Video: Boehner slaps down Waxman, filibusters cap and trade; Update: Bill passes, 219-212; eight GOPers are the difference; Update: GOP defectors named; Update: One defector considering Senate run

posted at 6:53 pm on June 26, 2009 by Allahpundit
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Yeah, I know: Technically there’s no filibuster in the House, but the majority and minority leaders are typically given great latitude in terms of how long they can speak. Enter Waxman, the genius behind the 300-page amendment no one’s read, wanting to know just how great that latitude is. High drama as the answer comes from Democrat Ellen Tauscher, presiding over the session.

How long can Boehner keep talking tonight? Stay tuned. Click the image to watch.

Update: The filibuster’s over and the final 15-minute vote is in progress. With nine minutes left, it’s 193-183.

Update: 219-212, with eight Republicans — the difference between passage and defeat — defecting to vote yes. The boss is already hunting around for their names. I hope they got a sweet deal from Pelosi because talk radio is about to make their lives very, very difficult.

Update: Inhofe predicts cap and trade will die in the Senate, which is probably true. I wonder if that made the bitter pill easier to swallow for those eight Republicans.

Update: The boss has the names:

Bono Mack
Castle
Kirk
Lance
LoBiondo
McHugh
Reichert
Smith (NJ)

Update: An epitaph from Vodkapundit: “Never have so few stolen so much from so many to achieve so little.”

Update: If you’re looking for a lightning rod among the elite eight, Mark Kirk is probably the one. He’s considering running for Obama’s old Senate seat next year. Memo to Kirk: Reconsider.

Update: A good point from Goldfarb while we’re busy obsessing over the eight GOP turncoats: What about the 50 Democrats who voted no? They’ve earned the ire of liberals needlessly, given that the bill’s destined for likely death in the Senate.

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