Most of the panel observed contentiousness among democrats – specifically competing interests on the part of Blue Dog Democrats and the Mexican American Caucus of the Democratic Party, each vowing to pull their support ahead of the vote – that it was not the Republicans who were at fault since the Democrats, who control the Congress, if they had their own party in order could have easily passed the legislation.
But Weiner was having none of it and continued to defend an arcane explanation of Democratic strategy to win passage with a 2/3rds majority requirement and fault the Republicans instead.
Weiner tried to dismiss the notion raised by Luke Russert that members of Weiner’s own party didn’t want a tough vote on ancillary immigration issues in the bill and have to “walk the plank” for Pelosi on immigration reform ahead of the upcoming mid-term congressional races.
Finally an exasperated Weiner said that Americans just want “an up and down” vote to which Scarborough responded, “then Pelosi should have given it to them”., which was the crux of the entire argument Weiner was trying to avoid all along.
Coincidentally for Weiner, US Rep King, a Republican antagonist to Weiner and who was one of 12 Republicans who crossed party lines to vote in support of the bill, has aligned himself with a major NY Democratic Party backer, Robert Zimmerman.
Zimmerman, issued a joint statement with King yesterday, directed at Weiner among others, calling on the House to ditch the political posturing on the bill and secure its passage.
In response an angry and fuming Weiner postured to have Zimmerman thrown off the Democratic National Committee, and only backed down after other members of his party said it was a really, really bad idea.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorses the construction of an extremely controversial mosque very near ground zero of the Twin Towers 911 disaster. Bloomberg’s position is extremely unpopular with 53% of New York voters and nearly all of the surviving families of the 911 victims.
Adding to his P/R woes, Weiner who’s been almost silent on the issue up to this point sent a letter to the Mayor that did not express any objection on his part to the mosque’s location is perceived to have thrown his support behind Bloomberg.
In essence Weiner wants to provide $7 billion in unfunded spending for the medical well being of 911 responders but blithely ignores the mental and emotional suffering of the actual 911 victim’s families with his support of the mosque’s construction near ground zero.
Strangely, Weiner who shouts at the top of his lungs for the Republicans to have the courage to take a stand in support of the 911 responders can’t seem to muster the spine to do the same for the 911 victims.
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