Politics
More PoliticsRight-Wing Fervor Drives Republicans into Suicide Pact
It’s not unusual for a party to take risks to achieve its goals. But as Jonathan Chait notes, Republicans have voted for a budget that’s unpopular even with their own base.
One of my favorite descriptions of the modern Republican party came during the late 1990s, when the Republican revolution had blundered into one of its periodic acts of self-immolation. An anonymous Clinton administration official gloated to the Washington Post, “Every once in a while the Hezbollah wing of their party gets ahold of the steering wheel and drives right off the cliff.”
Another one of those “every once in a while” moments is happening again now as the party has put before the voters their plan to radically rewrite the social compact. The Paul Ryan budget received its first test run in a special election in a conservative upstate New York district, whose Republican share of the vote has veered between 52 percent in the worst years to nearly 74 percent in the best years. With the Ryan plan serving as the central issue of the campaign, the Democrats won a shocking upset.
The Republicans’ response? Hit the gas. There’s nothing but blue sky ahead!
Now, with all but four members of the House having already stuck their neck out and voted for a budget that combines the unpopular policy of reducing taxes for the affluent with the even more unpopular policy of slashing social insurance benefits, there’s not much Republicans could do to help the lower chamber. Yet, astonishingly, Republicans have doubled down. Gleeful Democrats called the budget for a vote in the Senate. Given a chance to cast a free vote distancing themselves from the plan, 40 of 45 GOP senators voted yes anyway. Presidential candidates like Tim Pawlenty, who does not even have to vote on the issue, announced that he would sign the budget. Evidence of the public’s rejection of Ryan has only made the faithful more fervent to display their fealty to him. Dick Cheney announced, “I worship the ground Paul Ryan walks on.”
His fellow partisans are retreating into a fantasy world in which the only barrier to public acceptance is a failure to make their point clearly enough. Politico reports that Senate Republicans believe they must “make the case that their proposals would ‘save’ Medicare — while Democrats are content with leaving the program on the brink of collapse.” That sounds like a brilliant idea, except Republicans in upstate New York repeatedly used that line against Kathy Hochul. (Sample campaign talking point: “Kathy Hochul may try to cover up her plan to let Medicare run out of money and trigger massive slashes to benefits for New York seniors who depend on the program.”)
The leaders of the party have fully convinced themselves that their pseudo-polls are valid—and that their imagined army of Paul Ryan clones can win over the public.
House of Representatives Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) addresses the Peter G. Peterson Foundation 2011 Fiscal Summit at the Mellon Auditorium May 25, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
Anti-tax jihadist Grover Norquist declared that the solution is to distribute 150,000 copies of a video of Ryan defending his plan to faithful believers. “The challenge will be to teach each of our activists to deliver the Ryan speech.” Perhaps young Republicans can drop out of college for a couple of years to knock on doors, clutching copies of Atlas Shrugged and spreading the Good News.
Meanwhile, Karl Rove, who now advises the pro-Republican ad-bombing group American Crossroads, also insists the public will see things his way. He argues that his group has developed a secret, killer argument for the Ryan budget. “55 percent in the Crossroads survey agreed with GOP arguments for the Ryan reforms,” he boasts, “while just 36 percent agreed with the Democrats' arguments against it.”
Anthony Weiner's Junk Defense
Howard Kurtz is The Daily Beast and Newsweek's Washington bureau chief, and writes the Spin Cycle blog. He also hosts CNN's weekly media program Reliable Sources on Sundays at 11 a.m. ET. The longtime media reporter and columnist for The Washington Post, Kurtz is the author of five books.
Anthony Weiner's Playboy Past
David Graham is a reporter for Newsweek covering politics, national affairs, and business. His writing has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal and The National in Abu Dhabi.
Is Weiner's Excuse Credible?
Dan Lyons is technology editor at Newsweek and the creator of Fake Steve Jobs, the persona behind the notorious tech blog, The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs. Before joining Newsweek, Lyons spent 10 years at Forbes.
War on the Weak
Jonathan Chait is a senior editor of The New Republic.
Mauiboy
THELMA AND LOUISE MEETS THE HANGOVER: What Boehner and McConnell have yet to learn is that, when you were reckless during the last tenure of having majorities in both Houses and the WH, and not owned up to it; if at some point you have to come back to reality or you will take the road not taken over the cliff. Not facing up to the sex scandals, the Abramoff connection, the wide stances and the unfunded wars and drug prescription bill, and some point you either fess up to it all or continue this political bender and hope that you wake up tomorrow with all your teeth and enough memory to put on a good front. By going balls to the wall may win you some consolation prize, don't be surprised when the gas pedal sticks to the floorboards and then all hell breaks loose.
maspring
What the Democrats should do is take this opportunity that the Republicans have created and offer another method of saving Medicare.
How about letting everyone over the age of 50 buy into Medicare? This would put more money in the program and let more, healthier people take advantage of it. It should also put downward pressure on prices for all insurance options.
The Republicans have just opened a door here and there's room to shape the narrative going forward.
Democrats should seize this opportunity and put an alternate plan on the table.
AlanD2
I'd vote for "Medicare for All", maspring. Let's go with a single-payer, government-run health care system, getting rid of health insurance companies altogether.
Coltrane65
Amen.
cryptoad
double amens,,,,,
PigFarmer
Alan, the insurance companies are our friends. Don't you pay attention to their commercials? There's nothing they wouldn't do for us. Moohahaha
teabaggingforjesus
Don't worry, the power of Prayer will save our Republican Party!
Jesus saves! Jesus saves brothers!
We can also double down and place our entire future on an intellectual giant like Sarah Palin who has both the moral and intellectual imperative to save this country!
Here my testimony Liberals and quake in your boots!
imagineallthepeople
"saving" Medicare, maspring. You guys are really funny.
RevPettibone
As the owner of a small business that employs 80 people. I am finally resigned to the fact that as long as Barack Obama is our President, our taxes and government fees will continue to increase in a BIG way for the remainder of his term in office.
To compensate for the tax increases, I figured out our customers will have to see a price hike of about 8%. However, due to the dismal state of our economy we can't increase prices right now, so we'll have to lay off seven of our employees instead. This problem has been really eating at me, as I believe we're all family around here. In fact, at first I just didn't know how to choose who would have to go. After all, everyone has someone that counts on them, and our employees are all such good people.
So after much thought, this is what I've decided to do..... I'm going to walk through the parking lot out back and find Obama '08 bumper stickers on seven cars belonging to our employees. You see I've decided that these will be the first employees to be laid off..... I can't think of a more fair way to approach the problem. These folks wanted change, so I'm going to give it to them.
If you have a better idea, please let me know.
Sincerely,
A Small Business Owner
.
imagineallthepeople
Which "taxes and government fees" have increased under Obama, RevPettibone?
imagineallthepeople
A small business owner that employs my neighbor and about eight other people was finally just able to offer his employees health insurance because of tax incentives under the new health care law. His business is growing and he is please to be able to keep valuable people by offering a health plan. They just hired another employee who said the health plan made the difference in his decision.
RevPettibone
to imagineallthepeople....
It's like I've always said, if a leftist tells you about targeted tax cuts and credits it means you don't get it. Small businesses are being hit hard by Obamacare taxes, and the tax incentives you're talking about are so targeted, that the CBO has said only 12% of businesses qualify for them.
Just last month in the city of San Francisco, in fact it was in Nancy Pelosi's district, 39 small businesses filed for waivers so they wouldn't have to implement Obamacare. Their reason for getting the waiver, "they couldn't afford the increase to their bottom line and hope to stay in business."
And it's just not small businesses.... let's not forget how the teachers unions campaigned for Obamacare and then demanded waivers so the law wouldn't apply to them.... Even Ronald McDonald & Co did it, right before the State of Maine.
Now what was it you were saying about Obamacare being such a great piece of legislation?
.
tonyjenson
I've gotten bigger tax refunds under President Obama than I ever did under President Bush.
teabaggingforjesus
Well thats because your making less than 300k a year, you poor fool.
nedmadden
RevPetti--so you are "the owner of a small business that employs 80 people."
Based on my observations of your ubiquitous postings here on TDB over the years (as you make up endless lame excuses defending Republican depredations against working Americans), it appears to me that said posting work must be a full-time job for you. So here's my question:
Why does it take 80 people to help you write these troll posts?
And will laying off seven of them seriously impact your current level of blogging output?
Unless you post elsewhere in cyberspace, it just seems like you could maintain your current level of blog activity (at least here) by simply getting a minimum-wage, part-time high school kid to key in your regular contributions to the Beast.
And doing this would probably provide the bonus of a commensurate upgrade in intellectual quality.
Everyone would benefit.
JohnnyAces
@ Rev,
Way to re-cycle old rubbish. Read that partisan email two years ago. Turns out that businesses are doing quite well since Obama became President (although not all to his credit). The problem is that the middle class workers have been making less and less over the last decade, while the business executives and super-rich are getting even wealthier. One of my wealthy clients was bragging the other day how the Bush tax cuts paid for his second house in it's entirety (worth $800K). Got to love that.
BTW. Unlike you, I really am a business owner....and my business is thriving thank you very much. If your fake 80 person company isn't doing well it's likely they're in the wrong business or are subject to lousy management. It certainly has nothing to do with Obama.
DSchlageter
"Never get in the way of your enemy while he is making a mistake" - Napoleon
nikkya
one thing most people need to watch republicans they are like children having a tantrum when people don't agree with what ever they say
DSchlageter
@ RevPettibone - Actually taxes are at there lowest level in a generation. So that's BS. They were higher during the Clinton period and before which saw a huge number of innovative small companies take off, remember Apple starting in a garage. When Bush cut taxes on rich people and the republican congress got rid of the Glass-Steagall, Act banks an other rich individuals moved from making money by innovating products to innovating financial instruments. Why mess around with a risky small business that takes years when you can fudge some numbers and make millions in months. Now here is the real ignorance of your statement. Having been a upper level manager in a number of small companies starting out was always hard in no small part because insurance was really pricey and usually not good. Working at a big company you have great insurance and never worry if the premiums were paid up when you visit the doctor. So unless your young and inexperienced, leaving your cushy job to take a chance on a good idea means paying out the nose for coverage or not being covered. Now try to hire someone who is great but has kids, who's wife is pregnant or a woman that may want to become pregnant, or someone that has a "pre-existing" condition. If we had universal coverage that would be much easier, right now big companies hold a lot of cards because they have the good insurance that means if you get sick you won't loose everything.
Finally the reason you can't raise prices to offset the cost is because all our jobs have been off shored which creates higher profits and larger headroom for increases in executive compensation. So unless you selling stuff to the small number of rich execs you have less and less of a middle class to draw on for a market. Your republican buddies, who get a lot of funding from the Chamber of Commerce, really like offshoring because then there are more rich donors for them and less middle class donors for the majority. That means more TV ads for your weak impressionable mind to convince you that the only way to salvation is to continue to vote against your own self interests.
But its really disgusting to hear you blame all that on Obama who in all reality has been the best right of center republican president you have ever had.
Lotto1
That is the solution and it will work
RevPettibone
to TB4J....
I'm sure it's getting harder and harder for the Left to prop Obama up.. After all he was gonna lower the seas and fix the climate. He said he'd end all wars and America would be loved abroad.
His too, was a promise of keeping people in their homes and creating millions of jobs here in the States. And if you were in the Tampa Bay area - Obama was even gonna give you a new kitchen...... Yeah, right. Instead of all that promised utopia, what did we get?
We're now in even more wars - Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya and don't forget Colombia(we've been there for almost 20 years).
Foreclosures abound, while existing home prices are now at their lowest since 2006. Hell, Liberals want us to believe it's time to downsize our lives. They'd like for us all to buy into the notion that says, "maybe buying a home wasn't what we were suppose to do anyway."
And that bit about the average joe, investing in the future and growing the economy - yeah an uber-liberal agenda, but all the while just a prank.
Now we see the wait time in hospital emergency rooms being posted on roadside billboards up and down Interstate 95...... And jobless people, well they're all being re-trained for jobs that aren't available.
Welcome to Obamaville folks. A place, where ever you go, that you'll find the economic news is not just bad, it's disastorous........ Get ready for the riots.
.
RevPettibone
to DSschlageter....
True Apple got it's start in a garage... but it was in the 70s during the Ford administration and continued through the Reagan Revolution --- Not as you say, when Bill Clinton was in the White House.
Secondly, among the many voices during the Clinton Administration favoring the repeal of Glass-Stegall, was Alan Greenspan along with former Goldman Sachs partner Robert Rubin, Bill Clinton's Treasury Secretary. In a 1995 speech and testimony to Congress, Robert Rubin made it clear the Clinton Administration was ready to repeal Glass-Steagall. And anyone who thinks the repeal of Glass-Steagall was forced on an unwilling Bill Clinton in 1999, need only read Rubin's testimony below:
"The banking industry is fundamentally different from what it was two decades ago, let alone in 1933." He said the industry has been transformed into a global business of facilitating capital formation through diverse new products, services and markets. "U.S. banks generally engage in a broader range of securities activities abroad than is permitted domestically," said the Treasury secretary. "Even domestically, the separation of investment banking and commercial banking envisioned by Glass-Steagall has eroded significantly."
.
kognyc
DISTORT, ATTACK, REPEAT
Fox may look like a news broadcast, but it's really the advance guard of the GOP distortion machine. An hour-by-hour look at how Fox turns Obama into the second coming of V.I. Lenin
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/distort-attack-repeat-20110524 ?page=2
dalelama
Your plan won't work as it will just force more doctors to abandon Medicare patients as the reimbursements won't cover their costs.
gregm91436
Actually replying to RevPettibone:
http://jokesfunny.wordpress.com/2008/10/27/dear-fellow-business-owners/< br /> Rev, you just reproduced this word-for-word (written BEFORE the ACA passed). We have no idea whether or not you're really a small business owner; if you are, you should give us a link to verify. At best, you changed dates in a deceptive manner. And, unless you're somehow the owner of funnyjokes.com, you didn't write this, nor was there any indication that this was intended as humor--you meant it.
Given that you lied, care explaining why we should believe anything else you say?
Grey Parker
This is for RevPettibone
Here's the state of our revenue crisis from the viewpoint of an ACTUAL conservative economist. Or are you going to say that one of the architects of the Reagan Budgets is some secret leftist?
http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/31/are-taxes-in-the-u-s-high-o r-low/
Your assertions are quite simply fabricated. The corporate rate is at it's lowest point in 60 years. You wrote:
"To compensate for the tax increases, I figured out our customers will have to see a price hike of about 8%. However, due to the dismal state of our economy we can't increase prices right now, so we'll have to lay off seven of our employees instead."
Prove it. I mean it. What is your business? What increases in the federal code have led you to this metric? If you are telling the truth, back it up.
GinaRN
petty bone: biggest,nastiest Liar/Bigot on TDB.
Always wrong, never in doubt.
lillymckim
Ryan Budget Gets 40 Votes in Senate, Obama Budget Gets a Big Fat 0
If Ryas is horrible? What does that say about Obamas?
Obamas did not get one vote even from his own party?
cryptoad
lilly take a proac and go back to bed,,,,, you know you are not good with numbers this early in morning!
lillymckim
Obama's budget 97-0 and yes that is a "zero"...
incorrect?
if so what are the correct numbers?
MitchellCameron
It says nothing about Obama's. The Democrats didn't vote against Obama's plan because they hated it, they smartly voted against it because it had no chance of passing either way and with some unpopular pieces in that budget, why give your opponents' ammunition against you for no reason whatsoever?
imagineallthepeople
Neither budget is any good, lillymckim. It's pathetic.
cryptoad
Lilly maybe I can provide a parable,,,,,,, Jack has two oranges and Jill has no strawberries. How many nuts do they have between them..........
AnIndividual
cryptoad, please run for President!
lillymckim
crypt maybe you can provide the correct numbers ... after calling me out on my post??
thought so.
at least "I" will admit my errors...
DSchlageter
Ryan is a political punk who got way ahead of himself trying to be one of the new "conservative" badasses. He maybe wanted to impress his Koch contributors that he is a bonafide white knight fighting for the third worldization of America by killing our social safety net. But it reveals how stupid, ignorant, out of touch and beholden the rest of the Republicans were to charge right into the guns on a side issue. Jobs is what Americans wanted, but when all your ideas revolve around the single notion of top down tax cuts you don't really have any maneuver room. One more republican president and congress and you won't be able to recognize this country anymore.
swarns
No plan, no budget, no ideas...the dems and their shills in media want people to believe republicans are bad. It is a sad day in America when we have so many retarded liberals who believe anything lame media tells them.
dalelama
Now that Soetoro policies have officially caused a double dip recession in the housing market, unemployment to spike to 9.1% (to be announced at end of week), created the greatest level of debt in American history, huge spikes in the price of gas and food, and sunk consumer confidence the last thing we have to worry about are realistic, forward thinking plans to get the uncontrollable costs of entitlements under control. Soetoro and his Socialist brownshirts have a rude awakening coming despite media efforts to cover up his gross mismanagement of the economy. The full scale double dip is fast approaching and Soetoro and his minions will not be able to hide behind the media when that occurs.
Ribman
Rev, if you're a small business owner responsible for keeping customers supplied with whatever it is you claim to be selling, plus the livelihood of 80 people on your watch, maybe you'd better fire yourself, for excessive internet usage.
imagineallthepeople
Maybe he works while he reads and posts like I do, and darn you, Ribman, you just made me laugh inappropriately on the phone with a customer :)
Beatrix139
Enough already. The Rev doesn't own a business but was making a point. A very funny one. I don't own a business, but I can see that the economy is horrible.
jakenhyde
@rev....so you'll dismiss all the employees who have Obama bumper stickers on their cars. they're probably your highest producing workers, but you'll let them go for political reasons. Typical nutjob thinking. With that attitude, I can't imagine why anyone would want to work for you. But, that's their problem.
AlanD2
Wasn't it nice of Senate Republicans to follow House Republicans over the cliff of the Ryan budget? I have the feeling that New York district 26 is just the first of a number of setbacks for the GOP. Couldn't happen to a nicer party...
Rhett6
Would you like fava beans and a nice chianti with that crow, dear Alan.?
It ain't over till the fat lady sings.
Americans are smarter than you and the rest of the Dims think they are.........you can fool some of the people some of the time but you can't...................
Desertpenguin
You're an ass no matter what you say, and you talk like a redneck fool.
The right-wing, after trying as hard as possible to turn the US into a fascist state, is dying.
As badly as you want capitalism to destroy Democracy, it's not going to happen.
You will fail.
Coltrane65
Mixed metaphors and inane rhetoric....same old Rhett.
cryptoad
John Q is fed up with GOP nutter's lies and its welfare ways suckling the big Federal teat. The GOP is DOA!
MitchellCameron
Rhett, you sound exactly like the Dems sounded after Scott Brown's victory: "it ain't over yet", "this doesn't mean anything", "the American people aren't as dumb as you think they are...they will love our healthcare overhaul if you just give them time". I mean, it's nearly identical.
And I'll sure you will be delighted to remind me again, how did that work out for them in 2010?
snafina
Rhett...I usually agree with you, but not this time. The Republicans are making a tragic mistake here.
Here's what is wrong with the Republican plan: Americans understand there is a deficit, but they have little sense of the scope of that deficit and the increasing burden of the debt. Making matters worse, most voters don't want to spend ten minutes understand the budget and they are being told different stories from the Democrats and the mainstream media.
Most important of all, people look around and see government spending wherever they look...extended unemployment, food stamps, child care subsidies, housing subsidies, huge education subsidies (not just for tuition, but for housing, food, living expenses) free cell phones for pete's sake!
They're thinking, "I paid for my Medicare and my SS...it's not a freebie. I EARNED IT. That should be the LAST THING THEY CUT."
Trust me, Rhett...that is what even the most conservative voter is thinking. They will not understand the solid principles behind the Ryan budget....They will not "get" the nature of the emergency. The Republicans are just plain tone deaf on this issue.
And that will cost them 2012...possibly both the House, the Senate and the Presidency.
Someone needs to explain to the Republicans to BACK OFF!!!!
imagineallthepeople
Someone needs to explain to both Republicans and Democrats that the American people want them to cut military spending. Spelled m i l i t a r y, not m e d i c a r e.
cryptoad
Snuffy,,,,,,, Sarah will get them on the right path back to the middle....
AlanD2
Rhett, pay attention to snaf. She's ten times smarter than you.
tonyjenson
The Republican Party doesn't actually care about the deficeit or jobs.
Conservatives ONLY care about abortion, abolishing collective bargaining, tax cuts for the richest 2% and protecting Big Oil and Insurance Companies. Just look at the legislation they've passed in the States where they have control.
Everyone else are just pawns to be sacrificed in their game of political chess.
DW Smith
Imagine,
excellent point... as usual.
cometlinear
The GOP still hasn't recovered from George Bush. I'm sure the powers that be have already written off 2012.
swarns
AlanD2 - Hold on to that NY 26 victory. That is about as good as it going to get for libturd dems. Us tea baggers are going to set this country back on the right track starting 2012.
rustywheeler
Yes, I'm sure "us...are" gonna git it back real good-like.
AlanD2
You keep believing that, swarns, if it makes you happy...
overdue
Attn progressives: don't count you chickens till they're hatched!
Gloating is tacky; look how it's ruined Sarah Palin's freshman glow.
Mr Bloss
overdue/Rhett
I kind of agree about the hubris, but it's going to take a particularly dim Republican to believe Ryan is going to win them any votes. The GOP's top table seems to be as out of touch as ever with the American electorate and although I might be jumping ahead of the singing fat lady and all those unhatched chickens, 2012 is not looking like the breeze you folks were hoping for. This is probably not helped by the flirtation with the Tea Party, who are looking more mad and more weird with the passing of each day.
lillymckim
Obama will be running on his own record ..this time.. just like last Nov...
a whole new ballgame... in 2012
Paid Troll
And it was such a SHORT time ago (April this year) that Chris Wallace
was introducing Ryan (and his budget) on Fox News Sunday as 'scary
smart'.
So much for Chris Wallace's judgement. Talk about implosion.
cryptoad
Lilly,, Obama did not run last Nov,,,,,,,,,, another time warp I suppose.....?!!
tonyjenson
"Obama will be running on his own record ..this time.. just like last Nov..."
So will Republicans: Abolishing Medicare, Subsidizing Big Oil, Eliminating Collective Bargaining, Protecting the TEMPORARY Bush Tax Cuts and Abortion. Basically...anything but jobs.
lillymckim
make no mistake Obama's agenda was running in Nov and voted on...
DW Smith
Make no mistake that you will be beaten in 2012
That's a no-brainer
You have nothing... and I mean Nothing
cryptoad
Its not Gloating if its the truth,,,,,,,even the Nutter polls show the opposite of what you are preaching,,,,,,,
MacK-MacK
Intellectually, psychologically, sociologically the modern Republican party remind me of Marxists - the sort I argued with in my youth. They share the same tendency to "parrot" slogans and the party line no matter what facts cropped up, the same tendency to call those facts distortions of the "Liberal Media" (yes the Marxists complained about liberals), the same moral posturing. The Marxists also believed in the "dialectic materialism" which is so "Tea Party" that it is hard to credit:
"A very simple process, which is taking place everywhere and every day, which any child can understand as soon as it is stripped of the veil of mystery in which it was enveloped by the old idealist philosophy" Friedrich Engels
Hmmmm
nortonclybourn
The Republicans made the fatal mistake of believing their own hype. They've been able to get less affluent people to vote against their interests, but this requires finesse in deceit. To come straight out and say that you want to make a token effort to "balance" the budget on the backs of working folks and retirees while cutting taxes for the rich...not so smart.
snafina
norton...I think the Republicans are doing what they think is right...unfortunately, it will be political suicide.
AlanD2
This is what happens when conservatives only listen to Fox News and Rush Limbaugh, Norton. Their alternate universe is comfortable and consistent with their beliefs, but it fails when faced with reality - such as New York district 26.
dalelama
Is a three way race where the Tea Party member delivered the Democrats a victory the best example of a Democrat resurgence you can find? You are getting desperate.
AlanD2
Nate Silver analyzed the impact of Davis on the race, and he determined that only 2/3s of Davis's votes would likely have gone to Corwin, so Hochul would have won anyway, dalelama.
Sorry to rain on your parade...
Soundgarden
"Hear me, people: We are dealing with another race-small and feeble when our fathers first met them, but now great and overbearing. Strangely enough they have a mind to till the soil and the love of possesstion is a disease with them. These people have made many rules that the rich may break but the poor may not. They take their tithes from the poor and weak to support the rich those who rule."
Chief Sitting Bull-1877
AlanD2
Some things never change, do they, Soundgarden?
Soundgarden
What would the Great Chief say today Alan?
AlanD2
Change "race" to "party" (tea party, obviously), and it's 100% up-to-date, Soundgarden.
DW Smith
I think Sitting Bull is getting a broader audience, these days
You really have got to wonder why there are SO many disenfranchised
Soundgarden
"Sitting Bull made no distinction between Democrats and Republicans-which was probably just as well, in 1877 or any other year-but it's also true that Sitting Bull never knew the degradation of traveling on Richard Nixon's press plane; he never had the bilious pleasure of dealing with Ron Ziegler, and he never met John Mitchell, Nixon's king fixer.
If the old Sioux Chief had ever done these things, I think-despite his angry contempt for the White Man and everything he stands for-he'd be working overtime for George McGovern today."
Hunter S. Thompson-Fear and Loathing: On The Campaign Trail. 1973
Substitute "Nixon" Ziegler" "Mitchell" with any current Republican, and "McGovern" with any Democrat, and it still rings true today.
Beatrix139
I recently met a descendent of Chief Sitting Bull, and this is true. He's out of work and he thinks you and your ilk, Soundgarden, are the stupidest a-holes he's ever heard of.
People are losing their homes, human beings can't find work, the people on Social Security can't get needed COLAs despite inflation, and Medicare has been cut to pay for Obamacare and you think people are going to vote Obama back in office.
Ryan's right. Something needs to be done and in the not too distant future entitlements have to be modified, even those of us on entitlements know this. The Republicans need a good leader to explain this. Ryan had the courage to be the first to speak out, but he isn't qualified for the leadership role.
I've been an Independent for over 20 years, but the Democrats under Obama are destroying us. If we don't get a good leader, and I mean a Republican one, America is going to go under and you smug little lefties will be selling apples on the street or standing in soup lines and you won't have time to be laughing at decent people.
Tony Hines
If the GoP plan sucks then waht does that say for the non-existent Dem plan. They have no plan. Why doesn't somone offer a plan that doesn't suck?
Coltrane65
That's a non-starter for the debate. Defend the GOP plan. Saying the Dems don't HAVE a plan may be true but is not the point. Why is the GOP plan the right one?
It isn't, and you can't defend that.
dalelama
It is the point because it shows the Dems would rather have Medicare go bankrupt than fix it.
imagineallthepeople
We would rather stop the foriegn wars than have Medicare go bankrupt.
dalelama
imagineallthepeople, Suggest that to your boy Soetoro, he continued one, escalated a second, and started a third.
rustywheeler
And when he "escalated the second", conservatives groused that it wasn't enough! It really is amazing...
Limey Rick
"your boy Soetoro"
dalelame flagged for racism. Courtesy of Whack-a-Troll.
DW Smith
The first thing I thought of was, "My GOD... They DRANK their KOOL-AID!!!"
Awesome. Makes me glad to see these idiots finally exit stage-left, never to be heard from, again.
Since WWI, these people have been the driving force for every single terrible thing that has happened in this country and that is God's own truth. They've made great bankers and corporate heads- as long as you don't trust them any further than you can throw their security- but they have been LOUSY Americans and WORSE government representatives in ANY branch. These jerks are willing to run our lives to get what they want, and they make no bones about it.
Do the Democrats do the same? NO. They DON'T. There's no comparison between these people, on any level. That's why I became a Dem after forty years as an Independent- The DEMS are our best hope for keeping a democracy.
But, SOME Independants and Dems have worked on the "People's Budget" together and have a very good solution to reduce our debt, dramatically. It's a very good plan, yet hardly anyone even mentions it.
Take a look at it: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-04-27/liberals-stealth- budget-solution-raises-taxes-on-rich-saves-social-security/
The Dems will support it... I know they will.
imagineallthepeople
I agree, DWSmith, the People's Budget is just what a majority of Americans want. Too bad special interests are keeping it out of the negotioations.
Read more about the People's Budget at:
http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=49§iontree;=6,49 emid=329
like this...
""The Congressional Progressive Caucus has put forth the People's Budget, a plan rooted in principles shared by the majority of the Americans: Invest in education, infrastructure and transportation, protect the social safety net and create a fair tax system. The People's Budget eliminates our deficit and gets our national debt under control by putting America back to work and ensuring that everyone pays their fair share. The CPC budget cuts $5.6 trillion from the deficit over ten years, produces a budget surplus, and reduces debt to below 65% of GDP. Compare this with the Republican budget proposal, which increases the deficit by $6 trillion over the next decade, hardly a serious commitment to fiscal responsibility...
there's enough of a 'stark difference' between what's on the table now and the CPC's plan, and 'that people will get a chance to compare, and if they do, we'll win.' "
snafina
imagine...Is the "people's budget" the one that assumes 5% growth a year?
imagineallthepeople
Here, snafina, is the entire 12 pages for you to read for yourself...
http://grijalva.house.gov/uploads/The%20CPC%20FY2012%20Budget.pdf
I know you have a lot of smart and sensible ideas and I bet you will find things in that 12 pages that you would agree should be included in the discussion in congress.
Before you make up your mind about the People's Budget, please read it:
http://grijalva.house.gov/uploads/The%20CPC%20FY2012%20Budget.pdf
AnIndividual
Repub hangers-on can kiss McConnell over and over again, but he will never turn into a prince. A toad is a toad is a toad.
cryptoad
U owe us Toads an apology ,,,,using us in a comparision with McConnell.. Toads all over the world take insult.
lillymckim
medicare and social security should absolutely be bipartisan
but its time the Democrats brought "something" to the table ...
"nothing" isn't going to cut it and the new "MediScare" program isn't going to cut it...either
Coltrane65
why should they with the Republicans doing such a fine job hanging themselves.....honestly, you only want input from the Left to bash it
AlanD2
I'd be happy to see Democrats bring tax increases to the table, Lilly.
cryptoad
This from the a GOP nutter party of NO, NO and Hell NO..troll !?! you are priceless as welll as clueless, Lilly
NickLento
The Republicans are not stupid. They know that allowing Medicare to continue to function at a less that one percent overhead while insuring EVERYONE over 65, while private for profit insurance costs more than 24% overhead and leaves 50 MILLION Americans with no coverage and relying on costly ER care to deal with life saving expensive heroics at the end stages of chronic illness is a no brainer.
The real goal here is to kill even the possibility of real health care reform which would be single payer.
The insurance industry and the rest of the pharma/medical industrial complex will literally spend billions to confuse and distract and to terrify people into supporting policies which will maintain the status quo.
Democrats would be foolish to underestimate the power of a multi-billion dollar propaganda operation. They need to find their hearts, brains and balls and they/we need to get hundreds of millions of Americans to actually UNDERSTAND the details of this issue.....when that is accomplished, the propaganda will backfire and NO amount of money will be able to convince people that eating warmed over turds is the same as eating chocolate ice cream.
Republicans and monied interests have been getting away with propagandistic lies for so long that they feel invincible...unfortunately, for our country and our species and our biosphere the objective consequences will come down eventually regardless of how many people are "conned". The warmed over turds will eventually "hit the fan".
Let's do what's right and support policies that manifest common human decency. That's what the Democratic party needs to be about and to be about it without fear......when democrats truly STAND UP AND FIGHT on principle...they/we win!!!
AlanD2
Good points, Nick.
Dr_SwampGas
I knew many years ago that Medicare for all would actually be the cheapest and fairest system at all. These ideas of handing over the whole show to private insurance companies would actually be more expensive, and anyone with half a brain knows it.
They would charge whatever the market would bear, and people will have more out-of-pocket expenses.
That's why I always opposed Obama Care, Romney Care and anything like the Ryan plan.
imagineallthepeople
Bravo!
Dr_SwampGas
If the Republicans take a big beating next year--and I think they will--Medicare for all must be back on the table.
FilmAlicia
Better the GOP than the entire nation. If they win both Houses of Congress and the Presidency in 2012, the GOP will drive all of us over a cliff.
swarns
FilmAlicia - 14.3 trillion in debt. Can you imagine a bigger cliff?
Dr_SwampGas
Yes, I can.
FilmAlicia
That cliff was virtually non-existent before our most recent Republican President took office, swarns. Not that there weren't fiscally unwise policies relative to Wall Street in the 1990's - there certainly were.
But, the GOP under Bush took the country and the global economy to the brink of total collapse, and thanks to the 11th hour action by President Bush on the TARP (credit where credit is due) and to President Obama's efforts, the country and the global economy avoided another Great Depression which would have been far worse than the first. We still have to solve our major deficit problem, but, speaking as a moderate who wants real entitlement reform (not the Ryan plan) I can't support the feckless policies of the current GOP. There are adults in the Republican Party, I believe, but currently, they have their heads down so as not to have them chopped off by the Right Wing.
AlanD2
You do know, swarns, that Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43 account for $10 trillion of that national debt, don't you?
Beatrix139
Clinton had a surplus, but Reagan, who came before Clinton, contributed to the debt?
In fact, Obama's own budget commission said that policies of Clinton and policies of Bush contributed to the debt. G-d,. we have to get these dumb dems out!
TomKinney
Whatever disasters Bush wrecked on the economy constitutes no good excuse for Obama doubling down on that wreckage.
We've hardly escaped from that wreckage today as the current economy--tanking on every level--testifies.
swarns
In 2010 treasury collect $864 billion in social security and medicare taxes and paid out $1,465 billion in benefits. Anybody who believes that we don't need to reform this system is delusional.
ausscyn
Are you concerned about our country's solvency? Does the debt alarm you? Does our world imperialism drive you crazy? Would you like a POTUS who actually knows what to do?
Then, vote RON PAUL 2012!!!!!
dailypaul.com
nedmadden
Unless Ron Paul gets a personality transplant real soon, he might as well join the Bruno tour because he's not going anywhere else.
The basic fact of political life in this country is that the Presidency is a TV show and the prez MUST be entertaining, telegenic and also be close to or above six feet in height.
Obama, Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, Reagan, Carter, Nixon, Johnson and Kennedy all fit most elements that bill. In the TV era, only Ford (who was appointed) and Eisenhower (who beat Hitler) are the exceptions regarding the being good on TV rule.
As for Ron Paul's chances at ever sitting at the desk in the Oval Office, America doesn't elect boring, gnomish looking ideologues, especially one who is the self-proclaimed "intellectual godfather" of the Tea Party movement.
That's like claiming to be the "spiritual leader" of rocks.
Thank you.
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