does what Cantor tells him to do!

[elleng]

8. Cantor deeply involved.

Couple month old story:

House Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) told POLITICO that he will move “hell or high water” on a farm bill when lawmakers return after the July 4th recess. But he confirmed the change in plans, which came after discussions with Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.).


Cantor’s involvement is an ominous sign for farm bill advocates, but his aides insisted that the Virginia Republican was not saying “no” to any House farm bill this summer. Instead, they said the majority leader wanted to “push the pause button” and allow time for some assessment of the political situation.

Indeed, top House Republicans appear caught by surprise by the progress made in the Senate on its farm bill, having assumed it would collapse amid the typical partisan fighting. Instead a deal was reached Monday night allowing for orderly votes, and the measure has steadily advanced to a point where Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) predicted passage will be completed Thursday.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0612/77651.html#ixzz26TNs5PSx

[ProSense]

13. Yeah, I remember that. n/t