Category: Republican

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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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Medicare Politics Republican Rick Scott Ronald Reagan United States

Republican Robin Hoods – Taking From The Poor To Support The Rich

Republicans have long wished for the time when the poor and suffering would move out-of-the-way, and allow the millionaires, billionaires and Corporations to prosper. In their view, poor and middle class Americans are trying to take away all the programs the government has established to benefit the rich. Republicans call these “entitlement programs,” and the sooner they’re able to push and squeeze others off these programs, the sooner the rich can benefit.

No place is this more evident than in Florida, where a new Teaparty candidate,  representing the Republican party,  held a townhall meeting to address his supporters. Mr. Allan West, the House representative for Southeast Florida told the crowd that he would love to abolish the Internal Revenue Service and federal income tax, while retaining tax cuts for billionaires. West also wants to stop the  extension of unemployment benefits to the middle class and refers to the government  providing these benefits to middle class Americans as, “rewarding bad behavior.”

In reference to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, West thinks that leaving these services in tact will deplete our GDP by 2030 or 2040. His plans would be for the eventual dismantling of these  services that again for the most part assist the poor people and middle class. Spokeswoman for DCCC Jennifer Crider said;

“Everyone agrees we need to cut spending, but Representative Allen West is making the wrong choice by forcing seniors to shoulder the burden and while not asking Big Oil companies making record profits to sacrifice even the smallest amount.”

Social Security is a program that mostly pays for itself. Over the last few years, however, the program has began to show signs that it will eventually fall short of its goals of comfortably providing for its beneficiaries, mainly because more people are entering into retirement and also because the labor force is reduced due to the economic downturn. Republicans, who have been trying to dismantle the program for decades, are now using the economy and the federal deficit as reasons to bring social security to its knees. Some Democrats, like Senate Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, are determined to fight these efforts of the Republicans. In a recent interview, Mr. Reid said;

“I have said clearly and as many times as I can, leave Social Security alone. Social Security does not add a single penny, not a dime, a nickel, a dollar to the budget problems we have. Never has and for the next 30 years it won’t do that.

“So what I’ve said, if you want to look at something to take care of the out years, let’s do it at the right time. It is not in a crisis at this stage. Leave Social Security alone. We have a lot of other places we can look that are in crisis. Social Security is not. I repeat, for the next approximately 30 years people will draw 100% of their benefits.”

Mr. West’s thinking is common amongst Republican party members. Many Republican governors nationwide have begun breaking down the middle class in order to support their rich donors. Recent examples in Wisconsin, Detroit, and Florida are just some of the states where Republican governors are creating laws geared towards removing any form of assistance from the middle class worker, and transferring that assistance to the rich. Rick Scott of Florida recently proposed a bill that will cut school subsidies in his state by $1.3 billion, while at the same time, giving a tax cut of $1.6 billion to millionaires.

It is a transfer of wealth like we haven’t seen in quite a long time, and it started over 30 years ago when Ronald Regan introduced the idea of trickle down economics. The concept embraces the belief that giving to the rich will in turn allow them to provide jobs to the middle class, thus trickling down the wealth. But this idea failed in the Reagan years, causing the president to raise taxes in an effort to fight off a downward turn in the 1980 economy. And although it failed then, trickle down economics was embraced by conservatives over the past 30 years, and contributed heavily to the most recent recession that started in 2007/2008 under the Bush administration. According to reports from The Atlantic;

When Clinton left office in 2000, the Census counted almost 31.6 million Americans living in poverty. When Bush left office in 2008, the number of poor Americans had jumped to 39.8 million (the largest number in absolute terms since 1960.) Under Bush, the number of people in poverty increased by over 8.2 million, or 26.1 per cent. Over two-thirds of that increase occurred before the economic collapse of 2008.

Unfortunately, here we are in 2011, and the trickle-down trend has continued. Republicans are now taking away from schools, education, cutting back on planned parenthood and public radio, in an effort to finance the bank accounts of the rich. Will the American people wake up from their slumber before it’s too late? Will we ever realize that the last 30+ years of trickle down economics did nothing for the middle class, and everything for th über rich? If we continue to go down this path we’ve been on for the past 30 years, why should we expect a different outcome?

America can once again be what the founding fathers intended it to be. The preamble to the constitution says it best;

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

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Barack Obama Featured Mike Huckabee Newt Gingrich Republican Sarah Palin United States

Barnum And Bailey Ain’t Got Nothin’ On The G.O.P.

 

While it’s true that just about everybody loves a clown, you sure wouldn’t want one running the country. Which leads me to the clowns over at the three ring circus better know as the Republican and Tea Parties. Never in the history of politics has there ever been such a motley crew so anxious to threw their hats in the ring to become the next president of the United States.

Now don’t get me wrong,  having a savory mixed bag of nuts running for the position wouldn’t be so bad — in fact it would add a little excitement to the sometimes mind numbing selection process — if the candidates weren’t so ridiculously unsuited for running a chicken-coop, let alone the highest office in what still is known as the most powerful country in the free world!

Now there are some who do have a fear of clowns, with their perpetual maniacal red smiles, those  crazy eyes with surprised expression, and of course, there’s that pasty white paint giving them a creepy ghostly appearance–another thing in common with Republicans! And like all clowns, the Republicans and Tea Party can’t ever be taken seriously beacuse of the constant silly things they’re always doing to get a laugh out of us:

  • Newt Gingrich flip-flopping on his views over whether the United States coulda, woulda, shoulda secured the air space over Qad­hafi’s Libya or even whether or not the US should have gotten involved at all in preventing the tyrant from slaughtering his own people protesting his regime.
  • Sarah Palin, throwing insults at the President and bad-mouthing him as he traveled overseas on a good will mission to Brazil, and her constant criticism of the First Lady’s efforts to help get American children to eat healthier.
  • Michele Bachmann, rewriting history by stating thet the “Founding Fathers” – who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and created framework for the Constitution – did all they could to stop slavery in the New World.
  • Mike Huckabee, insisting that  President Obama is not a United States citizen and is a secret member of the Mau Mau, whose sole interest is to kill all white folks in the country–in the name of Allah, no less.
  • And the latest bozo,  Donald ‘Bring Me The Money’ Trump, who claims he will win the presidency if put up against Obama because he’ll put into effect a strategy to send aid and armies to  help countries in need across the world—for a nominal fee! The Donald apparently is also an ardent Birther, who, as a guest recently on the television show “The View” also demanded that the President show his birth certificate.

And those  still aren’t the scariest things about these clowns, because even though a fifth grader has more intelligence than all these “candidates” combined, there are still so called  “true americans” who will cast their votes for them in the 2012’s presidential election because they “share the same views”. Really? That’s scary. Could you  imagine any of them holding up against what Obama has gone through in the last almost four years of his presidency?;

  • Getting America through the war in Afghanistan–a war made impossible to avoid thanks to the previous administration.
  • Taking over, and reducing our military operations in Iraq, essentially bringing that war to an end.
  • Dealing with what many consider the biggest recession since the last depression and pulling the United States economy back from the verge total of collapse.
  • Engineering bailouts to businesses and banks  in  hopes of creating new  jobs and new loan opportunities.
  • Creating the biggest tax cut for over 95% of Americans and small businesses in over 60 years.
  • Establishing healthcare for all Americans by passing a healthcare reform bill.
  • Reforming our financial system in an attempt to stop Wall Street from gouging the American citizens
  • Reforming the Student Loans process, making it easier for American students to get and repay their student loans.
  • Aiding the efforts of Middle Eastern citizens to free themselves from the tyranny of despots , installed sometimes by the regimes of past American presidents.
  • Thousands of deaths in the wake of Haiti’s massive earthquake and delivering aid to that country.
  • The most horrendous oil spill in history by BP Oil which will affect our waters and sea life  for decades  to come.
  • The triple disaster in Japan with earthquake, tsunami and the subsequent nuclear plant breakdowns.

Which of the Republican/Tea Party hopefuls will last one month in President’s Obama’s shoes? They’ll be crying fake clown tears, like their Speaker of the House John Boehner, in no time.

President Obama is showing that he has what it takes to be the calm, rational, thoughtful, humanistic leader this country needs. The GOP has a long way to go before they learn that throwing pies,  handing out exploding cigars  and shocking folks with joy buzzers does not a world leader make. Exit stage left fools!

And the good news is that if President Obama still cares enough to shoot for a second term after putting up with all the Republican antics from his first term, there will be no contest as to who will have center ring under the Big Top. He just better make sure he has his whip and chair to keep the loonies in check.

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Barack Obama Featured Republican United States Wisconsin

Where Are The Jobs Boehner? Boehner Blames Obama

“Where are the jobs!?” was a question John Boehner asked to anyone who gave him the time of day. But then again, a campaign was on the way for the 2010 mid-term election, so asking this question at a time when over 15 million Americans were without work seemed like the thing to do. Boehner promised Americans that if he wins, job creation will be his number one priority, but since winning, the new House Speaker had more important things to take care of.

But the people are still waiting, and John Boehner – now almost 4 months into his leadership role – has to come up with a reason why he hasn’t stuck to his campaign promise. So what’s easier to do, than blame President Obama? Nothing… so that’s exactly what Boehner is now doing. On his website, Boehner had this to say;

“Any improvement in the jobs situation for our country is welcome news, but unemployment is still far above where the Obama Administration promised it would be when it forced our children to pay for the ‘stimulus’ fiasco, which accelerated a government spending binge that continues to block our nation’s path to prosperity.

“The path to prosperity and job creation lies in liberating our economy from the shackles of excessive government and unleashing the awesome potential of the American people.  This has been and will continue to be the number-one priority for our new majority.”

If Mr. Boehner knows the pathway that leads to  “to prosperity and job creation”  then why doesn’t he take the initiative – hold America’s hand and lead us down the “path?”

Knowing the opportunistic nature of Boehner and his Republican allies, it is obvious he will claim that this pathway is the focus of his new majority. It is, however, impossible to understand how actions like defunding NPR – a move that House Republicans classified as an “emergency” – created jobs. And when the Boehner led House of Representatives focused like a laser on reducing $300 million in funding from Planned Parenthood, Americans are still asking, “Boehner, where are the jobs?!?!?!”

Americans are finally wising up though. It might be a little too late because the 2010 elections saw many Republican governors elected and a change in leadership in the House of Representative. But based on the actions – or lack thereof – of these Republicans, Americans have begun a real grass-root effort to make their voices heard. It is an effort that started in Wisconsin due to the over-reaching of another Republican governor whose intent is on silencing the Wisconsin workers and taking away their basic rights.

This grass-root initiative has spread nationwide, and the outlook for 2012 will be another message of  change. This time though, it will be a change from the Corporate agenda Republicans are trying to push, to a focus on the middle class and really getting the American economy back on track.

But with another upcoming election, prepare for more baseless promises from the Republicans.

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Featured Iowa Newt Gingrich Republican United States

Republican Newt Gingrich Give $150,000 To Hate Group

The Associated Press reported this week that Newt Gingrich – the morality standard of the Republican party who broke the news to his first wife that he was leaving her for another woman while she lay in a hospital bed recovering from an illness- funneled $125,000 dollars to an organization classified as a hate group by Southern Poverty Law Center.

The group called American Family Association – whose director Bryan Fischer, has demonstrated a documented bias against gays, lesbians and American Indians – used the funds to successfully oust three supreme court judges in Iowa in the 2010 elections. The supreme court judges had previously voted to legalize same-sex marriage in Iowa.

Reporting from Southern Poverty Law Center:

The story of Gingrich’s below-the-radar assistance to Iowa for Freedom started to dribble out on March 3, when The Los Angeles Times reported that Gingrich helped the organization get its start, offering strategic advice and arranging a $200,000 gift from an anonymous donor. The remaining $150,000, the AP reported, was raised in the form of donations to Renewing American Leadership (ReAL), a nonprofit group Gingrich founded that promotes his books, TV appearances, and films. It was ReAL Action, an arm of ReAL, that reportedly gave $125,000 of that $150,000 to AFA Action, the political wing of AFA. The final $25,000 was given by ReAL Action to Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. Both AFA Action and Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition then supported Iowa for Freedom’s efforts, the AP said

Newt is just keeping in line with what seems to be the accepted behavior of today’s Republican party. More to come…

Read the rest of the report here.

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Featured Republican United States

Republicans Now Bringing Back School Segregation

We”ve all heard the cries from Republicans and Teapartiers claiming that they “want their country back!” Have you ever wondered what exactly was meant by the phrase? Well, here’s one way they’re trying to take back their country… Republicans in Minnesota want their school system segregated, and they’re in the final phases of funding a bill that will do just that.

The language in the bill, appears in the “Repealer” section of the bill on page 53, and was discovered by Aaron Klemz at the Cucking Stool. The language itself is a bunch of jargon, you know… political language that the average person may overlook. It says;

(b) Minnesota Statutes 2010, section 124D.86, subdivisions 1, 1a, 2, 4, 5, and 6; and Minnesota Rules, parts 3535.0100; 3535.0110; 3535.0120; 3535.0130; 3535.0140; 3535.0150; 3535.0160; 3535.0170; and 3535.0180, are repealed.

Aaron Klemz looked into this and discovered the following:

It’s well-known that Republicans would target school integration aid, which is the subject of Section 124D.86. But the repeal of the regulations under part 3535 would literally remove “Minnesota’s commitment to the importance of integration in its public schools” from Minnesota regulations. Additionally, it would eliminate regulations requiring collection of data about segregation and requiring action to integrate racially segregated schools.

So what excuse are Republicans running with? Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) who chairs the committee drafting the legislation told the City Pages;

“Desegregation is an important goal, but a more important goal is reading, writing, and arithmetic. Candidly, I think it’s somewhat insulting to say that in order for a black child to be learning he needs to be sitting next to a white child.”

The assumption by Garofalo that desegregation in schools benefits a black child because that child is “sitting next to a white child” seems ludicrous to me, and it shows the type of mentality that will foster and entertain the language in this legislation. Desegregation is a necessary step for racial integration in our society.

And this step backwards, or “taking the country back” is also a violation of the Constitution.

When the United States Supreme Court passed its landmark decision on Brown vs The Board of Education in 1954, the court decided that any state law establishing separate public schools for black and white students was unconstitutional, a direct violation of the Equal Protection clause mentioned in the 14th amendment of the Constitution. That clause states;

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

They proclaim their love and commitment to the Constitution of these United States, but commitment is more than just words… it’s deeds!

 

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Abortion House republicans Planned Parenthood Politics Republican

Scott Brown: Cutting All Funding For Planned Parenthood Goes Too Far

One of the ways Republicans propose to bring the budget under control, is the elimination of all funding for Planned Parenthood… ALL! However, one Republican/Teaparty senator, Scott Brown – representing Massachusetts, thinks this is going too far. After House Republicans voted and approved the cuts, Senator Brown had this to say;

“I support family planning and health services for women. Given our severe budget problems, I don’t believe any area of the budget is completely immune from cuts. However, the proposal to eliminate all funding for family planning goes too far. As we continue with our budget negotiations, I hope we can find a compromise that is reasonable and appropriate.”

Although the Hyde Amendment prohibits all public funding to be used for abortion services, Republicans have long argued that agencies like Planned Parenthood should not receive federal funding because it allows other funds to be made available for abortions. The cuts, if approved in February, would save $300 million. Republicans have promised their supporters and the Teaparty to cut as much as $61 billion from the federal budget.

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Michelle Obama Politics Republican United States

There Must Be Meth Addicts In The Republican Congress…

Bill Maher is considered by many on the right as a far left ideologue. But when you consider the things he says, although said in a humorous way, you have to admit that he’s usually on the money.

Take for example what he said a few days ago about the Republican party and how they govern:

“Governing this country with the Republicans is like rooming with a meth addict. You want to address real-life problems like when the rent is due, and they’re saying, ‘How could you even think of that stuff when there’s police scanner voices coming out of the air conditioning unit?!'”

Again, what he said is funny, but think about it. This economy is  trying to make its way out of what many  consider the second Great Depression. There are over 14 million Americans who’ve lost their jobs over the last 4 years, families are losing their homes at an alarming rate, middle class Americans are still continuing a downward slide into poverty – a slide that began under the Bush Administration, and there’s a war going on… not the one in Libya, but a war against the middle class and their pursuit of the “American Dream.”

But instead of focusing on these issues and coming up with policies that will get the American economy back on its feet, Republicans have focused on things like defunding NPR, taking away union rights from the middle class, eliminating funding for planned parenthood and voting to take away America’s health care reform initiatives. These are the kinds of issues that Republicans are focusing extreme energy on.

Maher says todays Republican’s style of governing is full of  “fantasies.” He went on to say, “fantasies are for sex, not public policy.” Again, funny and true. He spoke about another non-issue that many Republicans love to indulge in, this one involved Michelle Obama, and her efforts to promote  healthier eating habits for America’s youths. Maher gives this example;

“Michelle Obama’s war on desserts. For Christ’s sake, she’s just trying to get you to eat a carrot, not stick it up your ass.”

After laughing, think…

See the video here.

 

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Sarah Palin Starring as The Joker! – Pic

Maybe this is the only real role Sarah Palin should play, and although I’m not a fan, I will definitely campaign for her to star in the Batman movie… as The Joker! But then again, she might quit that too!

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Politics Republican United States

Ron Paul: Republicans Think They’re Such Great Fiscal Conservatives

Libertarian Ron Paul, who caucuses with the Republicans in Congress, criticized the Republicans push this week to defund NPR – National Public Radio. He said that Republicans would be satisfied with $10 million savings, which would do nothing for the budget, but will allow them to “go home and brag about how they’re such great fiscal conservatives.”

“There’s a serious question of whether [eliminating NPR funding] will even cut one penny, but at least the fiscal conservatives are going to be overwhelmingly in support of slashing NPR, go home and brag about how they’re such great fiscal conservatives.”

“The very most they might save is $10 million. That’s their claim to fame for slashing the budget. At the same time they won’t consider for minute cutting a real significant amount of money.”

Republicans have promised their Teaparty members that they will cut over $60 billion from the budget. They have proposed cuts in areas like nutrition for infants and pregnant women. Economists from both political sides of the aisle have predicted that if these cuts go through, the American people will suffer.

The Washington Post:

Zandi, an architect of the 2009 stimulus package who has advised both political parties, predicts that the GOP package would reduce economic growth by 0.5 percentage points this year, and by 0.2 percentage points in 2012, resulting in 700,000 fewer jobs by the end of next year.

Ron Paul said it best – what these Republicans are doing is just for bragging rights.

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Barack Obama Republican Sarah Palin Sarah Palin United States

Palin Criticizing The President At A Time Of War Is Unpatriotic

We all remember when Republicans and conservatives criticized the patriotism of anyone who talked negatively of the President at a time of war particularly when that president was on foreign soil. Well evidently, someone forgot to tell Sarah Palin.

In her recent campaign trip to… India, Palin couldn’t help but get in some digs directed at  the present administration. Speaking about Obama’s green energy initiatives, Palin referred to it as “social engineering.” She said;

This push for ‘green’ at the expense of ‘conventional, reliable’ sources is not a credible energy policy or economic policy. It’s “Social Engineering” by Central Government Planners. And it leads to nothing but more debt & more job loss. And taxpayers will be stuck subsidizing the failure and paying more for energy.

Palin also accused the government of “manipulating the energy supplies,” and that the President’s desire to explore other means of clean energy instead of depending primarily on oil, was  a ‘ utopian fairytale’;

I warn Americans so often: it’s a ‘false, utopian fairytale’ told that would want you to believe we don’t need to drill for oil today. No, government manipulating energy supplies? Manipulating any aspect of an economy – it leads to more people becoming more dependent upon government to meet needs – it is social engineering, it’s immoral, & it’s a problem we-the-people must be brave enough to take on.

I guess not criticizing a President in a time of war, only applies if the president is a Republican.

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House of Representatives Politics Republican

N.P.R. In Republican’s Crosshairs

In a move that is nothing short of attempting to silence any and all political opposition from wherever it may come, the Republican led House of Representatives passed a bill that will cut funding to NPR – National Public Radio. The vote was held along party lines, with only seven Republicans voting with Democrats to continue funding. It passed, with a vote of 228 – 192.

If the bill becomes law, it would mean that other stations could not buy programming from NPR or any other source using the $22 million they get from the federal government.

Democrats saw the move by Republicans as strictly a political move, and the Republicans way of appeasing the Teaparty. “Why are we wasting valuable floor time on an ideological battle?” said Representative Louise Slaughter of New York.

The bill is not expected to reach the Senate, but if it does, it is not expected to pass. Democrats have a slight 51-47 majority vote in the Senate.

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