Showing posts with label koch brothers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label koch brothers. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Haslam Medicaid Plan Halted in Tennessee by Koch Brothers

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Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam stalled and waffled for two years while trying to come up with a way to expand Medicaid in Tennessee without starting a Tea Party frenzy. Last year it was obvious that the ill-fated TennCare wasn't working, but he waited until after the November elections to bring up his new plan "Insure Tenn." There was even a hint of optimism in the air last week, as hospital officials, doctors, nurses, the the disabled came to Nashville to testify before the Legislature that insuring the poorest of the poor would be good for everyone.

Coalition for a Healthy Tennessee has a great webpage on Who Falls Into the Tennessee Medicaid Gap

But they were outnumbered by loonies, including a crazy lay-preacher from Dayton, Tennessee - of Scopes Monkey Trial fame - to pray against Medicaid because it's just big government trying to oppress sick people. Just embarrassing and sad.










And another group showed up - Americans For Prosperity - goons backed by the Koch Brothers, sent to remind the Tennessee GOP where it's money comes from. Thus the Insure TN plan was doomed, and never got out of committee for a vote.

From NBC News
NASHVILLE-In December, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, a Republican, got the deal he wanted from the Obama administration: Tennessee would accept more than $1 billion in federal funding to expand Medicaid, as allowed for in the Affordable Care Act, but Obama aides would allow Haslam to essentially write staunchly conservative ideas into the program's rules for the state. He dubbed the reformed Medicaid program "Insure Tennessee."

But the state's chapter of Americans for Prosperity, the national conservative group whose foundation is chaired by controversial billionaire David Koch, argued Haslam was just trying to trick conservatives into implementing Obamacare in their state by giving it a new name. AFP campaigned aggressively Haslam's plans for the next six weeks, even running radio ads blasting GOP state legislators who said they might vote for it.

. . . When the legislators walked into a hearing Tuesday morning to debate the measure, they looked out from the dais to a room packed with more than 100 people wearing red "Americans for Prosperity" t-shirts. Some of the activists had traveled on an AFP-chartered bus from Knoxville, more than two hours away, to pack the hearing well in advance of its 9:00 AM start time. . . . The sea of red crowded out representatives of the Tennessee Hospital Association, one of the big advocates of the Medicaid expansion, who were left to stand in the back or unable to get into the room at all.



From MSNBC
And what did the AFP activists have to say for themselves?
“I’m skeptical of government-run programs,” said Louis Stans, a retired engineer who was part of the AFP group. Medicare, Stans said, was “better” and he had “paid into it my whole life.”
Those two sentences tell us a great deal about the state of the debate. Here’s a retiree who doesn’t like government-run programs, instead preferring a government-run program. In other words, an AFP activist traveled to the state capitol to condemn a conservative version of Medicaid expansion, because what he really wants is a socialized system like Medicare.
Levi Russell, a national spokesperson for Americans for Prosperity, told NBC News, “I would hope other governors look at Tennessee as an example.”

And just like the government-paid goons in our national Congress who keep trying to "Repeal Obamacare," the Republicans in Tennessee have no other plan for the poor except to bill the hospitals. They got nothing.

However, Gov. Haslam, to his credit, isn't dropping the subject. He mentioned coverage for the poorest citizens in his State of the State Address. This may seem like lip service, but I actually think he means it. Whether he can persuade the Tea Party to actually vote for something that will help the state is debatable. They'd rather talk about Guns and the Bible.

From the Nashville Banner
“Last week, the decision was made not to move forward with Insure Tennessee. However, that does not mean the issues around health care go away. Too many Tennesseans are still not getting health coverage they need in the right way, in the right place, at the right time,” Haslam said in his address to top lawmakers.
“Last week, I talked about coming here not just to make a point but to make a difference. It’s about looking for answers, not just having an agenda. With great power comes great responsibility. So, though the special session has ended, I hope we can find a way to work together to address those problems,” he said.
















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Thursday, June 12, 2014

Virginia's Brat Stumbles On Day One

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Previous Related Posts:
Upset in Virgina as Cantor Loses to Libertarian Brat

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The main joke about the Brat Campaign on Day One was their name. I saw many variations on Twitter of "Brat Wurst/Worst" or "Worst Brat." Then there were the jokes about the literal meaning of "Brat" as a snotty-nosed kid, a description that might apply to his defeated opponent, the snarky Eric Cantor, as well as himself.









But it turns out, all silly jokes aside, the Beltway pundits were actually awestruck by Professor David Brat, the man who "Vanquished" Eric Cantor the same way Harry Potter vanquished the Dark Lord. He was some kind of superhero who had not only melted the wicked Republican warlock of Virginia but had come out of academia like Indiana Jones cracking the bullwhip.

David vs. Goliath times 1,000. ~ Chris Cuomo on CNN

But then he got his first big network interview, and this happened:



From Forbes
Chuck (Todd of MSNBC) began by tossing Professor Brat a softball, asking whether the candidate supported a federally mandated minimum wage.
Bear in mind that this is a candidate, an economics professor, who had spent the majority of the interview up the point of Todd’s question, extolling the virtues of a free market. Yet, when asked for his position on a federal minimum wage he struggled to avoid the question, obviously afraid of angering any voters who might be listening or create any news he felt could be harmful to his chances in November.
Smelling blood in Brat’s lack of a solid response, Todd pushed him for an answer, causing Mr. Brat to reply—

“I don’t have a well-crafted response to that one.”

. . . (Todd) “On a foreign policy issue, arming the Syrian rebels. Would you be in favor of that?”

. . . “Hey, Chuck, I thought we were just going to chat today about the celebratory aspects,” Brat said. “I’d love to go through all of this but my mind is just— I didn’t get much sleep last night. I love all the policy questions but I just wanted to talk about the victory ahead and I wanted to thank everybody that worked so hard on my campaign. I’m happy to take policy issues at any time, I just wanted to call out a thanks to everybody today.”

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So what we have with Brother Brat is another shining meteor like Rick Perry or Sarah Palin - flashy on the outside, but not all that deep on the inside. In fact, most voters will quickly figure out that his message is quite familiar, a carbon copy of Paul Ryan's rejected message from 2012: Money is truth and the greater good; the poor are moochers and immigrants are undesirables. Almost all government is BAD, even though he will be so proud to work in Washington and draw a paycheck and benefits for life.

And many have been quick to point out that the GOP has cast aside the only Jewish member of either the House or Senate, and a man who wasn't particularly religious, for someone who has some, uh, interesting Christian beliefs. Except I don't recall Jesus preaching much about Capitalism.

From Raw Story:
“Read Nietzsche. Nietzsche’s diagnosis of the weak modern Christian democratic man was spot on,” Brat wrote. “Jesus was a great man. Jesus said he was the Son of God. Jesus made things happen. Jesus had faith. Jesus actually made people better. Then came the Christians. What happened? What went wrong?”
“We appear to be a bit passive,” he continued. “Hitler came along, and he did not meet with unified resistance. I have the sinking feeling that it could all happen again, quite easily. The church should rise up higher than Nietzsche could see and prove him wrong.”
Brat encouraged Christians to harshly condemn their neighbors’ sins.
“We should love our neighbor so much that we actually believe in right and wrong, and do something about it,” he wrote. “If we all did the right thing and had the guts to spread the word, we would not need the government to backstop every action we take.”
. . . “I think the main point is that we need to synthesize Christianity and capitalism,” Brat concluded. “Augustine synthesized Plato and Christianity. Thomas Aquinas synthesized Aristotle and Christianity. Calvin synthesized all the rest, but capitalism was still coming. There is a book in here somewhere for the next Calvin. Go. God Bless.”



Brat is walking a tightrope like literary hypocrite Elmer Gantry - praising Jesus and Friedrich "God is Dead" Nietzsche at the same time, proving he is just another Tea Party schnook with cognitive dissonance, and probably not any nicer of a guy than Eric Cantor. And some of his campaign associates are worse, if that is possible (see quotes below). We know he is an anti-government Libertarian, but we don't know if Brat is a misogynist yet, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt (until he starts referencing rape and ladyparts). He ran against Immigration Reform, so he's obviously not too fond of the brown people. With his Biblical base he probably has a few cringeworthy things to say about The Gay.

So all we can do is watch and wait for the next shocking utterance as the new Tea Party "hero" in due time becomes the next Todd Akin or Ken Cuccinelli. Let's hope the Virginia Dems can get out the voters in November. I'm already planning a donation to Brat's opponent, Jack Trammell.



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. . . on the morning after, Brat is either the Tea Party's white knight or its motley fool – at center stage if also at the edge of the political spectrum.
But come the fall, Brat may be an historical footnote, having beaten the first sitting majority leader since the position was created in 1899, only to have gone on to lose the general election. (Which is unlikely when running against a Democratic slave-trade / disabilities / vampire scholar in one of Virginia's most conservative districts, but possible, especially given how wrong all the primary polling was, by a clean 34 points or so.) Or Brat will be one of dozens of incoming freshmen Congressmen … which is to say, an historical footnote in the making.
~ Ana Marie Cox in The Guardian



The media is making it seem like Brat was some sort of underdog, but in reality, he's strapped to the hilt with billionaire support and billionaire money.
. . . Like hundreds of other college professors across the country these days, David Brat is really just a  bought-and-paid-for shill of Charles and David Koch and their buddies.
But the connections between Brat and the dark money machine don't stop there. He was also the hand-picked candidate of the Koch-backed world of right-wing media..
Over the past few months, right-wing talkers like Laura Ingraham and Mark Levin have been pushing Brat and attacking Cantor non-stop on their radio shows. Ingraham even went so far as to say that she wished that President Obama traded Eric Cantor to the Taliban in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl.
~ Truthout and Thom Hartmann




This is being branded as a tea party victory. That's not quite accurate, and Brat addressed this last night. Not one major tea party organization came out and endorsed Brat. Supported Brat in any meaningful way. We had a difficult time getting the tea party groups and Brat connected. They bascially told him, 'you don't have a chance,' they wrote him off.
And there were a few people -- myself, Mark Levin, Ann Coulter, Mickey Kaus, Breitbart News, The Daily Caller -- they were pretty much the only people covering this race. I said this yesterday on Fox & Friends. We had 625 people hanging off the balcony of Eric Cantor's own country club last Tuesday night and there was no major media there except for Breitbart News and a little reporter from the local NBC. That's it.
~ Laura Ingraham, paid shill, on Fox News

I hope it will at least shut down any more happy talk about amnesty this year. I wish it would have the effect of Republicans waking up and seeing that this is a winning issue for the Republicans.
. . . Republicans have gotta put their foot down to the Chamber of Commerce and say, ‘Look, if we bring in 30 million, 40 million illegal aliens who are going to break for the Democrats, we’re not gonna be able to give you anything else. That’s it, because it’s gonna be the end of the Republican Party in this country.
~ Pundit Ann Coulter on Fox News, via Raw Story




Stop chasing ethnic groups, stop chasing genitalia. Talk to the American people. Talk about liberty, opportunity. Explain to them that Obama’s wrong, and that we need to unleash the American people and unleash the economy.
~ Conservative Radio Host Mark Levin discussing Brat's campaign strategy with Fox's Sean Hannity




And finally, Brat may want to get a new campaign manager. The one he has is only 23 years old and had to scrub his facebook account yesterday due to so many weird posts.

Via Yahoo News
The campaign manager for the tea party-backed Republican who ousted House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in one of the biggest upsets in congressional history is a 23-year-old class of 2013 Haverford College graduate who posted a slew of provocative opinions on a public Facebook page that was removed from view overnight following David Brat's victory.
. . . “Can someone who was outraged that George Zimmerman was found not guilty of ‘SOMETHING ANYTHING’ and who is simultaneously pro-choice explain the logical dissonance there? Ie. Why its not ok to kill someone who is banging your head into concrete but its ok to kill someone for simply existing who, through your conscious actions, you brought into the world?” Werrell had written in an Oct. 24, 2013, posting.
. . . On Oct. 29 of that year, it was a piece by Fred Reed from Lew Rockwell’s website on the wussification of boys that set him off. “There is a war on boys!” Werrell wrote. “Rough housing, playing soldier, etc, are all punished or medicated away. And we wonder why there is gender inequality in the classroom and in college/attendance/graduation rates.”
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Friday, April 4, 2014

Charles Koch-splains the #Kochtopia with #ConjuringWords like #Collectivism

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Just a few days after conservatives on the Supreme Court handed multi-billionaires like the Koch Brothers and Sheldon Adelson the gift of buying future elections, poor unpopular Charles Koch took to the Wall Street Journal to express his poutrage at the "Collectivists" (Socialists/Liberals/Democrats) who are against him. In his Op-Ed he tells "merica how things are 'sposed to be, with he and his brother at the top of the ruling class, and we rabble way down below.

The tone is defensive and some would say "hurt," possibly aimed at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid who is going full-honey badger again as he shakes the tail of the Tea Party Snake in attacking the Koch Brothers. With language straight out of his father's John Birch Society pamphlets from the 1950s, and using Tea Party dog whistles, Koch tries to Koch-splain just how misunderstood he is. Because Patriotism, and because those darn "Collectivists" are saying things about him, something no Republican would ever do to that Feckless Communist/Collectivist/RadicalSoros-cialist Kenyan Emperor who is destroying the country from the White House and taking all our guns.

And the biggest derp - WSJ used clip-art also used by Democratic blogger site Daily Kos to illustrate the Op-Ed. #EpicFail

Charles Koch in the Wall Street Journal
More than 200 years ago, Thomas Jefferson warned that this could happen. "The natural progress of things," Jefferson wrote, "is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." He knew that no government could possibly run citizens' lives for the better. The more government tries to control, the greater the disaster, as shown by the current health-care debacle. Collectivists (those who stand for government control of the means of production and how people live their lives) promise heaven but deliver hell. For them, the promised end justifies the means.

Instead of encouraging free and open debate, collectivists strive to discredit and intimidate opponents. They engage in character assassination. (I should know, as the almost daily target of their attacks.) This is the approach that Arthur Schopenhauer described in the 19th century, that Saul Alinsky famously advocated in the 20th, and that so many despots have infamously practiced. Such tactics are the antithesis of what is required for a free society—and a telltale sign that the collectivists do not have good answers.

. . . Those in power fail to see that more government means less liberty, and liberty is the essence of what it means to be American. Love of liberty is the American ideal.

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On April 1st, Harry Reid wrote several tweets about #Kochtopia
(More Quotes and Videos from Reid at Bottom of Post)







Then he wrote more on April 3-4 while Supporters Chimed In.
The #Kochtopia Hashtag is Here to Stay









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About the Daily Kos Figurehead used by WSJ



From the Pundits:

Just to put the whole joke in context. Here we have the Wall Street Journal owned by Rupert Murdoch. Here we have a full-page Op-Ed piece that just happens to come out after the (Supreme) Court decision (on McCutcheon). Ghost-written for Charles Koch. Who knows who writes this stuff for him? He pays for it as if he's literate. I'd like to put that guy in a room for an hour and see if he could actually write an Op-Ed piece!
~ Chris Matthews on Hardball

Let’s us have a moment of silence for the plight of misunderstood businessmen. Time’s up.
~ Joe Romm, ThinkProgress

Poor Charles Koch who fancies himself an American Patriot. Just tryin' to do what's right! Who only has access to a small little outlet called the Wall Street Journal! Charles Koch "I'm trying to restore a free society."
. . . Mary! Oh, Mary! Zuzu! Zuzu! You're alive, and I'm here, and Mr. Potter's here. That mean man, Barack Obama, who's trying to take wings from angels!
. . . This is the essence of big government and Collectivism. Things like food stamps and why can't you go out and own your own Big Ag company. Why I remember there was a time when my Daddy could just go out and hire a couple a' thugs with baseball bats. And you know, do a little bean bag on people's heads.
. . . Collectivists seek to intimidate members of the press. I could barely get into the pages of the Wall Street Journal to write this. In fact, I had to make two phone calls. Well, my assistant did.
They engage in character assassination. Why, why - I almost couldn't get that documentary about me on PBS squashed. That's how HARD it is for folks like me.
. . . That's why I spend so much money in politics - 'cause I don't want any favors.
~ Sam Seder on Majority Report






STOPPPPPP YOU’RE HURTING MY FEEEEEELINGS is apparently the new clarion call of the conservative movement. I’m still a little shocked by it.
. . . When you spend a ton of money to control democracy, particularly on ads that are shamelessly dishonest like the Koch ads have been, people are going to say things. They’re going to say mean things that aren’t nice, and if your best response is to go crying to your mommy you’ve exposed just how weak your soft underbelly is.
And we’ll get louder.
~ Oliver Willis on The Daily Banter

So the trouble is that his critics attempt to “discredit” and “intimidate” him and employ “character assassination.” All these terms appear to be Koch synonyms for “saying things about Charles Koch that Charles Koch does not agree with.” In the kind of “free and open” debate he imagines, Koch would continue to use his fortune to wield massive political influence, and nobody would ever say anything about him that makes him unhappy.
Luckily, Koch restrains himself from overtly comparing the Obama administration to Hitler and Stalin, instead likening it to unnamed 20th-century “despots." No character assassination here!
~ Jonathan Chait, NYMag

Like the spoiled kid whose extravagant birthday party is ruined by one of the kids his mom made him invite, Charles Koch is sick and tired of being yelled at for trying to remake the entire country as he sees fit.
~ Philip Bump, The Wire

Is this what your little rant is all about? You know you've lost the war on Obamacare, and so now it's all about "collectivism?"
The more government tries to control, the greater the disaster, as shown by the current health-care debacle.
I'm suppressing the urge to scream "neener neener neener" in your face. It really is about health care! Wow, you're truly angry that I have access to affordable health care. Too damned bad.
~ Karoli on Crooks and Liars

A liberal sparrow does not fall from the sky that these guys (the Koch Brothers) do not know about."
. . . Modern conservatism have been really good at creating "conjuring words" that with their base, that all they have to do is say them: Alinsky, Benghazi, Acorn. . . . The Right has been very good at creating political symbols that are durable for political purposes within their own base. Harry Reid is trying to turn "Koch Brothers" into a conjuring spell for Democrats and I think he's doing it.
Harry (Reid) is starting from a deep hole because he doesn't have a megaphone and he doesn't have the Right Wing Media Bubble to strengthen the "conjuring words."
~ Charles P. Pierce of Esquire on "In with Chris Hayes"


I think I must be getting under their skin. Most people here are familiar with the Koch brothers. If I've helped make them a little more infamous or famous, I'm glad I've done that. These two men are a pair of shadowy billionaires spending millions of dollars to rig our political system. And who does it help? Them.
~ Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, via Washington Post

(The Paul Ryan Budget is) ...a blueprint for a modern… how would we say this? Koch-topia. Yes, that’s it. Call it whatever you want. We might as well call it the Koch budget because that’s what they’re doing, protecting the Koch brothers.
It’s a fool’s errand for the Koch brothers to think they can use their money to frighten me or to brainwash Nevadans or the rest of the country. There have been times in my life I’ve been a little afraid, but I’m not afraid of them.
. . . To any and all groups who wish to attack me on behalf of multibillionaires, fire away … I am very happy, I’m proud to be the target of those attacks. I will gladly endure them in order to call attention to the unscrupulous acts of these two barons
~ Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid
Via Politico










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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Beleaguered Boehner Agrees to Senate Deal

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Previous Related Post:
Tea Party Pushes U.S. Towards Default Brink

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Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Tea Party Pushes U.S. Towards Default Brink

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Previous Related Posts:
Confederate Tea Party Storms the Washington Barricades
GOP Sinks to Historic Lows in Polls

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Epic Rant about Ted Cruz On Morning Joe 10-15-2013
Mika Brzezinski: Later this morning Senator Mitch McConnell will present a bipartisan plan to fellow Republicans that could end the shutdown and extend the nation's borrowing limit for at least a couple of months.

Joe Scarborough: Yay! (laughter)

Mika: Haven't we heard this before? . . . The Senate could vote on the bill as soon as tomorrow, however the deal does not include any language to dismantle Obamacare, nor would it include a repeal of the medical device tax - two sticking points for the Tea Party Caucus.

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Mika: Senator Ted Cruz says he is still unsure whether or not he'd block a vote on the bill - come on.

Joe: Lots of Luck, Pal. You go ahead and do that.

Mika: It's unbelievable.

Joe: Just try it, Buddy. Go ahead ... (laughter) Go ahead, Big Shot. You put the full faith and credit of the United States of America on your shoulders. Have fun with that. Good luck. Do it. Do it. I dare you. I'm daring you right now. Go ahead and do it, Hot Shot.

Or are you gonna just sit in the back? And when people are responsible and actually give a damn about this country, and give a damn about the full faith and credit of the United States, and actually care about the people who are working day in and day out hoping to keep their job. You're going to keep posing and hurt those people? I don't really get it -

It's kinda like - it's great for you, I know. I know it's really great for you politically, but it's just like the Veteran's Memorial that you used as a political backdrop. It's a great backdrop until the next day, the Vets who actually organized the rally came out and were really upset that you had used their rally for your own political points.

So you guys go ahead. Just go ahead. Just keep using America as your political backdrop. And hurt all the people you want to hurt. Hurt, by the way, small government conservatives. Republicans. Working class Americans that actually used to support our party, but are now wondering what in the world - keep doing it. And I hope it really helps you out because it's sure not helping the conservative movement. It's not helping the Republican Party, and it's not helping this country, but go ahead, go ahead.

. . . This isn't about conservatism. This is about tactics. What makes me so angry is some Republicans are going to have to step up and they see that 24% conservative approval rating and they know it's going to go lower. They know the Senate's now in jeopardy. They know that the White House could be in jeopardy down the road. ...Independents who broke for Romney last time have even moved away from him (Cruz).
. . . So now a few Republicans are going to save the full faith and credit of the nation either on the day of the Default or a few weeks later, and a few guys are going to sit in the back and throw potshots at them because they know they have to do it. And they don't have the guts to stand up and say 'You know, we're the ones who screwed this up. We're the ones who screwed up the Republican Party's ability to do well during this time.'

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. . . we’re watching now, what might be called the Koch Brothers’ “Samson Option,” pulling down the temple to destroy their enemies even if doing so is also destructive to them and their fortunes.
~ Robert Parry on TruthOut

We face a mutated GOP. Ted Cruz is the leader of the dominant faction in this amalgam of what I call totalitarian Christians (their interpretation of the Bible supersedes the US Constitution), racist white Southerners (whose DNA contains the slavery gene), Ayn Rand dystopian ideologues...and plutocrats.
~ Shockwave on Daily Kos

. . . you know at every stage, my prayer to God is that His will be done. As it will be.
~ Senator Ted Cruz, R-TX, Tea Party architect of the Government Shutdown

What planet are you living on here?!
~ Reporter Chuck Todd on MSNBC's Morning Joe speaking of Senator Ted Cruz

We are now five days away from a very dangerous moment.
The closer we get to the deadline the greater the impact will be for the developing world.
Inaction could result in interest rates rising, confidence falling and growth slowing.
If this (U.S. Default) comes to pass it could be a disastrous event for the developing world and that will in turn greatly hurt the developed economies as well.
~ World Bank President Jim Yong Kim via BBC News

There's an expectation that has to change and that sometimes takes attempting to do things that won't work. It's a tough vote, but the fact is all of us have to realize the reality of the situation, and that is that two months have been blown on the wrong subject.
~ Senator Bob Corker, R-Tennessee

They had the gun to our head because of Obamacare. They gave up on that, so why is the gun to our head still? Now it's like we have the gun to our head and we have to figure out why.
~ Bill Maher, Friday, 10/11/13

We'd better wake up. Defunding Obamacare is not achievable. So let's not delude our supporters by telling them that it is under the present circumstances, because elections have consequences.
~ Senator John McCain on Fox News



. . . there are some tactics that go too far, alienating even voters who are ideologically or politically sympathetic to the GOP. And, unfortunately for Republicans, one of those tactics was extortion. Going into the shutdown, more people opposed Obamacare than supported it. But the idea of shutting down the government or threatening a debt default to undo Obamacare was massively unpopular.
. . . The polls trickle in and they are horrific. The pragmatic wing of the party is completely demoralized. It lashes out more violently than before. The national media both encourages and adds to their derision of conservatives. Suddenly every Republican in town is shopping his own terms of surrender. The biggest challenge for Democrats isn’t getting their way. It’s that there are so many offers, it’s hard to know which one to take. Politico labeled the spectacle a “buyer’s market” for Barack Obama, massively understating the point. It is a buyer’s market in the sense that the day after the Super Bowl is a buyer’s market for pork rinds.
~ Noam Scheiber on New Republic

We gave the Democrats one incredibly early Christmas gift. I’m not going to fault Ted (Cruz). He believes what he was doing was going to be helpful. But at the end of the day, you look and you ask, ‘Are we any close to defunding Obamacare are ridding ourselves of it than we were?’ The answer is no.
~ Conservative Radio Host Mike Huckabee, possible 2016 GOP Primary contender against Cruz

So you have this neighbor who has been making your life hell. First he tied you up with a spurious lawsuit; you’re both suffering from huge legal bills. Then he threatened bodily harm to your family. Now, however, he says he’s willing to compromise: He’ll call off the lawsuit, which is to his advantage as well as yours. But in return you must give him your car. Oh, and he’ll stop threatening your family — but only for a week, after which the threats will resume.
Not much of an offer, is it? But here’s the kicker: Your neighbor’s relatives, who have been egging him on, are furious that he didn’t also demand that you kill your dog.
And now you understand the current state of budget negotiations.
~ Economist Paul Krugman in NYT

Representative Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, on Young Turks via Raw Story
The Young Turks caught up with the Texas Republican on Friday at the Values Voter Summit and asked him if he would vote on any deal to raise the debt ceiling.
“It just depends on what it is,” he replied. “The word ‘deal’ concerns me… if it’s good for America.”
“Would you allow us to default on our debt?” a reporter from The Young Turks wondered.
“No, that would be an impeachable offense by the president,” Gohmert declared.


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Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Buffoonish Boehner Bluffs and Blunders

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Previous Related Posts:
Week Two of GOP Shutdown ~ They Got Nothing
Shutdown Continues with GOP Derp Dissonance Follies (Updated)
Threat Level Midnight ~ Tea Party Terrorists Shut Down the Government

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From ABC ~ Speaker John Boehner on This Week with George Stphanopoulos
BOEHNER: But I and my members decided the threat of Obamacare and what was happening was so important that it was time for us to take a stand. And we took a stand.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Did you decide it or was it decided for you?

BOEHNER: I, working with my members, decided to do this in a unified way. George, I have 233 Republicans in the House. And you've never seen a more dedicated group of people who are thoroughly concerned about the future of our country. They believe that Obamacare, all these regulations coming out of the administration, are threatening the future for our kids and our grandkids. It is time for us to stand and fight.

. . . BOEHNER: We're not going to pass a clean debt limit increase.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Under no circumstances?

BOEHNER: I told the president, there's no way we're going to pass one. The votes are not in the House to pass a clean debt limit. And the president is risking default by not having a conversation with us.

. . . STEPHANOPOULOS: So the clock is ticking on October 17th. You're not going to put that bill on the floor?

BOEHNER: I want to deal with our underlying problem.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Yes or no, would you put that bill on the floor?

BOEHNER: I don't want the United States to default on its debt. But I'm not going to raise the debt limit without a serious conversation about dealing with problems that are driving the debt up. It would be irresponsible of me to do this.

. . . STEPHANOPOULOS: You see, I'm not hearing much new here this morning. I don't think the country is hearing much new here this morning from either the president or from you and House Republicans. How is this going to end?

BOEHNER: George, it's going to end when the president decides they'll allow Harry Reid to talk to me, or allow Patty Murray to talk to Paul Ryan. The president just can't sit there and say, I'm not going to negotiate.




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If Boehner says there are not enough votes, then they should prove it. Hold a vote. Call a vote right now and let’s see what happens.
~ President Obama





Speaker Boehner has a credibility problem.
From refusing to let the House vote on a bill that was his idea in the first place, to decrying health-care subsidies for members of Congress and staff that he worked for months to preserve, to stating that the House doesn't have the votes to pass a clean CR at current spending levels, there is now a consistent pattern of Speaker Boehner saying things that fly in the face of the facts or stand at odds with his past actions.
Americans across the country are suffering because Speaker Boehner refuses to come to grips with reality. Today, Speaker Boehner should stop the games and let the House vote on the Senate's clean CR so that the entire federal government can re-open within twenty-four hours.
~ Adam Jentleson, Spokesperson for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid

If Boehner let a clean funding bill hit the House floor, “it would probably get 300 votes,” New York Representative Peter King, a Republican who has been critical of the party’s shutdown strategy, told TIME last week. “Two thirds of Republicans privately want a clean [bill to fund the government].”
~ Time

Boehner refuses to call that vote, because he knows he would lose. The bill would pass, the hostage-taking by his Tea Party faction would be over, and the Tea Party extremists would hold him responsible.
Boehner's refusal to call a vote on the floor of the House is all that is keeping the government closed. It is also the only thing that threatens the first default by the U.S. government in American history -- an act that could have a catastrophic effect on the financial system and the world economy.
In the end, the question is whether John Boehner is more concerned about being terrorized by a Tea Party minority or having a legacy as the one man who single handedly caused a world wide economic disaster. If he cares about this country, his choice should be obvious.
~ Robert Cramer on Huffington Post

Many people seem perplexed by the transformation of the G.O.P. into the political equivalent of the Keystone Kops — the Boehner Bunglers? Republican elders, many of whom have been in denial about their party’s radicalization, seem especially startled. But all of this was predictable.
It has been obvious for years that the modern Republican Party is no longer capable of thinking seriously about policy. Whether the issue is climate change or inflation, party members believe what they want to believe, and any contrary evidence is dismissed as a hoax, the product of vast liberal conspiracies.
. . . even the shock of electoral defeat wasn’t enough to burst the G.O.P. bubble; it’s still a party dominated by wishful thinking, and all but impervious to inconvenient facts. And now that party’s leaders have bungled themselves into a corner.
~ Paul Krugman in NYT












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Monday, October 7, 2013

Week Two of GOP Shutdown ~ They Got Nothing

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Previous Related Posts:
Shutdown Continues with GOP Derp Dissonance Follies (Updated)
Threat Level Midnight ~ Tea Party Terrorists Shut Down the Government

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Most Popular Tweet to date on the GOP Shutdown
Read on the House floor by Rep. Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania last week:


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source:ComedyCentral












Message from President Obama and Harry Reid:

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Thursday, December 13, 2012

Unions Vow to Fight Back Over Michigan Right-to-Work Law

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Governor Snyder showed his true colors today: He’s a puppet of extreme donors, and he is willing to ignore and lie to his constituents. His action will undoubtedly please the Koch Brothers and corporate CEOs, but it will diminish the voice of every working man and woman in Michigan.
~ AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka

For millions of Michigan workers, this is no ordinary debate. It’s an assault on their right to have their elected bargaining agent negotiate their pay, benefits, and working conditions, and to have all who benefit from such negotiations share in some way in the cost of obtaining them.
~ Senator Carl Levin, D-MI

I’ve never said unions are bad for business and I don’t think this is anti-union, I think it’s pro-worker.
~ Michigan Governor Rick Snyder on Morning Joe

Are you serious? Are you serious? This is not anti-union? . . . This at its core undermines the ability of unions to collectively bargain.
~ MSNBC's Richard Wolffe on Morning Joe, in response to Gov. Snyder



These so called right-to-work laws, they don’t have to do with economics. They have everything to do with politics. What they’re really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money.
~ President Obama while touring a car factory in Michigan



The fact (is) that these Republicans did this when a number of them were defeated last month, and they know that the new Legislature is coming in on January 1st, they're coming in with enough Democrats and enough moderate "sane" Republicans who have a majority and who would defeat this - would never even propose it. And they think they can get away with this. They think they can go against the will of the people. People spoke five weeks ago and now they think they can just say 'to hell with you, we're going to do this.' We're going to undo 70 years of labor history.
~ Michael Moore to Ex-Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm on Current TV


I mean, the phrase "right-to-work" is such a positive and uplifting message. What could it possibly do to organizations like unions that also support workers' rights? I mean, the law probably strengthens unions.... Or destroys the only leverage unions have to stay afloat. One or the other. So it's really a right-to-work-around-the-union for the corporation. It's one of those things that are actually named for the opposite of the thing they do.
Like strip bars call themselves gentlemen's clubs. They're not. Or the TV network dedicated to making us stupider is called The Learning Channel. Or a TV show that only airs 4 days a week calls itself a Daily Show. (audience cheering)
What's the deal, Governor Snyder?
~ Jon Stewart on The Daily Show

Snyder's logic is embarrassingly simplistic
. . . it seems that Rick Snyder has decided to ignore his business roots, which require a thorough analysis of data, and insist on masquerading this legislation as a “choice” for Michigan workers. This means the governor must acknowledge that allowing 85 politicians in a lame duck session to decide this issue for an entire state is not an example of giving people a choice. If Rick Snyder and Republicans truly care about choice, then they should use the democratic process and put “right to work” on the ballot, letting the people choose at the polls.
~ Dale Hanson on The Detroit News

After spending years telling us that ‘right to work for less’ legislation was off the table, Gov. Snyder has created an embarrassing national spectacle by doing a full flip-flop on this issue. Perhaps most disturbing of all, Gov. Snyder and his right-wing allies used every trick in the book to prevent the people from being able to hold a referendum vote on this issue.
~ Representative Gary Peters, D-MI

As Michigan’s economy is recovering, we need to work together to build a stronger economy, not tear our state apart with divisive political issues. By passing this so-called ‘right to work’ bill, Michigan is taking a major step backward. It will mean lower wages and fewer benefits for every worker, and a poisoned political environment.
~ Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-MI

A handful of billionaire oligarchs are pouring money into states. Adelson has just said that he intends to fund anti-union initiatives at the state and local levels. And that's what we're facing. It's an attack upon the middle class. But we're going to be ready for it in Ohio and I believe a sleeping giant has been awakened. And I think the people of Michigan will bring back the union ability. But temporarily, a setback. But our eyes are open, we know the threat. And we're going to be ready for it.
. . . This Michigan Governor is intellectually dishonest. He's not speaking the truth. This is an attack upon Organized Labor. It's an attack on the Middle Class. And he's doing this at the behest of the Tea Party elements within his party. He absolutely was dishonest with the people of Michigan. He said this was not a part of his political priority.
~ Ted Strickland, ex-governor of Ohio, on MSNBC's The Ed Show

It's interesting, this freedom, and this "choice." You know, if the Governor and others who are for this believe really in this kind of freedom and choice in a democracy, then why don't they make taxes voluntary? Because the reality is, that's what union dues are. The majority has voted for a Union, and the majority rules in a democracy. Just like the majority voted for Rick Snyder. I might not agree with his policies as Governor, but I don't have a choice to hold back on my taxes.
. . . The idea that you get all the benefits of the union membership, and you don't have to pay your dues, and the union has to "earn" the support is a bunch of nonsense. The majority in those shops have spoken. 51% have wanted a union and if you don't like it you can take your business elsewhere. We're only 17% union (in Michigan).
. . . It's both a shot in the gut and a call to action, and I believe sometimes it takes both. It takes a slap in the face, a shot in the gut, and kick in the shins to get people motivated. And we ARE motivated and fired up.
. . . It's definitely a motivation for 2014.
~ Virg Bergero, Mayor of Lansing, Michigan, on MSNBC's The Ed Show

The big picture is that they're after the Rust Belt. If they can break the backs of the unions and their infrastructure over funding, and if they can pass laws so that people don't have to pay dues, this of course is going to break the backs of the Democrats in those states.
~ Ed Schultz on MSNBC's The Ed Show

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