Tag: Congress

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Politics Republican

Republicans Finally Acting Like They’re In The Minority

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – House Republicans appeared to be coming to grips with a stark realization as they returned to Washington from a three-day retreat here — they have a majority in name only.

The party begins the 113th Congress with reduced numbers and confronting a popular president and an increased Democratic majority in the Senate.

Preparing for a cascade of fiscal battles and a presidential push on guns and immigration, the House GOP is adopting a minority posture, hoping to achieve modest goals incrementally while serving as a check on Obama’s ambitious second-term agenda.

Republicans “have to recognize the realities of the divided government that we have,” said Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), the party’s budget chief and 2012 vice presidential nominee.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and his aides have taken to referring to the “Democrat majority in Washington” in statements in recent weeks.

The stance is a significant shift from the party’s mantra in the immediate aftermath of the November election, when Boehner and other leaders claimed one half of a dual mandate from voters who had reelected both Obama and the House Republican majority.

It also represents a resetting of expectations for Republican lawmakers and voters alike.

h/t The Hill

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Newt Gingrich Politics

Words Of Wisdom From Newt Gingrich – Debt Ceiling Fight is “A Dead Loser” For GOP

Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Newt Gingrich had something to say about congressional Republicans’ new threat to damage this nation’s recovering economy – fighting President Obama tooth and nail on the debt ceiling fight coming in a couple of months. Congressional Republicans have indicated that they are willing to shut down the government if necessary, to force President Obama and the Democrats to see things their way. And to this idea, Gingrich said;

“But he also knows — they’ve got to find, in the house, a totally new strategy,” Gingrich began. “Confronting — for example, everybody’s now talking about, okay, now comes the debt ceiling. I think that’s, frankly, a dead loser.”

Gingrich explained that “in the end… the whole national financial system is going to come into Washington by television and say ‘Oh, my god, this will be a gigantic heart attack. The entire economy of the world will collapse. You guys can’t be responsible,’ and they’ll cave.”

The last time Republicans threatened to force a U.S. government default by refusing to raise the debt ceiling, which allows the government to pay out money that congress has already spent, the result was the first credit rating downgrade in U.S. history. Another such debacle would be disastrous, but Republicans see this threat as fair game to extract political concessions.

I’m pretty sure that will be the first and only time we use Newt Gingrich and “words of wisdom” in the same sentence.

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Politics republican fail

Today, the 112th Congress of the United States of America finally ends. Thank God.

Ezra Klein writes:

What’s the record of the 112th Congress? Well, it almost shut down the government and almost breached the debt ceiling. It almost went over the fiscal cliff (which it had designed in the first place). It cut a trillion dollars of discretionary spending in the Budget Control Act and scheduled another trillion in spending cuts through an automatic sequester, which everyone agrees is terrible policy. It achieved nothing of note on housing, energy, stimulus, immigration, guns, tax reform, infrastructure, climate change or, really, anything. It’s hard to identify a single significant problem that existed prior to the 112th Congress that was in any way improved by its two years of rule.

The 112th, which was gaveled into being on Jan. 3, 2011, by newly elected House SpeakerJohn Boehner, wasn’t just unproductive in comparison with the 111th. It was unproductive compared with any Congress since 1948, when scholars began keeping tabs on congressional productivity.

When it ends, the 112th Congress will have passed about 220 public laws — by far the least of any Congress on record. Prior to the 112th, the least productive Congress was the 104th, from January 1995 to January 1997. Not coincidentally, that Congress also featured a new Republican House majority determined to ruin a Democratic president in advance of the next campaign. The 104th, however, passed 333 public laws — almost 50 percent more than the 112th. The 112th stands alone in its achievement of epic failure.

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Politics

The 112th Congress Will Be The Least Productive In History

Thanks to a Republican controlled House of Representatives of course.

With just days left in the 112th Congress, this session of legislators is set to become the least productive in modern American history, according to a review by The Huffington Post. President Barack Obama has signed just 219 bills into law since January, 2011. This Congress would need to pass another 100 bills between now and the close of this Congress’ business in order to surpass the 104th Congress which, up to now, has had the honor of being the least productive Congress since records going back to 1947 have been kept by the U.S. Clerk’s office.

Both the 104th (1995-1996) and the 112th Congress share the distinction of including a number of Republican legislators swept into office after a wave election. They also governed during a Democratic presidential administration.

h/t The Huffington Post

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Mitt Romney Politics war

Mitt Romney – Who Needs Congress? My Lawyers Will Advise Me On Declaring War

The clip below features the cast of Republican candidates trying to get their party’s nomination to take on then candidate, Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential elections.

In the clip, moderator Chris Matthews asked Mitt Romney a question – who will you consult before sending our troops into war? This should have been easy one for Mitt. The Constitution already answered this question – Congress is the body of Government authorized to declare war. But when asked, Mitt Romney replied that his lawyers would make that decision.

This is not a joke people, this man could be the next president of the United States.

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Politics

Republican Darrell Issa Wins! – Most Corrupt Member of Congress Award as per CREW

On September 13th, Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA) won an award he’d probably love to be able to decline. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions, gave Issa a Dishonorable Mention in its 8th annual Most Corrupt Members of Congress report.

CREW cites Issa for illegally revealing confidential information from a sealed wiretap in the Congressional Record — while leading a politically-motivated witch hunt intended to hurt Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder — and then shielding himself from reproach and censure by claiming that he, as a member of Congress, had constitutional protections for his unethical actions.

As CREW explains, “Rep. Issa […] knew that by inserting the information in the Congressional Record, he would be immune from prosecution under the Constitution’s Speech or Debate clause, which protects members of Congress for remarks and actions that fall within the legislative sphere.” Federal law dictates that wiretap applications can only be disclosed after acquiring permission from a judge, and anyone breaking this law can be held in contempt.

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Paul Ryan Politics

Republican Strategist: Paul Ryan Could Cost Party Congressional Seats in November

Republicans strategists are worried that Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) addition to the presidential ticket will cost their party House and Senate seats this fall.

Their concern: Democrats will successfully demonize Ryan’s budget plan, which contains controversial spending cuts and changes to Medicare.

“There are a lot races that are close to the line we’re not going to win now because they’re going to battle out who’s going to kill grandma first, ObamaCare or Paul Ryan’s budget,” said one Republican strategist who works on congressional races. “It could put the Senate out of reach. In the House it puts a bunch of races in play that would have otherwise been safe. … It remains to be seen how much damage this causes, but my first blush is this is not good.”

Many Republicans in tough races this year, especially in the House, voted for Ryan’s proposal, which makes it hard for them to distance themselves from it.

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Politics weekly address

President Obama Calls on Congress to Act on His To Do List – Video

In his weekly address, President Obama called on Republicans and Democrats in Congress to get to work for the American people. The President laid out items he said will produce immediate positive results for the middle class.

First, Congress should stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas, and use that money to cover moving expenses for companies that bring jobs back to America.

Second, Congress should help the millions of Americans who have worked hard and made their mortgage payments on time refinance their mortgages at lower rates and save at least $3,000 a year.

Third, Congress should help small business owners by giving them a tax break for hiring more workers and paying them higher wages.  Small businesses are the engine of economic growth in this country.  We shouldn’t be holding them back – we should be making it easier for them to succeed.

Fourth, if Congress fails to act soon, clean energy companies will see their taxes go up and could be forced to lay off employees.  These companies are putting Americans to work and helping break our dependence on foreign oil.  Congress should extend these tax credits.

And finally, Congress should help our veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan by creating a Veterans Job Corps.  Our men and women in uniform have served this country with honor.  Now it’s our turn to serve them.

So that’s Congress’s “To-Do” List.  But now we need them to start crossing things off.  I need you to call your Members of Congress, write an email, tweet, and let them know we can’t afford to wait any longer to get things done.  Tell them now is the time to take steps we know will grow our economy and create jobs.

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Politics

Congressional Republican Candidate – Violence Against Women Act? What’s That?

Her name is Sarah Steelman and she is running for the Missouri’s Congress as a Republican. She will fit in perfectly with today’s other Congressional Republicans.

According to this website, Sarah Steelman serves on the Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan Board of Trustees; the Missouri Public Service Commission’s Gas Cost Recovery Task Force; the Joint Committee on Terrorism, Bioterrorism & Homeland Security; and the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. She is chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce and Environment; a member of the Senate Committee on Aging, Families, Mental & Public Health; a member of the Senate Committee on Education; and a member of the Senate Committee on Governmental Accountability and Fiscal Oversight.

With all that knowledge, Ms Steelman was asked a very simple question – what do you think about the Violence Against Women Act?

We’re still waiting for a sensible answer.

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Anthony Weiner Tid Bits

White House Decision was Final Nail in Antony Weiner’s Congressional Coffin

President Obama was willing to put up with a lot of Anthony Weiner’s antics — the bad boy congressman’s sexting with women he never met, tweeting pics of his own penis, and acid tongue.

But the White House finally got fed up when reports emerged that the pol was in contact with an underage girl.

According to a new book, the cold shoulder from the White House was the beginning of the end of Weiner’s career in Congress.

“We were willing to stand by him before, but I don’t see how we can do it any longer,” White House political director Patrick Gaspard is quoted as telling Weiner’s advisers.

With that, Weiner — who thought he could weather the scandal that started when he accidentally tweeted a crotch shot — lost his trademark bravado.

“I just can’t figure out what I should do,” Weiner told advisers.

Source: New York Post

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Politics

Oil Executives to Congress – We Don’t Need Your Stinkin’ $4 Billion Yearly Subsidy

Why exactly are we subsidizing the oil industry by the tune of $4 billion dollars a year, when the oil executives themselves already testified that they don’t need our subsidies. And especially when oil companies are making billions in profits a year, and more especially when prices at the gas pump getting higher by the day?

Why are we doing it? Because Republicans wont allow this loophole to end, that’s why.

Below, watch and listen to the executives themselves as they tell Congress they don’t need our stinkin’ $4 billion subsidy!

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Politics weekly address

President Obama Reminds Us – No Action In Congress Could Raise Your Taxes This Month

President Obama used his weekly Presidential address to call on Congress to “do the right thing” on the expiring Payroll Tax issue. The tax extension recently agreed to is set to expire at the end of February.

… at the end of the month, taxes are set to go up on 160 million working Americans. If you’re one of them, then you know better than anyone that the last thing you need right now is a tax hike.  But if Congress refuses to act, middle class taxes will go up.  It’s that simple.

Echoing recent appeals to the public, the President called on Americans to pick up the phone and call their congressperson and demand that they extend the Payroll Tax Cuts.

 I hope you’ll pick up the phone, send a tweet, write an email, and tell your representative that they should get this done before it gets too late.  Tell them not to play politics again by linking this debate to unrelated issues. Tell them not to manufacture another needless standoff or crisis.  Tell them not to stand in the way of the recovery.  Tell them to just do their job.  That’s what our middle class needs.  That’s what our country needs.

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