Fox's Wallace Revises Recent Senate History

[chuckstevens]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace falsely claimed Democrats had a 60-vote Senate majority for the first 2 years of his presidency.

"For the first 2 years he had a filibuster proof majority in the Senate," Wallace told LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, making the case that Obama has only himself to blame for his poor economic record.

In fact, Democrats had a 60-vote majority for less than 5 months between Sept. 24, 2009 and Feb. 4, 2010. Before and after, Republicans had enough seats to mount filibusters, which they often did.



Read more: Link to source

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That's right Chris, keep repeating the LIE that it was ALL Obama's Fault! After all, when Roger Allies worked in the Nixon White House his working title for what would become the "Faux News" network was "GOP TV." Fox really should be called "Goebbelsvision."

[cal04]

1. Here's the link

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/chris-wallace-obama-had-filibuster-proof-senate-majority


Filibuster wasn't even mentioned on MTP when it should have been
What a bunch of liars

[rhett o rick]

13. Thanks for the link. Does anyone have the data of how many filibusters occurred

during the first two years? I am looking.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

33. Senate.gov records dates, subjects, and outcomes for individual filibusters

2009-2010 filibusters are at http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/cloture_motions/111.htm . and 2011-to-date filibusters are at http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/cloture_motions/112.htm

The outcome code key is at the bottom of each file. "F" means cloture failed, "W" means the attempt to end the filibuster was withdrawn, while "I" means cloture succeeded in getting 60 votes.

[ProgressiveEconomist]

35. For detailed analyses and links to filibuster records for earlier congresses,

go to http://www.democraticunderground.com/125184064 .

[SoapBox]

2. Fake News Channel

... it's criminal.

[librechik]

3. 59 votes +Lieberman, who campaigned onstage with McCain

and at least 12 of the 59 Dems were Blue Dogs, who could not be counted on to vote with the president, and often didn't.

Chris should be ashamed of himself for perpetuating that talking point. Or at least stop calling himself a journalist.

[heaven05]

6. exactly

and the bluedogs, some just as bad as wingnuts. just pitiful. no excuse for their brand of party loyalty.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

19. +1000

Things would be a lot different if we didn't have them.

[zaj]

27. And had Republicans in their place?

Please realize that in most all cases, that's the alternative. It's rare than a deep blue state had a purple democrat that could have been replaced by a blue one. Arizona could have had Jesse Kelly instead of Gabby Giffords. Missouri could have had Jim Talent instead of Claire McCaskil. West Virginia could have had John Raese instead of Joe Manchin.

[CreekDog]

26. not until they seated Franken

[Ineeda]

29. Factor in Teddy, Byrd, Franken

and the number of days Congress was not even in session, it's really only a couple of months, not years. See my post for more details:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=1175570

[SunSeeker]

32. Exactly. The 4-month Dem control of the Senate died with Teddy.

As you point out:

Democrats had a 60 seat filibuster-proof majority from September 24, 2009 thru February 4, 2010 when Republican Scott Brown got the Kirk/Kennedy seat. 4 months; not 2 years!!

And other than those 4 months, the Republicans filibustered EVERYTHING.


When the Democrats regained tenuous control of the 110th Congress in 2007, filibusters by the new Republican minority skyrocketed. Following the landslide victory of Barack Obama and progressive Democrats in 2008, there was a clear mandate for change in reform in America, yet the 111th should set a new record for filibusters as part of a clear pattern of obstruction from those who do not want change or reform.

http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/03/02/republican-obstruction-at-work-record-number-of-filibusters/

[Botany]

4. Flat out lie

Al Franken was not seated until June of 2009 and Ted Kennedy died in August
of 2009 Robert Byrd died in June 2010. Both Kennedy and Byrd's health precluded
them from being on the senate floor for large sections of time too.

The 60 vote majority (if you count Lieberman) was there for just over two months.

[Scuba]

8. Bingo!!!

[Botany]

9. Chris Wallace is an embarrassment

His propaganda goes way over the top.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021217417

If you can stomach it watch Chris W. sell the idea that the
Romneys are just everyday folks.

[libinnyandia]

12. Mike Wallace must have been disappointed by his son.

[Skittles]

37. sickened, more likely

[librechik]

14. yes indeed, thx for the reminder n/t

[jillan]

5. Ummm - I do remember a wonderful Democratic Senator from the state of Mass that was out due to

illness for a majority of 2009, and then passed away 8/25/2009
rip Uncle Teddy


And then there was that little detail about Al Franken that was not seated in the Senate until June 30, 2009 because the gopers in Minn were throwing a tantrum that he won.

Franken finally got seated, and then we lost Kennedy.


For the majority of 2009, we did NOT have a filibuster proof majority.

But those are facts, much too complicated for Faux to understand.

[proverbialwisdom]

7. Every voter needs to know this and certainly every pundit who supposedly represents the Democrats.

[Iliyah]

10. This is called propaganda which Fake news have been

doing since conception and other news outlets followed. Instead of journalist and news integrity it has become a clown show which welcomes low information people. Its also called fascism, communism, but not democracy. Crying FREEDOM and LIBERTY is another way of these jokers to instill hatred especially cloaked in the arms of the Bible, Christianity, but the terrible thing about this awful tactic the constant need to claim possession of guns inorder for regular Americans to feel safe especially from our government. In my opinion our biggest enemy is ourselves because overall we are allowing these un-patriotic persons and corporations and companies and outside countries to basically dictate these un-truths.

[tabasco]

11. Chris Wallace is a liar and a traitor

His rotten stinking propaganda hurts the USA.

[librechik]

15. welcome to DU, chuckstevens!

[Zoeisright]

16. How do you know when a repuke is lying?

When their mouths are open.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. Nah, that's just them all the time, breathing. It's when their lips are moving. nt

[demwing]

40. No...no.., I think Zoeisright WAS right

Every breath a Republican takes is a lie. Every moment awake, a fraud.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

41. No. They are human beings. Over-demonizing them loses sight of one's own humanity.

[demwing]

42. What constitutes "over-demonizing?"

what level of demonizing is appropriate in your opinion?

[Hubert Flottz]

18. "Goebbelsvision"

Or would that be Gobblevision?

[yurbud]

25. the only thing wrong with Goebbelsvision is righties wouldn't be able to pronounce it

[Historic NY]

20. From my previous posting...........

days in session and weekends & recess the time they had control shrinks considerably.

July 7. 2009 - August 25, 2009
when Al Franken was officially seated

September 25, 2009 - February 4, 2010
when Paul Kirk was appointed to replace Kennedy
when Scott Brown took office after defeating Martha Coakley

one day in September 2009, Republicans lacked 40 votes

there was a filibuster proof majority in the Senate it lasted during two brief periods which lasted for a total of just over five months when counted altogether (and Congress was in its traditional summer recess for most of the July-August 2009 time frame).

http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/did-the-democrats-ever-really-have-60-votes-in-the-senate-and-for-how-long/

[hootinholler]

21. It's not just Wallace pushing this lie.

I've heard it elsewhere as well. Perhaps someone on Mr. Reid's staff could put together a definitive timeline of fillibusters. Although anyone with the wherewithal could do it from the C.R..

I believe all judicial appointments were blocked for some length of time.

There's the whole implementing the law blockage happening also. As Ms. Warren about that.

[Gman]

22. Lieberman was elected as an Independent

After losing the Democratic primary. There is no factual basis for saying the Dems had 60.

[BumRushDaShow]

30. Exactly. Plus Bernie Sanders is an Independent

So there were theoretically 58 Dems and at least 10 of those were Blue Dogs.

[Selatius]

36. And the Blue Dogs ensured that health care reform came without a Public Option.

That was deleted in Senate negotiations much to the chagrin of Howard Dean and many others further to the left.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

23. He never had a "filibuster proof majority"

One of those 60 was Joe Lieberman. The quintessential DINO. Caucused with the Democrats, but never failed to vote with the Republicans. And he's just one- there were at least 7 or 8 "Blue Dogs" whose votes couldn't be counted on either.

Filibuster Proof Majority = Bullshit

[leftyohiolib]

24. what did Antonio Villaraigosa say to that lie?

[COLGATE4]

28. Wallace is the poster child for a mediocre son of a famous

father who keeps his job only by being a suck-up on a phony news channel. I can't begin to imagine how diappointed his father must have been at seeing the sellout his son was/is.

[SunSeeker]

31. Carly Fiorina (failed CA GOP Senate candidate) just repeated this lie on Meet the Press.

And NO ONE called her on it.

[Ken Burch]

34. And those 60 votes included right-wing fifth columnists like Blanche Lincoln and HolyWarJoe

we NEVER had a filibuster-proof majority.

[lokimas]

38. Thanks for sharing the info. Very Useful.

Thanks for sharing the info. Very Useful.

[UTUSN]

39. R#35 & K n/t