Marathon Pundit: Dems dishonor 9/11 heroes with failed political ploy

To pass the unpopular ObamaCare bill, House Democrats somehow managed to line up enough votes to pass it. Of course (for now) the Dems have a substantial majority, but because of their own prodedural mischief, they couldn't pass a much more palatable piece of legislation--for a health care fund for 9/11 first responders affected by poisons and debris from those attacks.

In a misguided ploy to require a supermajority--the Democrats wanted to circumvent Republican efforts to add amendments and send the bill to committee--the legislation failed to pass.

From a Politico op-ed:

In tantrums that have gone viral [click here for the video], Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) fulminated against the GOP on the floor of the House and later on Fox News.

"(M)embers say 'We want amendments, we want debate, but we're still a No!'" Weiner, whose forehead could barely contain its throbbing veins, shouted from a House lectern. "It's Republicans wrapping their arms around Republicans rather than doing the right thing on behalf of the heroes. It is a shame!"

But Republican "no" votes, as a consequence on the Democrats' pay-for scheme, were not the bill's undoing. It was the Democratic procedural gimmickry that killed it. And it is Democratic procedural gimmickry that has driven congressional approval ratings to its lowest-recorded levels – 11 percent.

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), who represents many of those who survived 9/11, summed up the situation: "They're afraid of taking a tough vote and as a result of that, they're willing to let cops and firefighters die."