Peter’s Blog

Bushs veto threat provokes skirmish on housing bill - International Herald Tribune

Bush, in threatening to veto Franks bill, has called on Congress to pass those two measures as stand-alone legislation. As Democrats tried to bring their bill to the floor on Wednesday, House Republicans threw up procedural roadblocks, including a series of votes on motions to adjourn.

The majority leader, Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, gave a floor speech early in the evening accusing the Republicans of an “abuse of process.”

In response, the Republican leader, Representative John Boehner of Ohio, accused the Democrats of cutting Republicans out of the legislative process.

“We dont have many ways to express our grievance on the housing bill because we have no amendment we can offer,” Boehner said. “All we are asking is to be treated fairly.”

What goes around, comes around, and every time it’s stupid.

“Why Can’t Ex-Felons Vote?” (washingtonpost.com)

But last year Alabama Republican Party Chairman Marty Connors stated a bald truth: “As frank as I can be,” he said, “we’re opposed to [restoring voting rights] because felons don’t tend to vote Republican.” He is right: People with low incomes, low education or minority status — all benchmarks of convict populations — vote Democratic 65 to 90 percent of the time.