Lieberman invokes Dr. Seuss in urging relevant amendments

“If members have other ideas, please introduce them as legislation,” exhorted Lieberman, who is worried that non-germane amendments could derail the bill designed to curb insider trading in Congress.

“I say to my colleagues a very unusual metaphor comes to mind,” said Lieberman. “One of My favorite Dr. Seuss books that I haven’t read in a while, Thidwick the Moose. I don’t know if you remember him, but he was a very good-natured moose.

“One by one through the pages of the book as Dr. Seuss records it, other animals in the forest wanted to lodge in his enormous antlers, and he welcomes them until finally there is too much there, and his antlers fall off and they all fall to the ground,” he said referring to the book penned by the famous cartoonist and children’s author Theodor Seuss Geisel who went by the name Dr. Seuss. 

“We don’t want this wonderful bill, which really does accomplish some very important things, to be so loaded up that it falls by the waysidel ike Thidwick’s antlers,” he concluded

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), earlier in the day, also offered his collegues a more serious admonition not to derail the bill with unnecesary amendments. 

“It is my wish that the Republicans will not abuse the rules in the Senate,” said Reid Monday morning. “I hope that the amendments offered will not be any non germane and nonrelative.”

The Senate adjourned Monday night after passing by unanimous consent, S. 1236, a bill to deter drug smuggling tunnels and several other small resolutions. The Senate will return at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.