CNN Breaking News: Obama tells congress "no vacations"

[Windy]

They need to stay in washington to deal with the debt ceiling/budget.

President Barack Obama said Wednesday that if lawmakers can't reach a deal on raising the debt ceiling by the end of the week, they should consider canceling congressional vacations.


"We've got to get this done," he said. Lawmakers "need to be here. I've been here," he said. "You stay here. Let's get it done."



I agree with the President

[Oceansaway]

1. k & r...nt

[msongs]

2. the should "consider". boy that's telling em lol nt

[cherokeeprogressive]

10. Leadership of the First Order. n/t

[SDuderstadt]

15. It's a sardonic statement...

maybe the subtlety went over your head.

[JuniperLea]

17. +1

Jeez...

[awoke_in_2003]

21. i read it the same way you did. nt

[SDuderstadt]

24. Thanks...

Many people do not understand nuance.

[Maraya1969]

42. It was uncalled for.

[Bandit]

20. What else can he do, he can't order them to stay.

Congress sets it's own rules and determines when and if they go on vacation, not the President.

[kentuck]

26. That is debatable.

http://malor.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/can-the-president-call-congress-back-into-session/

<snip>
What he describes—Congress not “officially” ending its session so as to prevent the President from doing something—has occurred several times before. Most recently, this past December, Senate Democrats left one member in Washington during the holiday break, who would call the chamber to order for a few minutes each day in order to keep President Bush from making recess appointments. (Democrats claimed it would also keep him from using a pocket veto, but that was not the case.)

Assuming Rep. Culberson is right about the Senate being in session, I think he’s wrong about calling a so-called “special session.” The Constitution says that the President “may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper…” So whether the Senate is technically still in session or not, the President cannot be prevented from calling the House back. The House has never, in the history of the Republic, been called into extra session by itself. But there is no constitutional barrier that would prevent the President from issuing a Proclamation (the usual means of convening an extra session) calling them back.

....more

[JDPriestly]

52. Before he does that, he needs to appoint Elizabeth Warren

during the recess. He should allow the recess, appoint Warren and then call Congress back into session.

I will read it as a cop-out, as giving in to Geithner, on Warren if he keeps Congress in session for hopeless discussions.

Congress needs to go home and face its voters on Medicare and Social Security cuts. If the Congressmen meet up with what my Congressman met with at his last constituent meeting, the members of Congress will be less insistent on the cuts when they get back.

[snooper2]

27. nothing makes you happy

[kentuck]

3. Oh noes! Not our vacations!

OK, I guess we had better get something passed. This mofo might be serious?

[emulatorloo]

8. Remember the '10 lame duck session? Lots of good shit got done when the repubs were deprived

of their VACAY.

[Shagbark Hickory]

4. That always seems to light a fire under their asses. Lazy fux, they are.

[a kennedy]

5. It seems like congress does do a ton O' vacation....

I'll check C-SPAN a lot, and they are never in session when I check, or it seems like they're gone a lot. Good for you Mr. President. :applause: :applause: :applause: :patriot:

[Contrary1]

6. They should get one or two weeks a year, like the rest of us...

who are fortunate enough to get any vacation at all.

[KamaAina]

11. But do we really need them in session that much longer?

Think of the extra damage they could do, especially the House. :scared:

[tavalon]

39. That's exactly what I was thinking

Of course, I use to live in Texas, where we actively discouraged meetings of the Lege.

[awoke_in_2003]

22. yep...

and should have a similar amount of spending money. Hell, I am banking my vacation because I can't afford to go anywhere. I am not into the whole "staycation" thing (the ass who coined that word was probably rich)

[CakeGrrl]

7. K/R - hit the procrastinators where they live.

Their constituents ought to be disgusted by the politicized foot-dragging, but most of them are oblivious.

[tweeternik]

9. K&R ... give 'em hell, Barack!! n/t

[Brickbat]

12. Not exactly.

He urged them to forgo vacations, more like.

[awoke_in_2003]

23. he really can't do any more than that. nt

[Recursion]

50. He can convene either or both houses

Article II section 3. Though I suppose they could immediately go into recess at that point.

[Freddie Stubbs]

13. But then how will he make a recess appointment of Elizabeth Warren?

[Fumesucker]

14. Trust you to find the flying insect in the unguent.

:hi:

[Divernan]

18. That's the beauty of it as far as he's concerned.

[cascadiance]

29. The excuse to not do that also was my immediate concern too!

We need her appointed Obama. If you don't want her in that office, we really need to know and we need to know WHY you don't want her there!

If there's no good reason and you don't follow through, I hope damn well that we can get Clarence Thomas off the bench in one fashion or the other damn soon, so that we can FORCE you, Mr. Obama, to pick a progressive justice to replace him during the election, since with all of your actions have us trust you less and less what you will do come 2012 when there's no election pressure on you any more.

I either want you taking risks now to take on the economic royalists (as FDR would call them and did when he was in charge), or I want to have an option to replace you and not have it be a Republican and not fear losing the Supreme Court in the process if that outcome somehow were to happen.

[murielm99]

16. Let the idiots desert Washington if they want to.

The Democrats can stay and get something done.

[russspeakeasy]

35. some of the dems would have to desert too.

[DainBramaged]

19. So forceful

:eyes:

[lpbk2713]

25. "Hey. No fair."

"I've got a lot of PAC slush
money I need to spend."

[SnakeEyes]

40. Actually..

the GOP are preventing the recess.

[sofa king]

28. Told ya.

If they do go on vacation in August, as I predicted they would try in February, they need not bother coming back:

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/sofa%20king/100

[Javaman]

30. oh well, so much for recess appointments. nt

[Tx4obama]

31. There will not be a recess either way. GOP will refuse to adjourn & go into proforma session

The last time the Senate was supposed to go into 'recess' the GOP blocked adjournment and the Senate went into a 'pro-forma session'.
This time the GOP will do the same and block adjournment - they will do every thing they can so stop President Obama from being able to make any recess appointments.

[Pirate Smile]

36. They would be more likely to actually let Harry get a real recess if Obama demands they don't do it.

[lonestarnot]

32. Fucking sleezebags week off week on what bullshit! They've been doing it for months.

[Tx4obama]

33. Update - Senate Dems discuss canceling July 4 recess

Senate Dems discuss canceling July 4 recess

06/29/11 03:27 PM ET

Senate Democrats will discuss canceling the July 4 recess after President Obama chided Congress publicly on Wednesday for taking breaks while debt-ceiling talks are stalled.

A Democratic aide confirmed Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and the caucus will discuss being in town next week.

SNIP

http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/budget/169045-senate-dems-to-discuss-canceling-july-4-recess

[russspeakeasy]

34. mild weather passes for "breaking news" on cnn.

[Major Hogwash]

38. True that. But Republicans passing gas passes as "breaking news" at Fox!!

Boehner just farted!! OMG!!!

LoL

[Major Hogwash]

37. Take away their allowance, too, Mr President.

And make them pass that damned ceiling debt bill.

Make 'em do it!!

[Historic NY]

41. I agree there is no reason to leave the cesspool unless they finish their work

with a/c and other conveniences the days of escaping the summer are over.

[lib2DaBone]

43. CONgress is ALWAYS on vacation....

stealing money and stuffing your pockets with corporate cash is tough work... you gotta be in good shape to be a thief in CONgress.

Of course.. you could move over to the Senate where things are more laid back... bigger opportunity and bigger cess pool over there. Hell.. look at Joe Lieberman.. he has managed to game the system for how many years now? And he still isn't wearing an Orange jumpsuit. See.. crime DOES pay.

[Serve The Servants]

44. What is this strange term "Vacation" of which you speak?

Edit: Never mind. I did some quick research and I found out that in ancient times it was quite common for individuals and families of modest means to regularly take a set period of time away from their established profession or place of employment to pursue hobbies and/or leisurely activities. It is a common belief amongst modern scholars that these people would continue to earn a wage while performing the rituals of "vacation" as well as having their position of employment remain intact upon their return, but this is yet to be confirmed. Vacation rituals were often performed throughout the year, many times coinciding with religious holidays and other periods of celebration, usually for a time period of no more than 2 weeks; however, the ritual length as well as frequency often varied.

[janet118]

53. Yeah, I thought Obama was . . .

caving to another GOP demand that American workers get no vacations.

[Serve The Servants]

54. My post was obviously satire, but

it might as well have been written 100 years into the future, or maybe 20 years from now with the rate things are going...

If the trend of employers preferring part time or independent contractors over standard full time employees continues, no one will be able to afford time off, unless they extend those perks for those employees who fall into that category.

Personally, I haven't had a paid vacation in almost 5 years and when I did take time off at my last company, there was a subtle vibe that I was inconveniencing the other people at my job. Trust me, I wasn't in an important enough of a position that I should feel that way. That being said, I feel zero sympathy for congress.

Here's a couple of real articles on this:
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3233/what_vacation_days/
http://blog.bt-store.com/does-america-believe-in-vacation

Here's a completely different idea - Unlimited vacation time.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129137542

[ThomWV]

45. And how does he intend to enforce that? Will he send DHS Agents to their homes to drag them out?

The last time I read the Constitution I missed the part where it says that the President can set the schedule of either the Congress or of any particular Congressman.

[seabeyond]

46. public pressure. but then posters above are pissed he didnt force them, though he cant

seems like he is being called out every way. if he says nothing, i am sure there are those that are pissed he said nothing.

he challenged, in public. public pressure. the best he can do.

[sofa king]

47. Not the Constitiution. Antiterrorism laws.

Once the government defaults in the middle of three wars, the President can declare a national state of emergency, activate FEMA, and use its extra-Constitutional authority to do pretty much whatever he wants.

Thanks to all those laws, the President can "relocate" a Member of Congress back to DC. He can send a team of Navy SEALs to do it, if he wants, because those same antiterrorism laws allow the President to use the armed forces as police on home soil. He also gets to set their wage rates, so he can cut their pay to zero while he takes them into custody.

Or more alarmingly, perhaps, once established as a dictator with supreme power, the President can "relocate" Members of Congress right the hell out of DC, never to return, while prevailing upon states to postpone elections.

[Recursion]

49. Umm... Article II, Section 3. It's right there

He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States.

[ejpoeta]

48. hey, if he tells them to stay in washington, then they'll go into recess and he can make his appoint

ments. i know they need to do this debt ceiling thing. but whatever he says to do they seem to do the opposite.

[JDPriestly]

51. Might be smarter to let them go home and face their constituents

on Medicare and Social Security. It's a tough call, but I would send them home for a weekend and then bring them back.

I'm not sure Obama could do that. Obama needs a recess so that he can name Elizabeth Warren. By holding Congress over, he avoids having to make that decision.

Wimping out again.

Mr. President, whose side are you on? Ours or theirs?