Update - Week of September 25th

[nrog]

Cant please them all. We'll keep fighting for you and all of us. Good night.

[SamG]

nrog, your updates are greatly appreciated by most posters here. (Count me in that camp!) Many of us are simply tense because this issue is so important to us. We are trying to our best understand the conflicting information we read. For most here, the legislative process is opaque and confusing. But please keep posting!

[Nate tha\\\' Great]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Are we assuming the gambling bill has been attached or do we still have no idea? Or does it really matter because it may be added later or scratched from the DOD later?

[/ QUOTE ]

Adding to his question: If it is on the DoD Authorization Bill how likely is it, it gets scratched off.

[/ QUOTE ]

We aren't assuming anything. Well, at least some of us aren't. ;-)

IMO, the reason that we're receiving all these conflicting reports about the DoD bill is because the damned thing ain't done yet. Undoubtedly there are numerous drafts floating around and some of them may have internet gambling langauge included and some of them may not. But they're just that -- drafts.

Fortunately, it looks like a little bit of an uphill battle for any form of the DoD authorization bill to pass before the elections. That's what all credible sources are pointing to -- Hastert's riders are just too much of a clusterf*ck/poison pill. Of course all of this can change.

After the elections we probably get a "reset" of sorts, but there will still be numerous routes for Frist to try and get the legislation passed if he's determined to do so. It's going to be a question of his motivation, the results of the midterms, and how the politics of the lame duck session play out. My personal, subject-to-change opinion is that we're fairly heavy favorites if the Democrats take over one or both chambers and it's probably fairly close to a coin flip if they dont.

[cowboy.up]

[ QUOTE ]
Jay,

Please keep the updates coming. I appreciate your efforts. We've been sitting here like a bunch of crabby old women, squabbling and waiting for good news. At this rate 2+2 is bound to hold a pie-baking contest.

[img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

[EvanJC]

Post deleted by Berge20

[Silent1]

Nate,

EOG's article today said that the language in the DoD bill, if any such language exists indeed, is more like the 2005 Kyl bill than the Leech bill. It all sounds very bizarre. However, does anyone know/recall how bad the 2005 Kyl bill is?

I'm hoping nothing gets passed and they all catch the measles this week, or at least some serious cheese-like bacterial fungus to help them on their champaign trails.

[Freerollin`]

Post deleted by Berge20

[BluffTHIS!]

[ QUOTE ]
Berge & Mr. K,

Forgive me if this has been asked and answered before, but I am curious as to the procedural aspects of the conference committee. Is the committee in fact meeting every day this week for some short period, or is all this negotiating taking place out of committee with an intention to only meet again once the areas of contention have been ironed out?

Also on another point, even though you both have stated that a senator won't attempt to hold the authorization bill conference report for internet gambling language alone, is it beyond the pale for such a hold and actual intent to filibuster (which would take in excess of the floor time available this week IIRC from the amount required to actually invoke cloture on a filibuster) on some of the other substantive issues relating to defense?

[/ QUOTE ]


I'm quoting the above questions because I don't want them to get lost in the talk abou the nrog guy.

[Nate tha\\\' Great]

[ QUOTE ]
Nate,

EOG's article today said that the language in the DoD bill, if any such language exists indeed, is more like the 2005 Kyl bill than the Leech bill. It all sounds very bizarre. However, does anyone know/recall how bad the 2005 Kyl bill is?

I'm hoping nothing gets passed and they all catch the measles this week, or at least some serious cheese-like bacterial fungus to help them on their champaign trails.

[/ QUOTE ]

From my recollection, the Kyl bill includes the provisions on cutting off funding but not the provisions on the Wire Act. It's essentially the same as the original Leach bill that was introduced in the House this year, before that bill was merged with Goodlatte's legislation on the Wire Act.

Roll Call referred to a bill that was "Kyl-style with a Frist twist", so there's some speculation about just what the "twist" might be. Most likely, the "twist" is simply carving out further protections for the horse racing industry, but if it instead eliminates or weakens the langauge on banking (non-credit card) transactions, the bill could be neutral-to-good for us. Again, I think this is unlikely, though possible.

[ZBTHorton]

Post deleted by Berge20