And the Hits Keep coming....

From extraordinary blogger Pacific Views, "And the hits just keep on coming"....

"Guess what the Republican-controlled House of Representatives did while everyone was watching it gut the rules about ethics investigations? It passed a rule that, in the case of 'catastrophic circumstances,' would allow the the House make decisions by a majority vote of however many members showed up, instead of the usual 218-vote majority. The rule defines catastropic circumstances as 'natural disaster, attack, contagion, or similar calamity rendering Representatives incapable of attending the proceedings of the House.'

As we read this, whoever makes it to the House in the first 72 hours after a quorum is called constitutes the entire House for purposes of passing laws. So, if only 30 members are available, only 16 votes are needed to pass legislation. As a report in the Boston Herald points out, a small group of legislators could conduct business for months on end. And, as Rep. Brian Baird (D-Wash.) points out, the new rules violates Article I, Section 5 of the US Constitution, which provides that 'a Majority of each [House] shall constitute a Quorum to do Business.'

You can find a PDF file containing the full text of the House 'doomsday' rule here. (Scroll down to the heading, 'PROVISIONAL QUORUM.')

Suspicious magpie that we are, we looked carefully at the rules to find the clause that allows a small number of House members to do business if all of the other members are under house arrest or unable to perform their duties because of a fire at the (Reichstag) Capitol, but it appears to be well-hidden. "