Jerry Moran: “Two words might be applicable here, and that is hypocrisy and cynicism. Certainly it is the height of hypocrisy to pass…”

“Two words might be applicable here, and that is hypocrisy and cynicism. Certainly it is the height of hypocrisy to pass a rule at the beginning of a game, as we did on the very first legislative day of this session of Congress back in January 1995, when we passed a rule saying that three-fifths' vote would be required any time you raise taxes, and then every time that we have had a tax bill, the Committee on Rules has had to waive that exemption. Talk about hypocrisy; to get credit for passing a law, and then every time that it would apply, to waive it. But then cynicism, and I think the term cynicism applies here because we do not have that ability to waive it if it becomes a constitutional amendment. But the Members on the other side have got to be thoughtful enough to know that this would be unworkable if it became a constitutional amendment. And so what is driving it? Well, one would have to believe that it is a certain element of cynicism, knowing perhaps that they are not likely to be in office when it applies to subsequent Congresses or believing that better minds will prevail, that the Senate will kill it or that the American people in their State constitutional conventions will kill it, but somebody else will do the responsible thing, allowing them to do the cynical thing to get votes by voting for this constitutional amendment, believing and hoping that it will never become law.”