Without 5 Conservative Dems, The GOP Would Have Failed To Keep The Murder In Yemen Going

Courtesy of Jim Costa (Blue Dog-CA)

You know how important everyone agreed passage of the Farm Bill was for the lame duck, right? A must pass bi-partisan bill. The murderous GOP took advantage of that and slipped a little clause into the rule for the bill that denies a vote on the Yemen resolution. Pete Sessions (R-TX) is the chairman of the Rules Committee, but he was beaten in the election and his miserable career in politics is over, so he's leaving at least knowing that thousands of Yemeni civilians will die horrible deaths because of him-- Pete Sessions big accomplishment. And, of course, Liz Cheney (R-WY) is a big mover and shaker on that committee... a chip off the old block. The rule passed 206-203, probably as much Paul Ryan's and Kevin McCarthy's fault as Pete Sessions'.

Although 18 Republicans crossed the aisle to vote with the Democrats, it was 5 conservative Democrats crossing in the other direction that ensured more children in Yemen would die. These 5 murderous assholes:

• Jim Costa (Blue Dog-CA)
• Colin Peterson (Blue Dog-MN)
• David Scott (Blue Dog-GA)
• Al Lawson (New Dem-FL)
• Dutch Ruppersberger (MD)

It's worth noting that if 4 of these pro-genocide Democrats are defeated in primaries, their districts will certainly stay in the Democratic column. Their seats are all safely blue, which makes their treachery even more odious. David Scott's seat is D+20, Al Lawson's is D+12, Dutch Ruppwersberg's is D+11 and Jim Costa's is D+9.

This is a deceptive tweet; it covers up the fact that the GOP margin of victory was supplied by the Blue Dog Caucus

Generally speaking, I get a very positive response when I write about why real Democrats have to be wary of the faux Democrats from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- the New Dems and Blue Dogs. But this is why. The GOP can always depend on conservative shit-heads like these 4 in any tight vote. We're talking about genocide here-- thousands and thousands of Yemeni civilians being killed and conservatives with the help of these 5 just successfully prevented a vote on the issue by backing an "unrelated" technicality. But the response isn't always positive. Low-info readers often have no clue what I'm talking about. To them it's a "purity test" or it's an attack on what they perceive as their tribe (or blue color). I'm so proud that the Blue America PAC starts every cycle by working to primary the worst Democraps and if it brings anguish to the hearts of establishment Dems, all the better. This year we are working furiously to find primary opponents for Colin Peterson and Jim Costa. And, yes, I know-- believe me, I know-- that if Peterson is defeated in the primary, the seat goes to a Republican. So, tell it to a Yemeni mother who just lost her 3 children.

This is how The Hill covered the news (which is meant to be and will be utterly ignored by the mainstream media: House GOP blocks lawmakers from forcing Yemen war votes for rest of year.

House Republicans have officially blocked lawmakers from forcing a vote on all resolutions for the remainder of the year that attempt to use the War Powers Act to cut off U.S. support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen.

The move came during a vote on a rule for floor debate of the farm bill. The rule passed on a largely party-line 206-203 vote.

Five Democrats voted with Republicans to approve the rule, while 18 Republicans voted against the rule.

Tucked into the bottom of the rule is provision that says privilege “shall not apply during the remainder of the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress to a concurrent resolution introduced pursuant to... the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544) with respect to Yemen."

Privilege is what allows lawmakers to force votes, meaning the rule effectively dooms any chances of the House voting on the issue at all this year.

The House move comes as the Senate is poised to approve a resolution that uses the War Powers Act to force the withdrawal any U.S. troops in or “affecting” Yemen within 30 days unless they are fighting al Qaeda.

...Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) recently reintroduced his war powers resolution for Yemen with the hope that Senate passage with Republican support could pressure House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) to allow a vote. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was helping gather Republican support.

On Wednesday, Khanna called the move to strip privilege from all Yemen War Powers resolutions “unprecedented.”

“Speaker Ryan is preventing Congress from conducting our constitutional duty and once again, breaking the rules of the House,” he said in a statement.

Massie added on the House floor that the move “violates both the Constitution and the War Powers Act of 1973.”

“Just when you thought Congress couldn’t get any swampier,” he said, “we continue to exceed even the lowest expectation.”

Meanwhile, yesterday there were 2 votes in the Senate on Bernie's bill calling for the U.S. to stop participating in the assault against Yemen. "The Saudi intervention in Yemen," Bernie told his colleagues, "has created the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, with millions of people facing imminent starvation. The time is long overdue for the United States to stop following the lead of Saudi Arabia, a brutal regime that recently murdered a dissident journalist and has no respect for human rights. Further, and importantly, the Senate must reassert its constitutional authority and end our support of this unauthorized and unconstitutional war." First came a motion to proceed, which is where the GOP tried to stop the bill. It passed 60-39, with every Democrat voting yes, joined by 11 Republicans-- Mike Lee (UT), Rand Paul (KY), Jeff Flake (AZ), Susan Collins (ME), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Mike Crapo (ID), Steve Daines (MT), Todd Young (IN), Bill Cassidy (LA), Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Jim Risch (ID). Then a point of order: "Is the Underlying Point of Order Well Taken that Amendments Under Section 50 U.S.C. 1546a be Germane to the Underlying Joint Resolution?" That passed 96-3, only Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rand Paul (R-KY) voting no.

This afternoon, Bernie's Yemen Resolution passed the Senate with a healthy bipartisan majority, 56-41. Every Democrat voted YES and they were joined by Susan Collins (R-ME), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Mike Lee (R-UT), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Todd Young (R-IN). 3 Republican didn't vote, including the cowardly Lindsey Graham.

Ted Lieu (D-CA), who was the first member of Congress to ever start the Yemen discussion-- back when it was Obama screwing up, not Trump-- told me today, at around the same time that Bernie was passing his resolution in the Senate, that "It is truly unconscionable that Republican leaders in the House are preventing us from taking an important vote to end U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen-- a vote that would likely pass in the House.  U.S. military personnel should not be aiding and abetting potential war crimes in Yemen. For more than three and a half years I have been trying to get answers from two different Administrations in the disaster unfolding there. When Democrats are in control we will vote to end U.S. involvement in this tragic conflict, which is causing a humanitarian crisis for millions of innocent civilians in Yemen."