Late-night shenanigans on the Hill: UAW bailout watch; Update: Union negotiations fall apart. Good! Headed for cloture; Final vote: 52-35. FAIL!
Scroll for updates…10:15pm Eastern. Latest word from the Hill: Talks between UAW and Corker fall apart. Excellent news for bailout opponents…more below…McConnell and Reid on floor discussing timing of cloture vote…Reid wants vote at 10:40pm Eastern…Countrywide Chris Dodd whining…Corker: “We were three words away” from a deal…GOP wanted a “date certain” on reform…more below…roll call vote on cloture motion underway…waiting…11:07pm Eastern. 52-35. Falls short of the required 60 votes. FAIL!!!!
What’s going on behind closed doors tonight in Washington?
The headlines earlier today declared the UAW bailout “dead” or “stalled.” The stories were cause for (momentary) cheer.
But the fix is in, as I’ve said from the start. Now, we will see if the GOP mavericks are truly up to the task of carrying through the filibuster threat.
I linked to the Corker amendment endorsed by Mitch McConnell earlier this afternoon. Are these concessions enough? What exactly are labor leaders going to agree to? It’s the subject of heated negotiations going on through the night — while taxpayers are left in the dark.
Dingy Harry is buoyed by the revived chances:
Prospects for an auto industry bailout revived in the U.S. Senate on Thursday as surprise negotiations on a compromise moved forward and a vote was possible later in the day.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor that the deal, if struck, “would overwhelmingly pass” the chamber that just hours ago seemed resigned to sending the automakers back to Detroit empty-handed.
The scenario at the core of the possible compromise was proposed by Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, who would grant loans under stricter conditions than favored by Democrats and the White House.
“Good faith negotiations are going on as we speak,” Reid said.
“Good faith” and “Reid” and “unions?”
Ha.
A Beltway source e-mailed me:
There is growing support for Sen. Corker’s amendment, which forces the Big Three and the UAW specifically to make more concessions. While this amendment puts Congress in the role of playing bankruptcy judge, it does seem to improve the Democrat/White House bill. I expect the Corker amendment to pass. Every Republican will vote for it and the UAW will find it preferable to bankruptcy. Also, I won’t be surprised if the Democrats convince Corker to water down his amendment but that remains to be seen. The other factor in this equation is whether or not Democrats believe they can get the same money from the White House through TARP but without Corker’s restrictions. If they believe that’s the case, they might kill the Corker amendment and let the whole thing fail. But I believe the most likely outcome is that Corker will pass and the final bill will pass too. It will be another “bipartisan” accomplishment. Republicans join Democrats in passing a modified auto bailout.
Bailout Heavy or Bailout Lite, it’s still a massive bailout — and just the first installment at that.
What’s the rush? Why are we short-circuiting the deliberative process again? The buzz is that several Senators have congressional delegation trips planned for tomorrow and want to hurry up and get on with their travel.
Your tax dollars at work.
Staying tuned and will keep you updated.
***
Here is the text of a stronger amendment from Ensign and Shelby.
***
Update 9:20pm Eastern…Brace yourselves...
Officials say Republican and Democratic senators are struggling to resolve one last dispute standing in the way of an emergency bailout for U.S. automakers.
The top Senate Democrat says the compromise could see a vote tonight. Majority Leader Harry Reid says the lead Republican architect of the deal is briefing colleagues on its outlines, and Democrats were prepared to move forward on it quickly.
His announcement came after hours of marathon talks at the Capitol between labor, lawmakers and the auto industry to salvage the Big Three rescue. The talks centered on wage and benefit concessions from the United Auto Workers union as well as debt restructuring by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.
It wasn’t immediately clear what was standing in the way of a final agreement.
10:15pm Eastern…Fresh word from the Hill…
Latest word is that UAW blew up the negotiations with Corker. Would not make key pay concessions, so likely the bill will go straight to cloture either tonight or tomorrow. If this stands, and we defeat the bill, Corker must be commended for walking away from a bad deal. Reid discussing on floor now.
10:20pm Eastern. Looks like cloture vote may occur in 20 minutes. Countrywide Chris Dodd is giving his Chicken Little sermon about the dangers of the auto industry collapsing. Dodd lavishes praise on Bush White House. Blech. God save us from bipartisanship.
10:30pm Eastern. Bob Corker takes the floor. Says he was “three words” away from deal with union. GOP wanted “date certain” on conditions/reform being met.
Richard Shelby speaks. “We all in America will benefit from competition. There’s no reason for Big 3 not to be competitive…Bailouts just don’t generally work. I fear this is just a down payment on more next year. I vote no.”
Stabenow whining about demands for union concessions. Babs Mikulski calls for order, bleats that Stabenow is not being heard. Get out the Kleenex. They both seem on the verge of tears. Stabenow concedes the “votes are not there.”
10:42pm Eastern. Here we go. Cloture motion underway.
Quick typing here, but here are some of the ayes and nays so far on record…
Nays so far: Allard Burr Bunning Barasso Chambliss Cochran Crapo Ensign Hatch Hutchison Isakson McCain McConnell Tester Thune Enzi Coleman Sessions Murkowski Corker Bennett Grassley Gregg Bond.
Some GOP Ayes on record: Brownback Warner Voinovich. Specter.
Democrat Sen. Blanche Lincoln: No.
11:05pm Eastern. Bond switches to Aye?!!!!
Reid votes no for procedural reasons.
Final tally: 52-35.
FAIL!
Reid says the issue won’t be taken up again until next session.
Can we kill it? Yes, conservatives did.
Thank you, GOP mavericks, for leading the way.
11:17pm Eastern. Democrats give their wound-licking speeches.
Barbara Boxer gives her Woman of the People sermon. She’s vowing to convince Paulson to intervene. Double crikey. Hope and change is on the way!
12:16am Eastern. Last update for the night…here’s the roll call vote.
See what others have said
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Trackbacks
- Grand Theft Auto Bailout: Capitol Hill « JoHNBRoDiGaNDoTCoM
- Pinky Reid Trying to Sneak Bailout Negotiations. « Trust, But Verify
- Late-night shenanigans on the Hill: UAW bailout watch « Conservative Thoughts and Profundity
- BigMouthFrog
- Gov. Rod Blagojevich Really Does Auction Off The Senate Seat | BigMouthFrog
- Is Paul Ryan Irrelevant Yet? « The Forum
- What got into McConnell? (Update) | skewred.com
- Giving Up? | Constant Conservative
- Mind Scalpel
- Bailout Dies in the Senate | Ft. Hard Knox
- Auto Bailout Dies in the U.S. Senate « Green Country Values
- Thank You, Senator DeMint « The Forum
- Six Meat Buffet » UAW Bailout Deader than Princess Di
- The Other McCain: Detroit bailout dead!
- The Skepticrats » Can we please stop exaggerating UAW wages?
- Michelle Malkin » Final roll call vote on the UAW bailout
- President Bush Still A RINO on The Automakers Bailout « Jane Q. Republican
- PIÑATA-CAR (AKA Auto Bailout) « FactReal
- The Automotive Bailouts: The Other Side of the Story | Political Byline
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Once again the RINO’s raise their ugly heads and sell out conservatives and the American taxpayers. Gotta feeling it won’t end till there is no more paper to print money on.
I have let Senator Crapo know my position on the bailout yesterday (not NO, but HELL NO), but his staff would not state his position on crap sandwich 3.0. The up side is he was one of the 25 Senators that voted against crap sandwich 2.0. I know better than to go to Senator “guilty of having a wide stance” Craig a retiring lame duck more concerned with overturning his guilty plea who already contributed to killing the Republic on 3 Oct 08. Here is to keeping happy thoughts that the RINOs won’t sell us out why we are nuzzled asleep in our beds tonight. Where there is life there is always hope!
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE (mo-lone lah-veh) Translation: Come and take them!
No bailout, bailout-lite, or whatever they want to call it. Let the dems take the fall for this garbage.
But, as you say, the fix is in.
So now the U.S. taxpayer is pouring cash into the mob coffers via the UAW.
READ THIS:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/11/60minutes/main4663945.shtml
Barney Frank is a putz. HE is the problem. More welfare.
NRO is hearing the same thing. And fears the GOP may fall for a watered down Corker version.
there had better be a filibuster if this appears in ANY form.
*The Corker amendment as written is a variation of Chapter 11 actions you would expect to see, so they should just say no and go directly to that declaration; The UAW and their President Ron Middlefinger will never agree to some of those provisions; If you lay down with snakes, you will get bit.
*Chrysler is owned by Cerberus, a private equity firm; Let them search for bailout funds elsewhere; That’s what they do for a living.
*And if the bailout is such a great idea, why are no lenders lining up to give GM and Ford the capital they need?; Could it be a bad investment?
read our lips congress….NO MORE BAILOUTS!!! We The People can’t afford your liberal bleeding heart stupidity…we told you no on the 1st one and you didn’t listen…start looking for another line of work when you come up for re-election….
The question is asked and answered.
Why should members of Congress bother thinking about it? It’s other people’s money.
Doesn’t matter how many concessions there are or how much accountability there is, its the start of the camels nose under the tent wall that’s monumentally important to Democrats.
Hey how about this for a bailout:
1. Repeal CAFE
2. Chapter 11
3. Grant Detroit an exemption from the Wagner Act
I told you so I told you so I told you so I told you so I told you so I told you so I told you so I told you so I told you so I told you so!!!
Anyone who thinks Republicans will fight for anything is a FOOL.
Conservatives are without a voice.
The Constitution of the United States of America is without a voice.
Justice is without a voice.
Gutless wonders.
McCain is cooking up some pork.
I want each of these bailout pimps to promise that when it fails they will resign their positions.
They are happy to play with our money. Let them put their money where their mouth is.
well I don’t have a senator to complain to. I refuse to recognize dirtbin until he apologizes to the Marines, and obama’s seat hasn’t been sold yet.
Let’s scream at them for Medicare and, Social Security too…Want to pay your parents nursing home care?
Everybody seems excited about the automakers…has everyone screamed about the millionaires bailout?
This made me think that we should all go to DC for the biggest Cochon de Lait in history, and roast every last one of these pigs.
Can anyone tell me what you call a political system that rewards failure and stupidity and sticks spears into success and intelligence? Anyone?
To hell with the lot of them.
Somehow the GOP still doesn’t get it. You can’t improve on “socialism” by making allowing it to be “socialism.”
I own thousands of Ford stock. A chapter 7 would cost me all that stock. Still, nationalization and bailouts for Ford is wrong and unconstitutional. If Ford is this poorly run it should be allowed to fail.
The GOP can’t compromise with socialists in creating a socialist economy and remain conservatives. They still don’t get it.
The constitution is dead and the GOP helped kill it.
Why would a conservative complain about getting paid what they are worth ? CEO’s drive companies into bankruptcy and get a golden parachute…300,000 employees, read people…with families for 15 billion…Hell of a deal versus Goldman Sachs,etc….
At least they are putting money into the economy instead of moving it off-shore.
But, Jeff,2161, we aren’t bailing out the 300K employees. We are prolonging the length of time it takes for the companies to fail. The executives will be the ones who walk away with big bonuses no matter how they run the company into the ground.
If the companies go out of business other companies will buy their assets and hire their workers at sustainable salaries. America is not going to stop making millions of cars just because Ford, GM and Chrysler fail.
Reaching across the aisle always always means a compromise on the part of the Republicans. Will they ever learn? Not likely.
How many times have our hopes been raised only to have them knocked right back down to earth; on illegal immigration, the fence, drilling, stimulus packages, bailouts, etc.? They pretend to be working for the people. They put forth empty promises. This amendment by Corker vaguely resembles or reflects conservative values. I’m bored to tears with the idea that what we want somehow matters to them. The proof is in the pudding and it’s clear to me that they don’t give a flying fig.
I hope they enjoy wandering in the desert.
The GOP obviously has learned nothing. I voted 3rd party this year and will probably do so for a long time. The GOP has betrayed me enough times. I have no faith in them.
After 28 years of voting GOP I am done.
One word, well an acronym, really:
BOHICA
I can’t wait to see how long it takes our “conservative” Senators from Texas to get in line behind this bailout.
But it wouldn’t surprise me to see Hutchison suddenly be against bailouts since she’s running for governor. After all, she wouldn’t want the “Kay Bailout” label to stick.
Those dirty rotten low life spineless wonders! Well so much for happy thoughts and HOPE that the RINOs would CHANGE. Time to head to bed and see how screwed we will be in the morning. Good night all!
ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE (mo-lone lah-veh) Translation: Come and take them!
Wareagle82: You would make a valid point if the credit market was available to buy the assets of the companies…Has anyone figured the cost of the Fed’s taking over the pensions of GM workers alone? I assume we would be talking at least 15 Bl. and the PBGC is operating at a deficit now.
Cantcurestupid: The term your looking for is Government Service…Any time there is a budget deficit…Has the Gov’t laid off anyone? Just, asking….
*Hey GOP Senators: GM is worth less than 10 billion with debt exceeding 60 billion; Do the math; Chapter 11 is the only recourse; And it can only re-emerge successfully without the UAW millstone around its’ neck.
*Hey RNC: The conservative voting public will remember and reward those that voted twice against the original sin bailout, and the same goes for this episode; Out into the wilderness for those lacking true conservative credentials; McCain can be your guide.
Wareagle82: try Libertarian…Run for office yourself…Everyone wants someone else to fix it…Man up and step up to the plate too…
It seems all we have in Washington are pygmies.
It has a voice. And it was mocked, scorned, and ridiculed during the primaries.
Hey Sen. Corker: Don’t do it; While you are meeting face to face with UAW President Ron Middlefinger, his union thugs are Barney Frankin’ you from behind; That’s gonna hurt come 2012!
They could BUY all shares of GM for 3 Bill..The pensions that are not turned over to the fed’s are a huge saving to the taxpayers.
Don’t forget the SEIU and Gov. Blago from Ill.
Ill…Hmmm…That’s almost ironic…What say, Alanis?
Liberals do NOT buy American brand cars. Conservatives do. Therefore we should boycott whoever accepts bailout money. All the Dems care about is the UAW. If we boycott the Big 3 we can kill off the UAW. If no one buys their product they will collapse.
Bush has been the best President the Dems have ever had.
May they all order take out and get food poisoning. 4 days of puking for them still wouldn’t make up for the sickening feeling I get whenever they speak. Flippin Crapweasels are the cause of this mess in the first place.
Thank you Michelle for keeping watch and posting over on twitter and THANK YOU to everyone who called their Senators GREAT JOB! The line was held and I don’t know if they saw it or not but I twittered a couple of Senators I follow and I suspect a lot of people did the same….BRAVO!
Pray for our Great Country dear friends.
Surprise! Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins for “AYE”…and so did lame-duck Dole! Shame on all them!
Clinton “Aye”
McCain “No”
Murkowski “No” (Hello, Palin!)
Detroit news is reporting that it’s dead, and the fault lies with the UAW. I don’t believe for a minute that it’s over though.
Arlen Specter…”Aye”
DeMint… “No”
Harkin… “Aye”
Bond… “No”
Jeff2161, Credit markets are frozen? People are buying and selling everything in America every day. Have you looked at Ford’s market capitalization today? Ford is worth 6.93 billion. GM is worth 2.52 billion. T. Boone Pickens could buy GM with pocket change. Toyota or Honda could buy both in a simple stock deal in a heartbeat. You obviously haven’t looked at the market.
The union pensions are part of the problem. Ford and GM have promised to pay people pensions they knew they wouldn’t have. Unions demanded wages and benefits that have killed the companies. They have dug their own graves trying to screw each other! Why is it my responsibility to pick up the tab?
And I have run for public office before. What have you done lately? You have a lot of nerve to lecture someone when you know nothing. All I am doing is asking the people who promised to govern as conservatives to do so but they don’t have the spine to do so. Once you have done something come back and let me know.
Coleman “No”
Coleman “No”
I think some people are changing their votes to AYE…or maybe there are 2 senators with the last name “Bond”?
my cspann live feed is completely worthless…
anyone have a good link?
Harry Reid votes NO…WTF? What a weasel.
hey, why we all red..?
52-35…down in flames.
CNN: Talks Collapse, Bill Appears Dead.
I think Corker went from No to Aye to NO again.
The Donks will easily pass a worse bill next session with all their new Senators.
If the automakers go into bankruptcy, the taxpayer will pick up the retirement plan. It’s insured by the government.
Maybe so, but that’s no reason to cave now. They probably would’ve passed ANOTHER bill on top of this one.
It’s a procedural tactic when he knows he’s going to lose. It gives him options not otherwise available to revive the bill. I forget the precise details, but I’m sure one of our local experts can fill them in.
Do you think that’s why Corker was switching around?
A $14 billion emergency bailout for U.S. automakers collapsed in the Senate Thursday night after the United Auto Workers refused to accede to Republican demands for swift wage cuts.
According to AP.
Refused to agree to cuts starting in 2009.
Okay, but he’s still a weasel. My apologies to all weasels.
I only count 87 votes. What happened to the other 13?
Still, this is a good sign. It’s the first win for the American people in how long?
By voting NO, he can “move to reconsider” a motion that has been rejected.
Obama and Biden are no longer in the Senate, so that’s 11 missing.
They’re still going to get the money. It’ll just come from TARP.
Good job so far…now to keep their feet to the fire, and remember the betrayers when it is their turn for re-election
You guys see the Dow Jones Futures for tomorrow? Down 325 http://bloomberg.com/markets/stocks/futures.html
A baby step in the direction of rehabilitating the “conservative” brand, and a wise one.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/11/news/companies/whitehouse_warning/?postversion=2008121122
Now the White House is warning that the bank bailout money could be used for the auto industry.
Sigh. Taxation without representation sucks.
And all spending is supposed to originate in the House. I think the Constitution is either just an urban myth, or a cruel hoax.
MarcoPolo,
This is the stuff of riots. I seem to remember a rather large one in Boston about 230 years ago, give-or-take. If Bush does this, I’ll be lining up for his last-minute impeachment. What an ass.
Good riddance. Yet, I think we all know that this is a battle win but there’s a larger war going on here.
What’s apparent is that these government money suckers are in too much of a damn hurry to give away our money (or even money out of thin air). It’s time to pay for the cost of overextended largesse by both the corporate and private entitities in this country.
I want to ask these government money suckers how much more money are the American people supposed to poney up before we become the likes of Zimbabwe or even Argentina of the ’90’s. These people and their union/corporate cronies never think of the bigger picture. What happened to all the bucks they supposedly put toward the bank bailout?
WE ARE BROKE. THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ARE BROKE. THE GOVERNMENT IS BROKE. WE’VE BEEN LIVING ON BORROWED TIME. IT’S TIME TO PAY OFF THE DEBT AND GET A REALITY CHECK ALREADY!!!
Oh, I forgot, this is Congress. They live in a different reality from you and me. My mistake.
Freedom still breathes.
Without UAW labor cost reductions, the issue of sustainability cannot be overcome. Doesn’t everyone see that the UAW and their crippling contracts and work rules has built an unsustainable house of cards.
OH yeah Oh yeah Oh yeah. We need to see more of this.. Oh yeah Oh yeah Oh yeah
I was discussing this very issue with my kids recently and realized as I spoke what crock of $hip it is, in the present day.
This UAW bailout is certain to happen (let’s brand it what it is, please -> a UAW bailout. However, the US auto industry is done. Please see my previous posts about how the collapse of the big 3 can pave the way for new, successful, US auto makers.
Hopefully the new Casa de Dallas will start taking up more of his time and he’ll be out of town for the next month or so…
One of those great things about capitalism is how smart money is always into good stuff, rather than hanging onto losers.
Yeah, but the Survivor finale is on Sunday. And the taser thing would probably mucj up my pacemaker. /sarc
Actually, I’m ready. Might as well spend my money on a trip to DC as anything. I am too old to riot but if there’s a nice sit in somewhere, I’m there.
It just seems like a true populist leader should be rising out of this, rallying civilian troops to make such a scene as you describe. But there’s nobody.
Sad but true. I’ve taught many children whose parents are not only uninvolved in their kids’ lives but in civic society. Many Americans live life via a remote. There’s an utter failure to make connections between actions and consequences, given how the likes of Obummer and Barnie Frack get elected.
I thinks this is why an estimated 90-100 million American eligible voters didn’t vote in this election. Everybody talks of how the youth (or the yutes as my father calls them) and the black/minority voters came out to vote but nobody mentioned those who either disengaged from civic responsibility or become disgusted by the process entirely. Nobody talks about it. Perhaps, when they get over their Obummer crush or Obamagasm.
Nothing is as soul deadening as a country that doesn’t even know its own history anymore. As a social studies/history teacher, I’ve seen how kids don’t take the subject (which is to me more of a legacy and heritage) seriously because they’ve been instructed by their families, society, and government to believe so. That is the saddening thing.
America has become a bunch of moochers, deadbeats, and layabouts. We’ve voted ourselves a bunch of jerks who are accountable to no one because as long as they give the rifraff their goodies, the rest of us can just go to hell in their estimation.
We’ve become an ignorant, self-entitled, and self-idulgent people that believes in nothing, produces nothing, and stands for nothing. This is the reason that such politicians as Obummer rise to power, becaue people cannot critically look past the power of a slick ad campaign and maleable, lazy media. There’s nothing so disgusting as being Europeanized or globalized from within because the American people let it happen.
Until the American people wake up and understand that such easy choices come back to bite us down the road, instead of learning to sacrifice, work hard, be self-reliant instead of dependent on a government who’d rather overtax the productive to support the unproductive, nothing will change. And that’s the way these government windbags like it as well as their supporters.
Some of us are on to their scam, but most Americans remain blissfully ignorant to it. Those are the people that now control the country. And the country is not better off for it.
all i can say if Fuaw
no more bail outs
deal with the mess you all made on your own .
Republicans standing strong???!!
It’s going to take me awhile to believe it!
Amazing what a good-old-fashioned tushy-whooping can do.
Do I really believe this will continue? No, but credit must be afforded when due.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
It’s sad that people are getting so excited that hundreds of thousands of people may soon be jobless.