We are talking about pence, right? He is a little softer than bachmann and King, but still a
batsh!te crazy member of the cult known as the GOP.

He is a lawyer, but a graduate from regents school, which means he is a loser with a substandard intelligence. If you voted for him, you are worse than he is.

He is a lawyer, but a graduate from regents school, which means he is a loser with a substandard intelligence.

His JD is from Indiana University and his undergraduate degree is from Hanover College. It's not his schools of choice that made him bone-stupid. He just came that way.

The repubs have simplified lie detection to a degree; everything they say is a lie.

Pence is truly a simpleton - He said on c-span that all of the founding fathers - including Jefferson and Franklin - were Bible believing fundamentalist Christians.

Yglesias met and talked with Pence, and has repeatedly called him "dumb" and "stone-cold stupid."

His archives should yield that bounty.

He's a lying putz...he says and does ANYTHING to get his mug on TV...he just promised if the DEMS will vote down health care that he will work on a 'bipartisan bill'...are you KIDDING me? Bipartisan means everything the GOP wants and nothing the Dems want. He was elected in 2003...whatcha been DOING Mike the last 7 years to make America a better place for AMERICANS???

That's now goopers like it, young and stupid.

If Pence believes "Deem and Pass" to be unconstitutional, hasn't he violated the oath of office each time he voted on such a bill?

it's not just the dumbness of these repugnant clowns, it is the direction in which this dumbness always goes....

pro-corporate, anti-democratic, support for the rich and elite and well-oiled, and corrupt contempt for the middle class and the poor.

in short, pence isn't just stoopid.
he is a stoopid pig.

I kid you not -- someone openly considering a presidential campaign.

I don't know what's more sad; Pence, who isn't fit to lead a gaggle of four-year-olds from one end of the classroom to the other (let alone be President), or the fact that, given the nation's current political climate, no one would assume you were kidding.

If one were to peer into Pence's left ear, one would be able to view the other side of the chamber he's voting in. That no one, I mean, no one other than Olberman or maddow, will ever call ths cretin out on this. Nauseating...

this guy not only went to law school,

Like you've never met any rock stupid law school graduates before?

The DC: My question is, though, that Democrats say you voted for self-executing rules yourself on three occasions.

Better follow up than most, but needs improving. 'The Democrats say?' How about the 'record shows?' Facts are facts, and aren't just partisan bickering. It's disingenuous to attribute this to Democratic hearsay.

His JD is from Indiana University...It's not his schools of choice that made him bone-stupid. -shortstop

As a Purdue alum, I have to disagree. :)

Maybe I'm missing something here, but didn't the previous complaints about this procedure---by Dems---result in the SCOTUS gang ruling it to be legal? Now as for these "leading Constitutional scholars, they sound like the ones my kids got for Christmas a few years ago---but with a label saying "BARREL OF MONKEYS."

Congresscritters are truly expert in only one profession- getting elected, and raising money for said endeavor.

Their time in law school was largely spent in forming relationships with like minded liars.

That goes double for J School. . .

The Constitution's fair-weather friends are legion.

The Mike Pences of the world don't scare me half as much as the proudly ignorant racists and haters who keep electing Pence and his ilk into positions of power.

This post is so disingenuous as to be laughable. Your so-called self-executing rule has only been used on very minor bills--such as banning smoking on certain plane flights, debt ceiling, amendments, etc. Whether MIke Pence, or anyone else, thinks this is a "big" bill, it is inarguable that this bill has immense consequences involving a huge portion of the American economy. In addition, it has little to no bipartisan support, and most polls indicate the American voting public is growing in its opposition to the existing plan. Now, if you guys would get your heads out of your Progressive backsides, you would admit that this type of procedural shenanigans have NEVER been used on any legislation of this import, and that if a Republican Congress was attempting anything like this, you would have your panties in such a snit you would be even more ridiculous than you are when posting this claptrap.

Oh look, another troll who wants to play CalvinBall!

"When Republicans took power in 1995, they soon lost their aversion to self-executing rules and proceeded to set new records under Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). There were 38 and 52 self-executing rules in the 104th and 105th Congresses (1995-1998), making up 25 percent and 35 percent of all rules, respectively. Under Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) there were 40, 42 and 30 self-executing rules in the 106th, 107th and 108th Congresses (22 percent, 37 percent and 22 percent, respectively). Thus far in the 109th Congress, self-executing rules make up about 16 percent of all rules."

Read more: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/03/13/self-executing-rule/#ixzz0iT8B6Tl7

But... but... size of bill! Can't be used in March! Can't be used by a female speaker! Must be bipartisan! Only on a full moon!

In addition, it has little to no bipartisan support

Sure it does. It has the support of liberals and conservatives. It doesn't have the support of Republicans, but they're so radical these days that fact matters only to disingenuous jackasses like yourself and David Broder.

The republican philosophy can be neatly summed up as "heads I win, tail you lose"

From the Tangled Web Department:

This is my favorite part of the exchange:

MP: The Senate bill cannot be fixed by reconciliation. The reconciliation bill that’s been talked about and contemplated can’t pass the Senate for a variety of substantive and procedural reasons. So all that we’re really doing here is passing the Senate bill in the House. That’s all we’re really doing and the American people know that and they’re intending to pass the Senate bill without ever voting for it.

The DC: But if you say that you don’t think this will be perceived as a vote for the Senate bill, you can’t go out and run ads against House Democrats saying they voted for health care.

MP: You lost me on that one. What do you mean?

The DC: I just mean that if you’re saying they’re passing it without voting on it then you can’t go out and say, ‘This Democrat voted for health care.’

MP: Well, but —

The DC: That’s having it both ways.

MP: Well but the reconciliation bill is their excuse for having allowed the Senate bill to be passed without voting on it. And they’re responsible for the outcome.

Like you've never met any rock stupid law school graduates before?
Half the graduates finished in the bottom 50% of the class. In McArdle world that's the same as nearly all.
In a sane world, Pence would lose the election to be village idiot. In this world, he has people around him of such stupidity that he can consider himself presidential timber? That's srsly f'ed-up.

"Remember, this guy not only went to law school, but is a top member of the Republican leadership and -- I kid you not -- someone openly considering a presidential campaign."

I'll give twenty bucks to a Palin/Pence ticket. They're a perfect match. Wait, maybe I'll give more.

Half the graduates finished in the bottom 50% of the class. -Tom M

I love telling people that 'nearly half of the people in this country are below average intelligence' and seeing how they react.

I can usually tell which half they're in.

and most polls indicate the American voting public is growing in its opposition to the existing plan.

Of course, everything you wrote was demonstrably false, not to mention really, really stupid, but I loved this one, in particular, given that so many people have trumpeted the news all over the place that support for HCR is *growing*, not shrinking.

The DC: My question is, though, that Democrats say you voted for self-executing rules yourself on three occasions.

Better follow up than most, but needs improving. 'The Democrats say?' How about the 'record shows?' Facts are facts, and aren't just partisan bickering. It's disingenuous to attribute this to Democratic hearsay.

I'm glad someone else caught that. The lengths to which The Oh-So-Liberal Press will go to pretend that reality is in fact nothing more than the sum total of all statements by Republican and Democrat officials is truly mind-boggling. Why not make that sentence two words shorter and simpler?:

"My question is, though, that you voted for self-executing rules yourself on three occasions."

What on God's green earth is so difficult about that?

As a life-long resident of Indiana, I wish to apologize to the country for Mr. Pence even being in the House of Representatives. I have no idea where these numbskulls come from and, more importantly, why they are elected to public office.
After years of thought, I finally concluded that these pea-brains are elected just to give those who voted for them a feeling of superiority.
Then I realized how truly embarassing THAT was...

"This post is so disingenuous as to be laughable. Your so-called self-executing rule has only been used on very minor bills ... this bill has immense consequences involving a huge portion of the American economy. In addition, it has little to no bipartisan support, and most polls indicate ...

Yes Comrade, if you look at the barn wall you can clearly see that it says "No animal shall sleep in a bed with sheets" so as always Comrade Napoleon is always right

Gummo

This.

It's troubling that people like this make laws that impact our lives.

Take the amount that the American public understands and cares about procedures in the legislative process.

Now cut it in half.

THAT's their interest in constitutionality arguments about those procedures.

Still, Rush O'Hannity will manage to get their minions to hate them because they're told to.

toowearyforoutrage: BING!BING!BING!BING!BING!
We have a winner!