“Feeble effort” too grandiose a description of Senate vote on Planned Parenthood
De-funding vote latest McConnell effort designed to fail
The Planned Parenthood defund action voted on yesterday as a standalone measure should have been part of last week’s “must pass” highway bill. As we published a report on McConnell’s machinations at the time, on that vote he played the game of ruling important timely conservative amendments non-germane or otherwise “filled the amendment tree” using his power as Majority Leader to elbow out efforts in support of Kate’s Law (regarding sanctuary cities) and the Planned Parenthood de-fund effort. There was no integrity to McConnell’s actions. He allowed inclusion of an amendment reauthorizing the Export-Import bank to the highway bill as germane. One see’s his priorities and willingness to use his raw power.
As regards a vote on funding Planned Parenthood, not as a sop but a ruse aimed at agitated grassroots conservatives, McConnell provided for a stand-alone vote on the matter. That vote took place yesterday. It was the parliamentarily weakest approach to take. By requiring the bill to proceed as a stand alone provision it made it more vulnerable to filibuster (which requires 60 votes to overcome) and then also more vulnerable to the promised presidential veto which requires 66 votes to overcome.
Senate Republicans of all stripe surely knew what was going on. Some participated as part of the theater, grateful to McConnell for offering the Kabuki masks. the rest, to avoid worse confusion.
As promised, Democrats filibustered. Accordingly the vote yesterday was not a direct vote on the measure per se but to shut off the so-called debate. The vote was 53 to end debate and proceed to a vote on ending funding of Planned Parenthood. Forty -six senators opposed. While a majority, the vote was short of the 60 needed. Fifty-one Republicans voted to end debate and only Kirk from Illinois, an ardent supporter of Planned Parenthood and all it does, voted with the Democrats.* Republican Collins of Maine, an abortion supporter, voted only to end the filibuster and allow a vote on the cut-off. Reports are that Collins made no commitment to stop funding Planned Parenthood.
Only one Senator missed the vote — Lindsey Graham — who felt compelled to campaign for the Republican nomination for President in New Hampshire rather than show solidarity and vote. Graham’s Senate rivals for the nomination — Cruz, Rubio and Paul — were scheduled to appear in New Hampshire as well, but they felt the de-fund Planned Parenthood vote was more important. They participated in the New Hampshire event via closed circuit electronic hook-up. Graham must think he can have it both ways in that he has sponsored a 20-Week ‘Pain-Capable’ Late-Term Abortion Ban. And yet the rest stayed to skirmish while Lindsey the JAG Off(icer) retreated to New Hampshire.
Regarding the two Democrats who voted to end debate, Leon Wolf writing at RedState had this trenchant commentary about the matter:
Commence Act 3 of the GOP’s Planned Parenthood Failure Theater
McConnell also gave cover to two Democrats – Manchin and Donnelly – to brandish their fake pro-life credibility to their conservative electorates back home. If the vote had been close, they would have voted the party line, of course, but since everyone knew it was not going to be, Manchin and Donnelly got a free boost to their general election chances.
Now mark my words, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is going to try to pretend like this was all he could do. He is going to forget that no money can be spent on Planned Parenthood or anything else unless it passes through the chamber that he allegedly controls. His head is so far retreated into his turtle shell from even the word “shutdown” – even as applied to even one government agency – that he will pretend that it is simply not an option.
If anyone brings it up to him, he will harumph and cough and say that he thinks we all learned our lesson from last time – you know, the last time we had a shutdown and the GOP gained a bunch of seats in the election immediately afterwards.
One thing we find particularly pathetic is how McConnell extracts nothing from Democrats who filibuster. Much less than draw a drop of blood he does not even make them produce a drop of sweat. What passes for a filibuster under McConnell, as we have mentioned before, amounts to little more than shouting “Kings X!” on the playground and everybody is on notice to back off. Did McConnell make Democrats hold the floor to the extent Cruz and Paul have done? No. The Democrats did little other than announce they would be filibustering, took up a limited time for posturing, the cloture vote was held, and it was off to the Hamptons or wherever.
So what can Republicans do to stop funding the evil that is Planned Parenthood the organization? Use the upcoming appropriations renewal process due to be taken up upon Congress’s return from its August recess? Seems logical and we certainly support the effort. But the success will depend on leadership and on that we have no confidence other than that there will be more games, more failure theater drama engaged in by McConnell and Boehner.
Redirecting money away from Planned Parenthood should be a slam dunk for assertive leadership. All that is proposed is that funds not be cut but redirected to other agencies and organizations that do the same thing. There are thousands of community health centers nationwide that the federal government already funds that can more efficiently provide legitimate services without involving Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood legitimate functions are entirely absorbable by other agencies.
No reason actually need be given. Planned Parenthood as a private organization has no claim to federal funding, period. Planned Parenthood is not in a good position rhetorically nor would Democrats be by insisting that Planned Parenthood be funded AT THE EXPENSE OF these other agencies.
President Obama may veto an appropriations bill in order to try to save Planned Parenthood’s funding. Let him. How well will that be received by the public with even a modicum of competency from the Republican leadership in explaining that funds are merely being efficiently redistributed for the public good? How much competency does it take to place responsibility where it is due . . . . that whatever missing service Obama orders stopped is due to his veto because he insists on funding Planed Parenthood at THE EXPENSE OF THESE OTHER AGENCIES doing the same thing?
We can envision Boehner and McConnell giving conservative stalwarts the option of allowing some effort to de-fund Planned Parenthood (which they may forfit later) but prevent any proscription on funding Obama’s various illegal immigration executive orders lest Republicans be branded the party of no. They might say such a “compromise” is the only way for the Republican Party to avoid being accused of shutting down the government. That would be the same accusation that had so much sting that it resulted in Republicans increasing their numbers in the mid-term elections at the state and federal levels while promising to do just that.
Given the Republican control of Congress and the power of the purse that pertains, upon the revelation of any significant compromise by Republican leadership on matters related to border security, funding amnesty, defunding Planned Parenthood, or any matter essential to our nation’s security such as stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, conservatives will rightly leave the Republican Party in droves.
R Mall with DLH
* McConnell is listed on the Senate roll call vote as voting with Democrats against cloture which is a “traditional” parliamentary device requiring someone from the prevailing side to make any motion to reconsider or other maneuver under Senate rules. It is usually done by a floor leader when the winning side is not in doubt. It should not be represented otherwise.
Related reading at LifesiteNews.com Senate bill to de-fund planned parenthood dies as predicted
