TPM reports on the bitching coming from Republicans over legislation passed in the last week.

Lindsey Graham:

“The lame duck session was meant to basically transition from one Congress to the next, not take every special interest item the liberals want and pass it in two weeks.”

Jim DeMint

“Passing a major arms agreement in lame duck is outrageous. Dems trying to jam through a liberal agenda before conservatives come to town.”

Lamar Alexander:

“the majority’s decision to jam through other matters during this lame duck session has poisoned the well, driven away Republican votes, and jeopardized ratification of this important treaty.”

Tom Coburn (on the 9/11 first responders bill)

“This is a bill that’s been drawn up and forced through Congress at the end of the year on a basis to solve a problem that we didn’t have time to solve and we didn’t get done.”

Steve King:

“This lame duck session has been full of all kinds of issues that I think didn’t have any business being in the lame duck session.”

And on and on.  The truth is that all of the legislation passed this week was discussed ad nauseam in the months previous but was blocked by legislative maneuvers by Republicans. The only thing being jammed in the last few weeks was the incredible amount of BS rethugs were trying to force down the throat of Americans.

There are three clear reasons as to why four solid pieces of legislation passed this week.

a) Dems stood their ground threatening to work through Christmas to get the job done. Republicans got scared that the PR would have worked in the Dems favor.  They buckled.

b) The midterms were over and the few Republicans in Congress with half a conscience, understood the importance of passing the current legislation which had been held up by their own party for pure political reasons.  They knew that there was little chance of any of this stuff passing with a Republican-controlled House.  It was now or never.  They chose now.

c) Republicans were being pressured by members of their own party as well as conservative media to get some of these bills passed before the Christmas break.  Fox had been critical of Republicans over the 9/11 first responders bill and having busloads of first responders storming congressional offices pushed them to act.  As for ratification of the START treaty, repeal of DADT and the tax cut bill, Republican protests were sounding more hallow by the day, even by their own lowly standards of acceptable behavior.

And now for one of the more demented Republicans in Congress, Texas Rep. Louie Gomert:

“People who have been voted out of office because the majority in their state did not want them representing them anymore and they’re down there cutting a deal with the Russians. The election should have consequences.”

Good point, Louie.  Just like the 2008 election should have had consequences, right?  Barack Obama and Democrats ran on a clear platform and won.  You and your gang of fellow thugs used every trick you could think up to lie and misinform the masses on every piece of legislation Democrats proposed…all of which was done with input from your own party.  Yes, I know that Fox is telling a different story but hey, don’t get me going on the ‘news’ network for the weak-minded and gullible.

Yes, jerkoff, elections have consequences and these are the consequences of the 2008 general election, whether you like it or not.

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