Republicans Take Charge of House, Fight Erupts Over Voting Rights for Delegates

[Geee]

Fox News:

With the pomp and circumstance behind him, newly-minted House Speaker John Boehner wasted no time in rolling up his sleeves and getting down to the business of governing -- and the first order of business for the 112th Congress was setting the ground rules.

New House Majority Leader Eric Cantor introduced a rules package that covers scheduling (how many days worked, when votes can and cannot occur), the terms and conditions for debating bills (all bills will cite their constitutional authority and be posted online for 72 hours before a vote) and allows electronic devices, such as BlackBerries and iPads on the floor of the lower chamber.

Finally, and perhaps most controversially, Rep. Paul Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, will have the authority to set the top line budget numbers for the year -- a change from the previous process, which went through the Budget Committee.

The package passed 240-191.

One of the first acts of the Republican-controlled House is to take away the floor voting rights of six delegates representing areas such as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and American Samoa.

[SrWoodchuck]

Geee!

 

Five Democrats & one Independent.......meet the new Sheriff in town!

[righteousmomma]

While it's traditional for the minority to vote its leader as speaker, even on the assumption the leader will lose, Pelosi was not the choice of 19 lawmakers. It was the largest number of defections for any formal candidate for speaker since January 1997 when nine Republicans voted against House Speaker Newt Gingrich. At that time, four voted for another member and five members voted present.

 

Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina, a Blue Dog moderate who has led the charge against Pelosi pulled away most of this votes, including his own as well as those of Reps. Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania, Dan Boren of Oklahoma, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Tim Holden of Pennsylvania, Larry Kissell and Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, Jim Matheson of Utah, Michael Michaud of Maine, Mike Ross of Arkansas, Kurt Schrader of Oregon.

 

Elsewhere, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona voted for Georgia Rep. John Lewis while Reps. Jim Costa and Dennis Cardoza of California voted for each other. Rep. Daniel Lipinski of Illinois voted for Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur while Rep. Ron Kind of Wisconsin voted for Rep. Jim Cooper of Tennessee. Rep. Sanford Bishop of Georgia voted present.

 

:) :) :)