Category: Politics

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Chris Wallace Newt Gingrich Politics Rick Santorum

Bachmann Slams Pawlenty In Iowa Debate

Unlike the last two Republican love fests, last night’s debate actually felt like a real competition. The Republican contestants tried separating themselves from each other and questioned the decision making or lack thereof of their rivals.

Ron Paul and Rick Santorum briefly engaged in their little match when foreign policies and America’s role in other nations were involved. Between these two, Iran’s attempt to acquire nuclear weapons was a hot topic, with Paul suggesting that a nuclear Iran poses no threat to America, therefore, they should be left alone to do what they believe is in their best interest. Santorum took opposition to this, and the heated battle was on.

Then Newt Gingrich took offense at Chris Wallace asking him questions about his campaign and statements he had made in the past. Apparently, Gingrich believes his decision to run for President means questions about his political history,  public statements or past actions that he should accountable for, should be off limits.

Chris Wallace: “How do you respond to people who say that your campaign has been a mess so far?”

Newt Gingrich: “I took seriously Bret’s injunction to put aside the talking points,” he said, referring to a request Wallace’s co-host Bret Baier had made at the start of the debate. Newt continued, “And I wish you would put aside the gotcha questions…I’d love to see the rest of tonight’s debate asking us about what we would do to lead America…instead of playing Mickey Mouse games.”

Chris Wallace:  “If you think questions about your record are Mickey Mouse, I’m sorry. I think those are questions that a lot of people want to hear answers to and you’re responsible for your record, sir.”

Newt Gingrich: “I think that there’s too much attention paid by the press corps to the campaign minutiae and not enough paid by the press corps to the basic ideas that distinguish us from Barack Obama.”

The audience cheered.

But the most interesting part of the debate in my view, happened between Tim Pawlenty and Michelle Bachmann. Being in next to last place in his presidential campaign, Mr. Pawlenty felt the need to make up some ground. He also didn’t want to miss another opportunity to separate himself from the bunch, as he did in the last debate when he was asked to explain a statement he previously made, in which he called Mitt Romney’s health care plan in Massachusetts, Obamny Care – combining both Obama and Romney’s name together to say their healthcare policies are the same.

So when he was asked to explain a statement he made about Michele Bachmann and her lack of accomplishments in Congress,  Mr. Pawlenty took the opportunity and went on attack mode. Unfortunately for him, Bachmann was already sitting in the bushes with her sniper gear on, staring down the scope of her rifle. In her view, the unsuspecting Pawlenty.

Bang!!!

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Health Care Politics Rick Scott

Republican Governor Rick Scott Gets Government Healthcare

This is a perfect case of  “Do what I say, not as I do!”, and it furthers exemplifies the hypocrisy of today’s Republican party and the utter joke they have become.

Case in point? Florida’s Republican Governor, Rick Scott: Scott and the rest of the Republicans, both in Congress and in state government, are on a rampage, trying to deny healthcare to regular everyday middle class Americans. Their dirty little secret is, they are happily enrolled in the very same government health care program they want you to give up.

Gov. Rick Scott, a critic of the federal health care overhaul, is paying less than $400 a year for health insurance for himself and his wife.

While Scott is accepting no salary for his job as governor, the multimillionaire and former hospital chain executive chose to enroll in the taxpayer-subsidized health insurance plan offered by the state of Florida.

Scott is among nearly 32,000 people in state government who pay relatively low health insurance premiums. It’s a perk that is available to high-ranking state officials, including those in top management at all state agencies. Nearly all 160 state legislators are also enrolled in the program that costs just $8.34 a month for individual coverage and $30 a month for family coverage.

Brian Burgess, a spokesman for Scott, confirmed the governor and his wife are enrolled in the state health insurance plan, but refused to discuss why Scott signed up. He called the governor’s health care coverage a private matter.

Apparently, government insurance is good for them, but not for you!

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Iowa Mitt Romney Politics Republican

Romney Is Laughed At In Iowa – Video

Mitt Romney, the leader for the 2012 Republican nomination for president has bought into the Conservative ruling of the Supreme Court that corporations are people. Speaking at an event in Iowa, someone asked Mr. Romney why should Social Security be a part of the deficit reduction plan, since it does not contribute to the debt.

Romney’s answer was that “Corporations are people too my friend.” What does one thing have to do with the other? I don’t know, but Romney seems to think there’s a reason to remind the crowed about the court’s decision.

The crowd is heard laughing at his nonsense!

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CNN Politics

Multiple Polls Say – Raise Taxes Before Spending Cuts

Two polls, conducted on the same day showed the same thing – Americans, by a margin of 2 to 1, prefer raising taxes to address the deficit instead of spending cuts alone. The Gallop poll, conducted on 8/10/2011, shows 66% supports raising taxes, while 33% prefers spending cuts, and the CNN poll conducted on the same day mirrors the Gallop results, with 63% for more taxes, and 36% for more spending cuts.

Another poll conducted a day before on 8/9/2011 by another polling agency called McClatchy/Marist, showed the same results. In that poll, 68% of Americans think raising taxes is the way to go, as opposed to the 29% who want more spending cuts.

If you think there’s a pattern here, there is. Over 23 different polls dating back to December 12th, 2010 found the same thing – Americans prefer raising taxes to combat the deficit problem over cutting spending to programs that help people.

See the full table here.

 

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Politics

Report – It’s Harder For The Rich To Care For The Poor

As if we didn’t already know this. Various reports are now suggesting that rich people don’t feel compassion or empathy to the poor or less fortunate, the way other people do.

Psychologist and social scientist Dacher Keltner says the rich really are different, and not in a good way: Their life experience makes them less empathetic, less altruistic, and generally more selfish.

In fact, he says, the philosophical battle over economics, taxes, debt ceilings and defaults that are now roiling the stock market is partly rooted in an upper class “ideology of self-interest.”

“We have now done 12 separate studies measuring empathy in every way imaginable, social behavior in every way, and some work on compassion and it’s the same story,” he said. “Lower class people just show more empathy, more prosocial behavior, more compassion, no matter how you look at it.”

The report continues;

Unlike the rich, lower class people have to depend on others for survival, Keltner argued. So they learn “prosocial behaviors.” They read people better, empathize more with others, and they give more to those in need.

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democrats Politics Wisconsin

Republicans Stole The Wisconsin Recall Elections… Again!

Election night in Wisconsin, and the big story is not that Democrats won two of the six senate seats held by Republicans. Yes, that in itself is an amazing achievement. All the elections were held in historically Republican controlled counties, and throughout the 80 plus years recall elections were held in the state, only 20 have been successful. So to have two successes in one night is amazing.

But what’s even more amazing about the recall elections held last night was the results from a place in District 8 called Waukesha county and the behind-the-scenes workings of a particular county clerk in Waukesha called Kathy Nickolaus.

As the polls closed and results started coming in, Republicans breathed a collective sigh of relief when the first three counties stayed in their control – R. Cowles maintained his seat in district 2, S. Harsdorf kept the Republican seat in district 10 and L. Olsen kept Republicans in power in district 14.

By this time, hours after the polling closed, the remaining three races in the recall elections were led by the Democratic challengers. Keep in mind, that Democrats needed to win a total of three seats to regain control of the Senate and stop Scott Walker’s future corporate policies from being implemented.

The next election results showed that two seats would go to Democrats.  J. Schelling in district 32 and J. King in district 18 both defeated the Republican incumbents. Then all eyes turned to district 8 where the Democratic challenger S. Pasch was leading the Republican 52% to 48%. This was the last race to be decided for the night, and things were looking good for the Democrat. But remember Waukesha county and the particular county clerk name Kathy Nickolaus? Waukesha county is in District 8, and at the time when the Democrat challenger Pasch was leading, only one of eleven precincts in Waukesha county had reported their results.

Why is Waukesha county so important in these elections?

Kathy Nickolous, the county clerk responsible for, among other things, maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the votes in the elections, is a Republican with questionable morals.

Remember the election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice a few months ago between Republican David Prosser and his Democratic challenger JoAnn Kloppenberg? In that election, Mrs. Kloppenberg was leading and predicted to be the winner. Then miraculously, after all votes were counted, Kathy Nickolous “found” an additional 12000 votes in her computer. Those additional votes were all that Prosser needed to move ahead. He was later declared the winner.

Which brings us back to last night’s election.

When the election in all the other districts were decided, Waukesha county still only had one precinct reporting a total of 600 votes, with a little over 400 going to the Republican, Mrs A. Darling. Television pundits began questioning why Kathy Nickolous was not reporting the other precincts. On the Ed Show on MSNBC, questions were being asked suggesting that another “Prosser” moment may be happening in Waukesha, and calls for a possible investigation into the county clerk were being echoed on different news networks.

Then suddenly, hours after the polls had closed, results from 9 precincts in Waukesha county came in – a total of 12,000 votes, putting the Republican in the lead 53% to 47%. When Kathy Nickolous reported the final precinct numbers, District 8 was called a win for the Republican.

Final results, A. Darling 54%, S. Pasch 48%.

Yes, an amazing night in Wisconsin indeed, but for all the wrong reasons.

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Mitch McConnell Nancy Pelosi Politics Republican

Polls Show Americans Are Really Disgusted With Congressional Republican

John Boehner brags in all his interviews that he got 98% of what he wanted in the debt ceiling debate, but this new poll by CNN proves that what the Republican House Speaker wanted, was not what Americans want.  The poll was conducted after the debt ceiling debacle in Washington, and it finds that overwhelmingly, Americans really don’t like Congressional Republicans.

A lot of that anger seems directed toward the GOP.  According to the survey, favorable views of the Republican party dropped eight points over the past month, to 33 percent. Fifty-nine percent say they have an unfavorable view of the Republican party, an all-time high dating back to 1992 when the question was first asked.

The poll indicates that views of the Democratic party, by contrast, have remained fairly steady, with 47 percent saying they have a favorable view of the Democrats and an equal amount saying they hold an unfavorable view.

“The Democratic party, which had a favorable rating just a couple of points higher than the GOP in July, now has a 14-point advantage over the Republican party,” adds Holland, CNN’s polling director.

Americans are also disgusted in the Republican leaders themselves. Both John Boehner and Mitch McConnell’s unfavorable numbers have increased, and those supporting the two leaders have dropped since the debt ceiling fight.

House Speaker John Boehner’s favorable rating has dropped 10 points, and his unfavorable rating is up to 40 percent, a new high for him.  On the Senate side, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell isn’t faring much better – his unfavorable rating is 39 percent, a seven-point increase since July.

The poll also shows that Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have maintained the level of favorable and unfavorable support they had before the debt ceiling began.

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Politics Republican

Michele Bachmann – All Talk And No Action

Michele Bachmann told a crowd at a political rally in Iowa on Saturday, that she is not a talker, but a doer. This was apparently her response to Tim Pawlenty’s claim that she hasn’t done anything since being elected to congress.

Here are the two sides: Michele Bachmann

 ‘I pledge to you, I’m not a talker. I’m a doer,’ she said, in what seemed to be a response to rival GOP presidential contender Tim Pawlenty’s recent hints that Iowans shouldn’t let themselves be mesmerized by her soaring rhetoric.

Asked what he thought about Bachmann’s candidacy for President: Tim Pawlenty

 “I like Con­gress­woman Bach­mann, I’ve cam­paigned for her, I respect her,” said Paw­lenty on the pro­gram. “But her record of accom­plish­ment in Con­gress is nonex­is­tent. It’s nonex­is­tent. And so we’re not look­ing for folks who, you know, just have speech capa­bil­i­ties, we’re look­ing for peo­ple who can lead a large enter­prise in a pub­lic set­ting and drive it to con­clu­sion. I’ve done that, she hasn’t.”

Here’s the facts: Politico’s Research

Now in her third House term, Bachmann has never had a bill or resolution she’s sponsored signed into law, and she’s never wielded a committee gavel, either at the full or subcommittee level. Bachmann’s amendments and bills have rarely been considered by any committee, even with the House under GOP control. In a chamber that rewards substantive policy work and insider maneuvering, Bachmann has shunned the inside game, choosing to be more of a bomb thrower than a legislator.

My take: – the record is clear, the facts are indisputable. Michele Bachmann is all talk, no action.

 

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Politics

Republican Calls Teaparty Congress Members “Nuts!”

Alan Simpson, the former out-spoken Republican Senator from Wyoming stayed true to his colors and called out the Teaparty members in Congress for their unwillingness to compromise, a position that led to the decision of S&P to downgrade America’s credit.

Mr. Simpson, in a telephone interview with Fox Business News today, said he found it “stunning that people are disgusted” with these Teaparty/Republicans, and asked, “what did they think was going to happen?”

“[Obama] is smarter than rigid people who don’t compromise on anything. If you came to Congress not to compromise you’re totally ineffective, you oughta’ go home. You can compromise an issue without compromising yourself. These guys think the word compromise is a silly word. They’re nuts!”

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Politics

Teaparty Members Cheer On Announcement Of America’s Credit Downgrade

Teaparty members are Republicans of a whole new kind, and this kind of Republican is not one we’ve ever seen in the history of this nation. Yes, we will always have ideological differences, but this group seems to want the total destruction of  American society, our economy and our nation.

At a meeting in Wisconsin, Teaparty members actually cheered when the announcement was made that America’s credit rating was downgraded. They’re either fundamentally different in their interpretation of patriotism, or they’re just plain dumb.

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Politics

S And P On A Downgrade Rampage

On Friday, the rating agency, S&P downgraded the United States credit from AAA to AA+. A move the agency claims was necessary because of the constant political battles fought in Washington by the two political parties. Then today, S&P added even more to their downgrade list. CBS reports;

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services on Monday downgraded the credit ratings of mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and other agencies linked to long-term U.S. debt.

The agency also lowered the ratings for: farm lenders; long-term U.S. government-backed debt issued by 32 banks and credit unions; and three major clearinghouses, which are used to execute trades of stocks, bonds and options.

All the downgrades were from AAA to AA+. S&P says the agencies and banks all have debt that is exposed to economic volatility and a further downgrade of long-term U.S. debt. Their creditworthiness hinges on the U.S. government’s ability to pay its own creditors.

Ten of the country’s 12 Federal Home Loan Banks also were downgraded from AAA to AA+. The banks of Chicago and Seattle had already been downgraded earlier to AA+.

After receiving the first downgrade in the history of the nation, the politicians joined together and attacked S&P for its decision. On the Sunday talk shows, the suggestion was made that S&P should not be trusted, because of their long history of misleading information. Politicians also criticized S&P for what they called, a “$2 trillion mistake,” in the agency’s math when they decided to downgrade America’s credit to AA+ status.

But regardless of what the talking points are in Washington, and the criticism of S&P, one thing the agency said is correct, and reflects the unfortunate nature in Washington. S&P called out the parties involved and criticized their failure to compromise, as the main force responsible for their downgrade decision.

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Politics United States

America’s Credit Downgraded, Another Win For Republicans

The Standard & Poors rating agency has, for the first time in America’s history, downgraded America’s Credit ratings, from a Triple A rating to AA+ ratings. The agency cites the political system in Washington as one of the reasons why the credit downgrade happened.

“We lowered our long-term rating on the U.S. because we believe that the prolonged controversy over raising the statutory debt ceiling and the related fiscal policy debate indicate that further near-term progress containing the growth in public spending, especially on entitlements, or on reaching an agreement on raising revenues is less likely than we previously assumed and will remain a contentious and fitful process. We also believe that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the Administration agreed to this week falls short of the amount that we believe is necessary to stabilize the general government debt burden by the middle of the decade.

Our lowering of the rating was prompted by our view on the rising public debt burden and our perception of greater policymaking uncertainty, consistent with our criteria (see “Sovereign Government Rating Methodology and Assumptions,” June 30, 2011, especially Paragraphs 36-41). Nevertheless, we view the U.S. federal government’s other economic, external, and monetary credit attributes, which form the basis for the sovereign rating, as broadly unchanged.”

A credit downgrade is serious business. It means that interest rates on the government, banks and ultimately the American people can rise. Borrowing money at a higher interest rate means we all pay back more towards our debt, whether it’s the government borrowing from China, or a middle class American borrowing to buy a home, a higher interest rate is never a good thing.

This is the work of Republicans and their effort to bring this economy to its knees. This decision by Standard & Poors is a loss for America, but another win for Republicans.

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