Cavuto Hosts Mark Levin To Advance More Fear And Loathing Of Health Care Reform
Reported by Ellen - March 16, 2010 -
Co-authored by Brian
Yesterday’s (3/15/10) Your World featured a discussion about, as the banner on the screen read, "(Rep. Louise) Slaughter Rule Could let Dems avoid direct health care vote." The rule, as Cavuto mentioned, says the House can pass a bill by the Senate without having to actually vote on it. As Media Matters noted, the Republicans not only used this procedure when they were in the majority, they “set new records” for its use. Rather than have a truly fair and balanced debate about its use or host a neutral legal analyst, Cavuto brought on uber right-wing radio host Mark Levin who had already called for the expulsion of Congresswoman Slaughter for putting forth this solution. Instead of revealing to the “we report, you decide” network’s audience that he was hosting an extremist to discuss the issue, Cavuto presented Levin as some kind of impartial, mainstream guest and gushed over him to boot. With video.
Levin, who seems determined to make up for his effeminate voice by doubling down on hatred and belligerance, especially toward his countrymen who happen to be Democrats, whined, "You can't vote on an amendment to a non-existent bill. This is the most brazen assault on a fundamental aspect of our republic ever, and if it occurs, it is clearly a constitutional crisis."
Cavuto said, "Congresswoman Slaughter who came up with this, I think she sits on the rules committee. They who control the majority apparently can make their rules, right?"
"The people don't want it, the Constitution doesn't allow it, so we're going to ram it through anyway… It is 100 times worse than Watergate." Comment: Comparing health care reform to a burglary that brought down a President? My gosh!
In a nod to fairness and balance, Cavuto said, "The Democrats have been saying, ...'We are following long held procedures and rules within the House and Senate.'” He forgot to mention the Republican record and how nobody had squawked about the rule until now.
But then Cavuto threw off all pretense of balance and added, “Let’s assume, as I generally do when it comes to Constitutional matters, that you're right and they're wrong. How do you reverse what would be clearly an illegal act?"
Levin screeched, "They say look, we did it before. Is that the argument?” (Actually, the argument might be YOU did it before.) Then he added, “This has never been done before.” Well, not according to Don Wolfensberger, former GOP staff director of the House Rules Committee. As Media Matters pointed out, Wolfensberger wrote in 2006, “When Republicans took power in 1995, they soon lost their aversion to self-executing rules and proceeded to set new records under Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). There were 38 and 52 self-executing rules in the 104th and 105th Congresses (1995-1998), making up 25 percent and 35 percent of all rules, respectively. Under Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) there were 40, 42 and 30 self-executing rules in the 106th, 107th and 108th Congresses (22 percent, 37 percent and 22 percent, respectively). Thus far in the 109th Congress, self-executing rules make up about 16 percent of all rules.”
Levin claimed that Democrats who said this had been done before were referring to “revenue bills” that “were also unconstitutional.” But Wolfensberger says otherwise: “On April 26 [2006], the Rules Committee served up the mother of all self-executing rules for the lobby/ethics reform bill. The committee hit the trifecta with not one, not two, but three self-executing provisions in the same special rule.”
Although Levin has slammed Glenn Beck, one can only think it’s because his own claim to the title of Fearmonger-In-Chief might have been challenged. In true Beckian style, Levin went on to describe the rule as a “martial-law type move” and then squeaked, "I feel like I'm dealing with the suicide hotline here. (Cavuto laughed heartily.) We're trying to save our society, and our liberty, and our private property… And we will use whatever avenue we can to fight it.”
Cavuto nearly slobbered over Levin at the closing. "Always good having you. Keep it up," Cavuto enthused.
"God bless, brother," Levin said.
"Always angry, but boy, does he have a great show," Cavuto gushed.
