| The Hastert rule states "no legislation can be brought to the floor without a majority of Republican votes." This rule should be in place at all times when Republicans have the majority, or there is not much value in holding a majority. I am often very disappointed in the lame excuse of "we did not have the votes." |  Denny Hastert |
 | "When you don't have 218 votes, you have nothing," Boehner said. "We'll let his party give him the debt ceiling increase that he wants," Boehner said, hours before the expected evening vote.John, quite simply, you have the power given to you from the Republican majority to put up or NOT, any bill you wish. If the GOP does not have 218 votes, why do you allow the Democrat's bill to go up? If it is not a good bill, do not put it up. If the GOP does not get what they want, the default needs to be no bill at all, rather than go along with the liberal bill. |
| With a Republican as Governor and a House of Delegates two-thirds Republicans, the Republican Party needed to throw their weight around a little more on this. How about the strategy, that the house states clearly to the Senate (21-20: GOP) that they will not take the ‘Tebow’ provision out of the budget. Would the liberals really shut down the school system to keep their discrimination against homeschoolers? If Republicans do not have the votes then why do the liberals? | It was tackled again in a Senate committee, failing on an 8-7 vote when Republican Sen. Harry Blevins of Chesapeake, a retired high school principal, joined with the Democratic minority on the panel in opposition to the bill. |
