Please Can We Kill the Stimulus Bill, Filibuster It Already

When I left around ten it sounded like they where going to try to pass the stimulus today. Thankfully they didn't. So looking for some hope.

GOP Cut out of Stimulus Conference Negotiations

"What a great little scam they've got going here. President Obama excoriates Republicans for standing in the way, while Reid and Pelosi ensure that no icky Republican ideas make their way into the pork-o-rama. Win-Win."(cont.)

"I should add, though, that having a monstrosity like this to fight against may be good political fodder, but in the end we're still left fighting a budget-bloating monstrosity."

Good point but I am still hoping someone finds a way to kill this thing. Pissing off the Republicans is a good start.

GOP Rep. Tom Price Releases Statement on Spendulus Bill Outside Pelosi's Locked Door

Good. Good. Get them mad. But no mention of a filibuster.

Did Senate jump the gun on stimulus deal?

"In an early sign of trouble, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was conspicuously absent from the press conference the Senators, including Majority Leader Harry Reid, held to discuss the deal. Then, a scheduled meeting of the conference committee responsible for the official reconciliation of the House and Senate versions of the bill was delayed because, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) said, the House leadership hadn't yet been "briefed" on the specifics of the agreement."

CNN was reporting that Pelosi hit the roof. So much so that Obama had to call, calm her down and make her play nice. Paraphrasing.

From the update:

"Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who was one of three Senate Republicans to vote for the bill and whose support is likely central to any deal, opposes that idea. She thinks it's too much federal interference with state and local business. So in order to assuage her and her fellow moderates, the money has thus far been left to the discretion of individual governors."

Really!? Too much "federal interference"!? The whole bill is federal interference. Kill It! Kiillll it!

Congress tackles stimulus compromise

'Their threats were serious enough for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., to meet with a group of centrists in his office yesterday after the Senate passed its bill on a 61-37 vote. Mr. Reid said the three Republicans, Maine Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe and Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter, would be working with Democrats during the negotiations "all the time."'

"And a Democrat, Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, who was instrumental in brokering the compromise on the bill that led to the GOP defection, warned that his support, too, was tenuous. "Everybody understands that Senator Collins says if this comes back materially altered as to the top-line number, or to the pieces within the package, that she plans to vote against it, and you can put me in that category, too," Mr. Nelson said.
When a deal is struck, the final bill must be ratified in both chambers. The Senate will need 60 votes to move forward to avoid a filibuster, which gives Ms. Collins and the other centrists maximum leverage."

I was getting very worried that they used some parliamentary/emergency move to not allow a filibuster. No one seems to be talking about it. We will see come Thursday.

Some senator needs to get to these three. Don't talk about the pork. Or the whole tax versus spending. Talk about Government take over of the private sector. The fact that there is no sunset on any of this emergency spending. Not even just the welfare expenses. Are we supposed to just keep them running? Why not fix the banks first? Can this work if the banks are broken?
Health care commission? Can't it wait a week or two?

The three Republicans in the middle have all the power now. Please stop with the name calling, we need them. Forget the spin. Get them in a room and press them on what they really believe.

If that fails the rest have to go old school. If most of them don't collapse on the floor or are dragged off I will be very pissed and disappointed. I have been disappointed before, no surprise. But I haven't been this mad over legislation in the past. And short of a direct repeal of all free speech I probable won't be again.