Category: Democratic

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Democratic Politics Republican

Eric Cantor Comforts Irresponsible Oil Speculators

Eric Cantor, the number two Republican in the House of Representative is reassuring Oil speculators that the Republican party will do whatever they can to stop the regulations Democrats are tying to put in place. It is believed by most financial economists that these speculators are the major reasons why gas and oil prices have skyrocketed. But Cantor will not let this small fact detour his mission. In his view, speculators must continue doing their part, regardless of the effects on the economy.

ThinkProgress filed this report;

Cantor told the audience of speculators that his Republican caucus would “do our part” to block the implementation of financial reforms passed last year as part of the sweeping Dodd-Frank law. He even called out the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the regulators in charge of overseeing derivatives and energy speculation, and promised to stop regulations from going online.

CANTOR: We want to help you continue to lead for America, that means we gotta do our part when you see the implementation of Dodd-Frank coming at you like a barreling train. We want to help control that so that we can get some sensible, sensible follow up to that legislation. […] Whether it’s the EPA, the FDA, the FCC, the SEC, the CFTC, you name it, there is an acronym for a federal agency causing harm right now. We’re trying to pull that in.

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Democratic Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Fraud Detected In Republicans Paperwork To Recall Wisconsin Democrats

We are not surprised. Democrats in the state of Wisconsin saw a need for this, and they are beginning the process of challenging the recall petitions Republicans have started against three Democratic senators, and today in Madison, formal papers were filed.

“The overwhelming evidence clearly shows a pervasive pattern of election fraud committed by the shady out-of-state organization hired by Republicans to collect recall petitions,” said Senate Democratic Leader Mark Miller.  “Thousands of Wisconsin citizens fell victim to lies and misinformation spread by the circulators, and the papers submitted by this operation contain a river of omissions and wrong information.”

Miller continued:  “We believe that when the facts are reviewed, the GAB will throw out thousands of flawed signatures because they were fraudulent or defective. The vast depth of this misconduct calls into question the legitimacy of every signature collected by these circulators, and shows that the GOP effort failed to gather the valid signatures needed for recall elections.”

According to the paperwork filed by Wisconsin Democrats, some of the reasons given for this challenge are;

  • Senate District 12:  Of the 534 people contacted who had signed the petition, 9.2% indicated they were misled into signing the petition or asserted they had never signed.
  • Senate District 22:  Of the 225 people contacted who had signed the petition, 6.6% indicated they were misled into signing the petition or asserted they had never signed.
  • Senate District 30:  Of the 372 people contacted who had signed the petition, 8.6% indicated they were misled into signing the petition or asserted they had never signed.
  • Affidavit of a World War II veteran from Green Bay who was misled into signing a recall petition.  Upon learning he had been duped, veteran called the sheriff to get his name removed.  When confronted, the circulator claims he will remove the name, but a later review of the petitions reveals the veteran’s name was never crossed off.
  • Many affidavits attesting that Circulator Sherri Ferrell – who gathered nearly 3,000 signatures in two districts — gathered signatures on Indian reservations claiming petitions were to support “schools,” “Democrats,” and “tribal rights.”
  • Affidavit of voter in Senate District 22 attesting that circulator John Prijic claimed the petitions were for work to be done on a local park.
  • Affidavit of voter in Senate District 30 attesting that circulator Annette Lord claimed the petitions were to recall Republican Senator Cowles.
  • Affidavit of voter in Senate District 30 attesting that circulator Richard Madrill claimed the petitions were to recall Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
  • William Pocan’s forged name appears on line 10, page 362 of circulator Kevin Pursell’s petition.  As his widow Corinne Pocan’s affidavit attests, William Pocan has been deceased 20 years, although his name remains in the phone book.   Pursell circulated numerous pages.
  • Claims by many Wisconsin citizens who were misled by out-of-state circulators who claimed they could sign on behalf of other people.
  • Numerous examples of fake addresses and signatures appearing on GOP recall petitions, as well as sloppily gathered signatures also missing critical information.
  • Summary of out-of-state circulators hired by GOP with largest percentages of fraud or deception on GOP recall petitions:

Again, no surprise here. We’re talking about the GOP. Fraud is what they do.

 

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Democratic Politics Republican

The Most Raucous Town Hall Yet, Against A Republican

This town hall by Republican Representative Dan Webster is being considered by most as the most “raucous” yet, where those in attendance shouted down the freshman representative and were even scolded by the police.

A town-hall meeting held in Orlando by U.S. Rep. Dan Webster degenerated into bedlam Tuesday, with members of the crowd shouting down the freshman Republican congressman and yelling at one another.

It could be a sign of things to come for Webster, a staunch conservative in a competitive district that Democrats hope to recapture in 2012. Last week, Webster took heat from conservative tea party members for not pushing hard enough to cut the federal budget.

But Tuesday, the heat came from the other side.

The event was the last of a series of town-hall meetings Webster has held during Congress’ spring recess, which ends Monday. While the others were civil and largely uneventful, the 300 people at Tuesday’s meeting were so raucous they were scolded by a police officer to act “like grown people.”

2012 can’t get here fast enough.

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Democratic

Why Blacks Left The Republican Party

 Simply put: Because the party that was once crucial in the emancipation of African Americans, has turned into one that promotes hate, lies, and intolerance.

During the 1860’s, when Lincoln was President, the Republican party was considered the liberal party that was against slavery. Blacks mostly voted Republican after the Civil War and through the early part of the 20th century, not surprisingly, since Lincoln was Republican and the white  segregationist politicians who governed Southern states in those days were Democrats who didn’t want anything to do with Blacks. From then on Blacks continued to stick with the party that promoted their causes in the United States.

The tide began to turn much later when Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt got 71 percent of the black vote for president in 1936 after meeting with black leaders to push for specific programs that helped regain the grounds lost, due to four centuries of servitude in the United State. Then Harry Truman grabbed 77 percent of the black vote in 1948, thanks to his issuing an order of desegregation to the armed services and an executive order setting up regulations against racial bias in federal employment.

John F. Kennedy used the civil rights movement to define the Democratic party as a liberal party for decades to come. Kennedy began pushing for the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and after he was killed,  Lyndon B. Johnson pushed it through.

Johnson then got 94 percent of the black vote that year, then, a record for any presidential election. The following year he signed the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Ever since, no Republican presidential candidate has gotten more than 15 percent of the black vote.

Members of the  Black GOP like to harp on the fact that Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican. But on April 4, 1968 Reverend Dr. King, at 39, was shot and killed in Memphis Tennessee, while supporting striking sanitation workers. You could best believe that today, Dr. King would be considered–just as he was in the 60’s thru the changing attitude of the Republican Party–as a dangerous troublemaker by the GOP. Today, King would have joined the ranks of union protesters in Wisconsin and other states whose Republican governors look to dismantle union bargaining rights across the country.

Democrats have done a lot more for blacks in the last 50 years or so, while Republicans have been behind every kind of intolerance, not just racism but sexism, homophobia, nativism…you name it.

African-Americans have a unique history in America not shared by any other race. To say that we have no choice and no voice in how we draw our party lines and choose our political candidates just shows how much you don’t know of our history here. Surely those who have criticized the need for  government sponsored programs, assistance, and services–created in the 60’s –as “handouts” and “special favors” are now beginning to see just how much we all have benefited from a Democratic government in the face of a Republican party that seeks to take all from the ‘haves-nots’ to give to the ‘haves’.

The majority of Blacks in America have made the consensual choice to vote as Democrats. And that will continue to be the our choice as long as that party serves our causes.

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Democratic Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Total Recall – Another Wisconsin Republican To Be Recalled

Earlier in the week, we reported that petitions were already filed to repeal four Republican senators in Wisconsin. Tomorrow, Democrats will file another petition, gathering thousands of signatures more than what is required to file.

Dems will file a massive amount of signatures tomorrow to trigger a recall election against a fifth Wisconsin GOP state senator, I’m told.

Graeme Zielinski, the spokesman for the Wisconsin Democratic Party, confirms to me that Democrats will submit approximately 30,000 signatures for the recall of Alberta Darling — nearly 150 percent of the 20,343 required.

This is the fifth time Dems have collected far more signatures than necessary for a recall — all but ensuring that all five recall elections will actually happen.

I’m only guessing that the last three petitions for recalls will be as successful.

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Democratic democrats Planned Parenthood Politics Republican right winged United States United States Environmental Protection Agency

Republicans Are Masters of The Game

It is an obvious game of chicken and well-played by the Republicans. The object of the game is to establish your position in a metaphoric staring contest, wait to see who blinks first, then take all you can and run!

Think about it. Every single policy that involves negotiations, Republicans take the most extreme right winged position available. They then go on the so-called “main-stream media” and repeat their extreme arguments over and over and over again, in essence brainwashing otherwise rational Americans into thinking these far-fetched positions are normal.

After a constant barrage of talking points from every congressional Republican who gets  in front of a microphone or camera, these extreme positions take on a life of their own, as everyday folks begin to consider the possibilities of enacting these policies. People take up positions, usually along party lines, and the pros and cons are measured.

Democrats too, hear these arguments, for they are repeated by every single congressional Republican verbatim. So when the time comes to negotiate, Democrats, who tend to start in the middle, move more and more to the right, a move seen by Republicans as progress in the negotiations, and the end result is a piece of legislation that is somewhere between center and far right.

Look at the most recent negotiations between Democrats and Republicans – the 2011 budget. Weeks before the deadline arrived, Republicans gathered all their talking points, memorized them and spewed them out on every cable and radio network. The most extreme positions were demanding a $100 billion budget cut, defunding Education, defunding Planned Parenthood and stopping abortions, with no regards to women’s health or how she conceived – whether it be through rape or incest –  and with no regards to the health or survivability of the fetus. They also got bombarded with news from across the nation that Republican governors were enacting some of the most extreme policies this country has seen in decades regarding union collective bargaining capabilities. All this was done in unison, as the full effort to modify America’s thinking had begun.

As the deadline to agree on a budget approached, Republicans dug in even further. They were relentless in getting their message out, everyone reciting the same scripts, some even protesting outside of Harry Reid’s office demanding that Planned Parenthood be abolished. Democrats were not immune to the Republican’s efforts, and instead of taking up what many considered to be  traditional liberal positions on the issues, found themselves being more centrist in order to avoid looking as left-winged extremists.

Starting from this centrist position was an automatic win for the Republicans, but they continued digging in until the eleventh hour – literally! Democrats gave a little more, and the total outcome was an agreement to continue funding the government for the remainder of fiscal year 2011, but considerable cuts to programs geared towards saving lives, like the EPA and local police enforcement, as well as some cuts to Education among others. Cuts totaling $38.5 billion.

Republicans are masters of the art of negotiation. Take the most extreme positions, and stay there until the other side flinches.

The same strategy will be seen in the next big fight – raising the debt ceiling. And the Paul Ryan Plan, which will ultimately transfer $4.2 trillion from the middle class to the wealthy, is the extreme right winged position they will be using to get more centrist-right cuts. And their position now is, if Ryan’s plan doesn’t go into effect, then the debt ceiling will not be raised. Turn on your cable news station, and you are almost guaranteed to see  Republicans preaching that “we don’t have a tax problem, we have a spending problem,” and “Ryan’s proposed budget is the only responsible plan to tackle America’s long-term debt,” or that they only “intend to vote for Ryan’s budget cuts.”

They are a well oiled machine. But this game is not solitaire, so  it requires an opponent. Democrats must stand up for the middle class, like they’ve done for decades.

Democrats know the game being played by the Republicans, and they must play accordingly. In the words of GI-Joe, a favorite American hero: “… knowing is half the battle!”

 

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Barack Obama Democratic Politics Republican United States

New Poll Finds Americans Have Soured On The Republicans

Call it buyer’s remorse, a recall on faulty merchandise. Or call it a demand for a refund due to false advertising. Whatever you call it, Americans are beginning to see that this batch of Republicans in Congress are not what they had bargained for.

A new PPP poll finds that just a few months after handing the control of the House of Representatives  over to the Republican party, 43% think John Boehner and company are doing a worse job than Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats did when they were in charge.

The poll finds that even among Independents, Republicans have lost support;

Independents say by a 44-30 margin that Republicans have been doing worse.  Further, 48% trust President Obama more to lead the country in the right direction, while 42% have more faith in the GOP.  The sentiment with independents is 49-37 for Obama.

And when it comes to the question of who is  the most  extreme, Americans point the finger directly to the Republicans as the nut-jobs;

Americans also see the Democratic Party as being more mainstream (46%) than extremist (39%).  Their opinion of the GOP is almost the opposite: 40% see that party as mainstream, and 48% as extremist.  Independents say by a 49-33 margin that the GOP is extremist and by a 49-36 margin that the Democrats are mainstream

Based on these findings, Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling expressed his opinion on the Democrats chances in the next election;

“The conventional wisdom is that Democrats will have a very hard time winning back control of the House next year, but that may be wrong- voters have soured on the new Republican majority in record time.

Soured is not the word. Is there some way we can pack this group of Republicans up and ship them off to a country more suitable for them? Like Somalia?

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Democratic Featured MSNBC Republican United States

Eric Cantor Shows Ignorance On How To Do His Job – Video

Eric Cantor doesn’t know how laws are made. The number 2 Republican in the House of Representative held a news conference yesterday and allowed the following words to come out his mouth;

“…the Senate’s got to act, prior to the expiration of the CR.  If it does not act, HR 1 becomes the law of the land.”

Cantor was talking about a House Resolution to fund the government for this budget. So far, the House and Senate congressional members have agreed to two temporary Continued Resolutions (CR), because an agreement could not be reached on specific budgetary issues like spending cuts. Republicans want to cut over $61 billion from the budget. So what Cantor was saying here, is that if the Senate cannot submit their bill for the next budget, then the HR1 bill passed by the House of Representatives automatically becomes “the law of the land.”

What the statement from Mr. Cantor demonstrated, was that the Republican Majority Leader was not aware of how laws are made, or he tried unsuccessfully to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people. Anyone and everyone knows that in order for a bill to become law, both House and Senate must agree on the bill and the President must sign it into law.

In the video below, Lawrence O’Donnell of MSNBC tore into Mr. Cantor and his ill-informed comments.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Democratic democrats Politics Republican United States White House Wisconsin

When Money Talks…

So is this really the example that Republican Party leaders want to leave for posterity–the New Politics 101?  The idea that future politicians can and will sell their souls to the highest Corporate bidders? And that once in office, they’ll no longer have to concern themselves with their constituents who had seemingly gone through a finely honed democratic process to elect an official who’ll represent them in Congress, only to find out that the entire process was a farce, a smoke screen, a diversion?

And yeah–I hear you, Democrats are no angels either. But there’s no comparing the fourteen Democrats who left the state in order to stonewall against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s threat to pass a bill that proposed to dismantle the collective bargaining of unions, with the eight Republicans and their governor who trampled on the very Constitution they consistently claimed to honor and protect, by voting on and passing the bill under the farce of cutting the state’s deficit. Comparing the causes behind both groups’ actions shows who the real representatives of the people were; big Corporate payoffs for Republican frontmen vs upholding the constitutional rights of Wisconsinites by Democrats.

No comparison.

Republicans have rallied together to continue the Bush tax cuts for the uber-rich, playing down the fact that an increase in their taxes will reduce the deficit by generating $678 billion, and will be a lot more effective, productive and expedient toward the goal of cutting the deficit, then nickel and dime-ing the working class.

There is an evil agenda at work here, and thats to bring the country down in hopes that Americans, out of frustration and fear, will vote for The GOP in 2012. The thinking is that Americans will forget why they voted the Obama Administration into the White House in the first place. Forget that this all started under a Republican–Bush, and will rush to vote into office the very party that has been covertly–and now out in plain sight–whittling away our rights as valued, productive, thriving citizens of this country.

The middle class and the poor (and don’t be arrogant enough to disassociate with the poor, who most folks in the middle class are just one paycheck away from) are under siege. And if we aren’t careful in 2012, we will vote ourselves right into slavery. And as some of us know, that ain’t a fun place to be.

The companies that have out-sourced all of those U.S. jobs in the service, telecommunications and manufacturing industries to various foreign countries, where their products are manufactured by low income workers, will not make their obscene profits by hiring workers they have to pay, at the very least, a minimum wage.  It’s just not gonna happen folks.

As the 2012 elections approach,  we must remember the lessons we are slowly learning  today.

And Never Forget.

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Charlie Sheen Democratic Republican Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Recall Efforts in Wisconsin Picking Up Pace

The main-stream media has been transfixed over the last three weeks by two stories, Libya – including whether the correct spelling is Kadaffie,  Gadaffie or Qadiffie – and Charlie Sheen and the tiger-blood running through his veins! Lost in all this confusion is a massive recall effort going on in Wisconsin, and the people’s fight to work, live, and pay their bills.

In a move that many have considered illegal, Republican governor Scott Walker and his Republican cohorts rammed a bill through the state’s congress to its passage. The bill, which takes away the negotiating rights of public union employees, created such an uproar in Wisconsin and all across the country, that a tremendous effort to recall 8 of the Republicans who passed the bill have been in progress for the last two weeks.

And now, a report from the Washington Post is stating that 45% of the votes needed to recall the Republican congressional lobbyists, have been achieved.

Dems have now collected over 56,000 signatures supporting the recall drives, according to party spokesman Graeme Zielinski, after another surge in organizing activity over the weekend. That’s up from rougly 14,000 after last weekend. This means Dems are well ahead of schedule: In each targeted district, Dems need to amass the required signatures — 25 percent of the number who voted in the last gubernatorial election — by a deadline of 60 days after first filing for recalls, which happened nearly two weeks ago.

In other words, Dems are reporting they are nearly halfway to the finish line, with roughly three-fourths of the alloted time remaining.

As per the report and the rules for recall, Democrats have 60 days from the time the recall paperwork was filed to come up with the needed signatures. The report continues;

According to Wisconsin Dem spokesman Zielinski, Dems are ahead of pace in signature gathering in every single one of the eight districts being targteted, and in three of the districts, Dems have well over 50 percent of the number required.

But who cares about this fight? Tune in to CNN and MSNBC for continued coverage of Kadaffie and Sheen’s night out!

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Democratic Featured vote Wisconsin

Wisconsin Republicans Determine Democrats’ Votes Mean Nothing

Wisconsin Republicans are not playing anymore games when it comes to taking away the rights of the people of Wisconsin, and any attempt by elected Democrats to stop or slow down any of their outrageous policies, will be combated with a vengeance not yet seen in this American democracy.

We all remember last week when Democrats were locked out of the Assembly building and had to climb through the windows to enter. Now, Republican Senate Leader Scott Fitzgerald  has decided that he will wipe the slate clean when it comes to votes cast by Democrats. Mr. Fitzgerald will just erase their votes from the record. As he puts it, their votes just wont count.

In a letter to his Republican allies in the Senate, Fitzgerald wrote;

From: Sen.Fitzgerald
Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 3:52 PM
To: *Legislative Senate Republicans
Subject: Senate Democrat voting privileges in standing committees

Dear Members,

With the return of the Senate Democrats this weekend, questions have arisen regarding Democrat members’ participation in Senate standing committee public hearings and executive sessions.

Please note that all 14 Democrat senators are still in contempt of the Senate. Therefore, when taking roll call votes on amendments and bills during executive sessions, Senate Democrats’ votes will not be reflected in the Records of Committee Proceedings or the Senate Journal. They are free to attend hearings, listen to testimony, debate legislation, introduce amendments, and cast votes to signal their support/opposition, but those votes will not count, and will not be recorded.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact my office.

Thank you,

Scott Fitzgerald
Senate Majority Leader
13th Senate District

Somehow, I can’t see the people of Wisconsin voting to put Republican back into power, forgetting that their basic rights can and will be taken away by any and all means necessary.

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Democratic Featured Republican Wisconsin

Wife of Republican Wisconsin Senator Wants Him Recalled

The doorbell to the known residence of Wisconsin’s Republican Senator Randy Hopper rang. The maid for the residence opened the door and found a group of protesters collecting signatures on a petition to recall Hopper. The maid quickly signed the petition and called her boss, Randy Hopper’s wife, who came to the door with the shocking news that he no longer lived at that residence.

She then indicated that she too, will sign the recall petition.

According to Mrs. Hopper, it seems the conservative Republican senator lives with his 25 year old mistress in another part of town. Mr. Hopper represents Wisconsin Senate District 18, and worked hand in hand with Wisconsin’s governor, Scott Walker to take away voters negotiating rights.

According to reports by Blogging Blue:

Randy Hopper filed for divorce from his wife in August 2010, and it’s being reported his soon to be ex-wife will be signing a recall petition.

As for the claim by Hopper’s soon to be ex-wife that Hopper is living in Madison with his 25-year-old mistress, I’ve received unconfirmed reports the “other woman” is Valerie Cass, who as of this morning was a lobbyist for Persuasion Partners, Inc., a right-wing lobbying firm

Wisconsin’s law states that elected officials can be recalled by the voters and as a state senator, Randy Hopper’s name is among the eight names on the recall petition drafted by the state’s Democrats. Mr. Walker will be up for recall in 2012.

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