Senate Debates Amendment To Limit Free Speech | House Res. Disapproving of of Obama GITMO Release of Taliban Leaders

Editorial Cartoon by William Warren
Reid's Fascism in the First Amendment? ~ by Tom Toth

 Update 6 PM (9/6/14): The House passed H.Res. 644 by a vote of 249-163.   The votes against were 100% by democrats, while 22 democrats joined with republicans "condemning and disapproving of the Obama administration's failure to comply with the lawful statutory requirement to notify Congress before releasing individuals detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and expressing national security concerns over the release of five Taliban leaders and the repercussions of negotiating with terrorists."

House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) released a statement on the passed a H.Res. 644: "By negotiating with terrorists, the Obama administration encouraged our enemies. By setting free five top Taliban commanders from U.S. custody, the Obama administration made Americans less safe. And by ignoring the law that requires the White House to notify Congress at least 30 days before implementing this kind of transfer, the Obama administration did significant damage to our system of democratic government. Today’s vote demonstrates that many Republicans and Democrats have grave concerns about President Obama’s release of these terrorists and how it impacts our foreign policy and Americans’ safety."

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Today in Washington, D.C. - Sept. 9, 2014
The House reconvened at 10 AM today. To be considered today are:
H.R. 5078 — "To preserve existing rights and responsibilities with respect to waters of the United States, and for other purposes."
H. Res. 644 - Condemning and disapproving of the Obama administration's failure to comply with the lawful statutory requirement to notify Congress before releasing individuals detained at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and expressing national security concerns over the release of five Taliban leaders and the repercussions of negotiating with terrorists."
Yesterday, the House dispensed by voice vote with several naming bills for government building and routine resolutions regarding statues & memorials, issue of stamps, etc. which are NOT detailed below. Other bills voted on were follows:
H.R. 2495 (Voice Vote) — "To amend the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 to improve the high-end computing research and development program of the Department of Energy, and for other purposes."
H.R. 3109 (Voice Vote) — "To amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to exempt certain Alaskan Native articles from prohibitions against sale of items containing nonedible migratory bird parts, and for other purposes."
H.R. 4283 (391-1)— "To amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to maintain or replace certain facilities and structures for commercial recreation services at Smith Gulch in Idaho, and for other purposes."
H.R. 5309 (Voice Vote) — "To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, warning, research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes."
H.R. 744 (Voice Vote) — "To provide effective criminal prosecutions for certain identity thefts, and for other purposes."

The Senate reconvened at 10 AM today. Yesterday, the Senate voted 79-18 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 19, a procedural vote allowing the Senate to take up and debate the measure.

Following an hour of morning business, the Senate resumed post-cloture consideration of the motion to proceed to S.J. Res. 19, Democrats’ radical constitutional amendment that would gut the core political speech protections of the First Amendment. Senate Republicans voting for cloture are not signalling agreement with this amendment. They are forcing the item to a Senate floor debate to help shut down the deceptive rhetoric of Harry Reid and other progressive radicals. Reid got his cloture vote and now has to live with the debate on free speech which will be defended by Republicans and opposed by Harry Reed and a few radical democrats. Democrat Senators up for election in November will be cringing and can be expected to seek a delay this vote until after the elections. However, the issue is on the table now and it is Speaker Reid and the democrats that promote limiting free speech via an amendment to the Constitution because they have been ruled against in cases before teh Supreme Court.

Also yesterday the Senate voted 97-0 to confirm Jill Pryor to be a judge on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and 54-43 to confirm Henry J. Aaron to be a Member of the Social Security Advisory Board. Under normal Senate rules, Aaron would not have been approved by the Senate per this vote. He was confirmed under the Democrat's "nuclear option" breaking the historical Senate Rule regarding 60 votes to confirm.

Speaking on the Senate floor this morning, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell blasted Senate Democrats for their attempt to gut the core free speech protections in the First Amendment and their misplaced priorities. “Earlier today, one Democrat Senator urged his colleagues to get serious about the real challenges facing our country – challenges like dealing with the threat of ISIL. He implored fellow Democrats not to focus all their time instead, quote, ‘doing things that are of lesser importance.’ Yet, his voice seems to have been ignored by the Democrats who run the Senate. Because here we stand, debating their proposal on whether or not to take an eraser to the First Amendment.

“Here we are, debating whether or not to grant politicians the extraordinary authority to ban speech they don’t like. That’s what Democrat Leaders have brought to the floor this week as their top priority. It’s a measure so extreme it could even open the door to government officials banning books and pamphlets that threaten or annoy them. That’s not my argument. That’s essentially the Obama Administration’s own position, one that its lawyers advocated in the Supreme Court in the Citizens United case. . . . It’s shocking.

“These are the depths to which the Obama Administration and its Democrat Majority appear willing to drag our country in order to retain their hold on power. They’re tired of listening to criticism of their failed policies. They’re sick of having to sell the Middle Class on ideas that hurt the Middle Class. And with the Democrats’ fragile Senate Majority hanging by a thread, it seems they’re done playing by the normal rules of democracy. It seems they’d rather just rewrite the rules altogether to shut up their critics and shut down their opponents. Even as they continue to give a pass to the left-wing tycoons they like — folks who preach higher taxes and more regulation for everyone else, while jealously guarding pet projects and sweetheart deals for themselves.

“The aim here, just like with the IRS scandal, is to use the levers of power to shut down the voice of We the People when We the People don’t see things their way. The First Amendment is the only thing standing in the way. Of course, we all know the real reason Senate Democrats are so determined to push this measure now. They’re not actually all that serious about passing it this week. In fact, they designed it to fail, because they think its failure would help turn more left-wingers out to the polls. This entire spectacle is mostly about saving the jobs of Democrat Senators come November.”

Leader McConnell continued, “So look: if the Democrats who run Washington are so determined to force the Senate into a debate over repealing the free speech protections of the First Amendment, then fine: let’s have a full and proper debate. Let’s make the country see what this is really all about. Let’s expose this extremist effort to the light of public scrutiny. ...”

Sure enough, The Hill writes, “The Senate on Monday advanced a constitutional amendment meant to reverse two recent Supreme Court decisions on campaign spending. . . . The amendment is almost certain to fail, as it would need to win two-thirds support to pass the Senate, and then would still need to move through the House and be ratified by two-thirds of the states. [Note: The Hill’s number is wrong. Ratification requires 3/4ths of the states.] ‘We should have debate on this important amendment,’ Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said before voting for cloture. ‘The majority should be made to answer why they want to silence critics.’ Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he would gladly debate the issue for as long as Republicans require because the amendment is necessary to keep ‘dark money’ out of politics.”

Except apparently Reid doesn’t want to debate the issue. As the Washington Examiner’s Ashe Schow notes, “After all his complaints about Republican obstruction this year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid expressed frustration last night after Republicans helped guarantee a floor vote on a measure he supports. The Nevada Democrat has accused Senate Republicans of chicanery for voting to advance to the Senate floor a Democratic constitutional amendment allowing Congress to regulate all campaign speech and spending. After Monday's bipartisan 79-18 vote, Reid vented to reporters that Republicans were trying to ‘stall’ the Senate, indicating that he never intended for the campaign finance amendment by Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., to go to a real floor debate.”

Indeed, The Hill identifies Reid’s real problem: “Monday’s vote means Democrats will have less time to hold other political votes during the two-week session before adjourning for the midterm elections. Reid has said he also wants to hold votes on Democrats political priorities, such as equal pay for women and refinancing student loan rates.”

As McConnell said, “We all just spent the past several weeks back in our home states talking to our constituents. They’ve got a lot on their minds these days — important issues they expect the Democrat-run Senate to address: things like high unemployment, rising health care costs, and an ongoing crisis at the border. I, for one, would be interested to hear how repealing part of the First Amendment creates jobs for Americans. Or reduces health care costs. The answer is, it doesn’t. And the Republican-controlled House has already sent over countless bills that continue to collect dust on the Majority Leader’s desk. There are many bills on job creation alone, including legislation that passed the House with significant bipartisan support.  . . .  Let’s end the Democrats’ endless gridlock and get some bills to the President’s desk for once. Because Americans aren’t demanding that Congress repeal the free speech protections of the First Amendment. They’re looking to us to work together to get some things done for them for a change.”

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