Reid: Senate Will Act In Response To Hobby Lobby Ruling

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

SAHIL KAPUR – JULY 7, 2014, 3:32 PM EDT

The Senate will act "in the coming weeks" to counteract the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby ruling, Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said on Monday.

"We're going to do something about the Hobby Lobby [decision] we need to correct," he said, also mentioning the highway bill, manufacturing legislation and Export-Import bank reauthorization as issues that the Senate will address in the coming weeks.

Democrats, led by Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), are weighing legislative options to fix the contraceptive coverage gap created by the Court's ruling, which lets closely held corporations with religious owners opt out of the birth control coverage requirement under Obamacare.

A legislative "fix" is very unlikely to pass because Republicans, who strongly support the ruling, have the votes to filibuster it.

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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/reid-senate-will-act-hobby-lobby

[AAO]

1. I hate republicans! Can we send them to the FEMA camps yet?

[yeoman6987]

7. Is this all before the August recess?

They have a lot of work to do if they really are going to get these things done.

[PoliticAverse]

27. It's not going anywhere with the current composition of Congress. n/t

[awake]

2. Good let the Repuks go on record against birth control

[Blue Idaho]

6. Absolutely!

Time to start reminding every American just how small and out of touch the Teapublican Party has become.

[Mr.Bill]

9. The problem is

in their gerrymandered districts full of Christian fundamentalist wingnuts, this will gain them votes.

[awake]

12. I would not be so sure

Many wives of wing-nuts will quietly vote against someone who is not for birth control.

[hopemountain]

36. but perhaps, their daughters and grand daughters will vote for candidates for birth control. nt

[JDPriestly]

17. Can't gerrymander enough on this issue:

• More than 99% of women aged 15–44 who have ever had sexual intercourse have used at least one contraceptive method.[5]

• Some 62% of all women of reproductive age are currently using a contraceptive method.[2]

. . . .
• The proportion of women at risk who are not using a method is highest among 15–19-year-olds (18%) and lowest among women aged 40–44 (9%).[2]

• Eighty-three percent of black women who are at risk of unintended pregnancy currently use a contraceptive method, compared with 91% of their Hispanic and white peers, and 90% of Asian women.[2]

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_contr_use.html

This Supreme Court decision is the result of years of determined strategy on the part of Republicans.

Democrats need only to watch for the appeal to Hispanic voters. But most of the Hispanic population that votes will be sophisticated enough to use birth control. People in general who do not use birth control probably don't vote. Both the decision to vote and the decision to use birth control require a little forethought and planning -- and caring and information. (You have to figure out how to register to vote and where to vote. You'd be surprised at the people who don't think about either of those things.)

The challenge for us Democrats is to make sure that all women who want to use birth control understand that the ultimate goal for Republicans is to bar all use of birth control methods. Republicans want a chaste world, a sexless world -- for all but themselves.

[jeff47]

18. It's the Senate. Their districts are states. (nt)

[Mr.Bill]

19. But it will also have to get through

the House of Representatives.

[jeff47]

20. Never gonna get there.

Conservatives will filibuster it in the Senate.

This isn't a bill that will be passed in 2014.

[Mr.Bill]

21. No arguement there. n/t

[24601]

25. If Reid doesn't allow amendments, he will never get a vote.

[jeff47]

30. He will never get a vote either way.

The teabaggers have staked out an anti-immigrant position. Republicans will not upset them.

The "amendments" bullshit is how McConnell is trying to excuse their abuse of the filibuster. It has no basis in reality.

[24601]

34. I disagree. Reid has already counted and knows he would lose some of the amendment votes. The way

to find out of course is just like in poker: Raise and Call. McConnell has his own difficulties with his Kentucky race and blocking a vote after being allowed to offer amendments hurts his campaign.

So why not move ahead? Partisan leanings aside, I believe that Reid would have defections from vulnerable Senators needing to show their voters that they aren't afraid to oppose the establishment from time to time.

[jeff47]

35. Because giving Republicans everything they want is not a good idea.

Ok, let's play with no restrictions on amendments.

The Republicans try to add an amendment repealing the ACA.
The Republicans try to add an amendment banning states from doing gun background checks.
The Republicans try to add an amendment ordering Obama to deport all immigrants.
The Republicans try to add an amendment to ban birth control.
And so on.

If any of their amendments pass, it would be very bad for us. If any of their amendments do not pass, they will filibuster insisting they didn't get to add their amendment.

So....where's the upside for Reid?

[24601]

37. You give everyone a fair vote. Pick a number, 10, 7 or 5 amendments that may be submitted to an up

or down vote. Why? Only one fundamental reason - because we say that's what we believe in - no more and no less. If we aren't going to stand for the principle, who will? If you don't allow a fair vote, you lose even the optics and continue the precedent for when you are the minority.

If a bill passes you don't like, there's the veto. If something passes you can live with, well, then someone is finally acting like an adult.

[jeff47]

38. And now you land firmly in the second to last sentence of my post.

Republicans filibuster because they insist they didn't get to put in their amendment - it wasn't one of the 10.

If a bill passes you don't like, there's the veto.

That way you can piss off Republicans and Democrats! Republicans for vetoing their bill, and Democrats for letting Republicans attach their insanity to a good bill.

If something passes you can live with, well, then someone is finally acting like an adult.

Yeah, Don't Ask Don't Tell was such a good thing. So was welfare reform. And a host of other "can live with" bills.

Nothing will pass before January 2015. Even then, that would require us retaking the House. There's no reason to make Republicans happy now.

[24601]

39. You won't trick me into defending Bill Clinton for signing bills passed when there were

Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate.

Not the case with welfare reform (August 1996) and DOMA (September 1996).

But certainly true when he signed RFRA (November 1993) and DADT (February 1994).

When Bill Clinton took office, The Senate was 57 (D) and 43 (R). The House was 258 (D), 1 (I) and 176 (R).

[bluedigger]

3. Do it fast, and beat the Republicans with it hard for 2014.

[WhoWoodaKnew]

16. Yep

[cosmicone]

4. perfect election year wedge issue

this will bring out women and young people out to vote and vote democratic.

The ones against were not going to vote for us anyway.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. YES!

with this and immigration.

[blkmusclmachine]

29. "The ones against were not going to vote for us anyway." TRUE, but try telling that to Third Way DEM

[heaven05]

5. well I guess we democrats

have to be seen as trying to do something, even though it will end in the same legislative trash heap everything else the democrats have tried for the LAST SIX YEARS!!!!

[pnwmom]

10. News coverage will provide us free advertising in an election season

about the deep divide between the two parties.

[herding cats]

8. Maybe they can beat the crap out of enough Republicans with this issue we can win back some seats.

And keep the Senate, too boot. It would be nice to see some good come out the dung heap of a SC ruling.

[Warren Stupidity]

11. yeah it will act to block any action, and if by some miracle it does actually do something

it will go absolutely nowhere in the house.

[rocktivity]

13. I would MUCH rather see them try and fail then not try at all

At the very worst, we end up with another nail to pound into their 2014 and 2016 campaign coffin lid, I mean, platform.

Go, Reid, go! RAH RAH RAH!


rocktivity

[Warren Stupidity]

14. When it is obstructed the media will announce that the Democrats failed to do anything.

[COLGATE4]

22. And THAT, in a nutshell, is the

major problem we have in keeping the Senate or winning back the House. The media has been dishonest for a long time now and are in no mood to change.

[blkmusclmachine]

31. "Lib'rul Media."

[msongs]

23. repubs can't filibuster it without dems consent. dont blame repubs for this action nt

[obxhead]

24. make them stand for weeks on end in a real filibuster.

But I'm sure the threat will suffice.

[wandy]

26. Harry, I like to believe you but you know..........

You told me that "in the coming weeks" you were going to do something about that Bundy Cow-Pie rebellion.
I'm still waiting.
Did you forget about that Harry?
Did we all forget?

[blkmusclmachine]

28. Will go nowhere in Republicanville. Dead On Arrival.

Which explains WHY the DEMS just "found a spine."

[ancianita]

32. THIS. An admirable stance. I hope he'll take a vote against that ruling at least 40 times.

[BrotherIvan]

33. They should rename it something about "Abortion Prevention"

Making sure it does nothing to limit access to abortions. But dumbasses don't know that even if they wrongly believe that life begins at conception, that birth control prevents conception, so no worries. If they truly care about stemming abortions, then let them vote against it. They will, but it will show what hypocrites they truly are.

If there's no way support for birth control will pass, add something about how every child will now be fed, housed and educated for free until their 21st birthday as a way to prevent financial hardships that lead to abortion. Free childcare and three years maternity leave for every employer who opts out of contraception. A tax that goes directly to state foster care since they think it's so easy to adopt a child out. Religious hospitals must now provide free prenatal care and delivery for every preshus baby. MAKE THEM VOTE AGAINST IT. Of course they will vote against contraception, but they need to be seen as voting against the issues they claim to support. And companies need to come out and admit that their strongly held beliefs are about nothin but $$$.