John Boehner: Naked and Gelded

Bob Schieffer is the most astute interviewer in television news today. He's been around a long time. His show, "Face the Nation" is punctuated by his wisdom, experience and keen observations gleaned during fifty years in the business of reporting. This is our Speaker of the House, John Boehner. He's being interviewed by Bob Schieffer and he doesn't want to commit to any plans or ideas that involve immigration, the economy etc. He claims not to know of the President's agenda. He just wants to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act aka "Obamacare". Who's in charge here? Certainly not John Boehner. Boehner's pedantic and dismissive remarks, unwillingness to answer specific questions, annoyance with Schieffer's dogged persistence, are the stuff of an eye opening interview. The interview lasts 16 minutes, the first 7 are must see tee vee.




Aside from Boehner's insufferable attitude, what is most obvious here is his reluctance to commit to any plan of action resulting from his fear of retaining the position of Speaker of the House. He kowtows to the extreme elements in the GOP. He is a man being pulled in many directions by many demanding factions, including the President. He is resentful, he is ineffective, he is, in effect, a gelding.



As always, Schieffer puts things in perspective by reminding us, once upon a time, the country was working to accomplish great things. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3460_162-57594758/face-the-nation-transcripts-july-21-2013-boehner-and-snyder/

GOP: What Took So Long?

Liberal Californians could have told the GOP they were ignoring a large and growing class of potential voters 33+ years ago.  

At that time, I worked in the marketing dept of FOTOMAT, a cutting edge company when it came to marketing.  FOTOMAT's creative was by the then fledgling Chiat Day in Venice California who later became famous for the Apple "1984" ad.  We carefully targeted our customers in 80 markets throughout the U.S. by age, geographic location and...race.   We were producing commercials en Espanol and buying Hispanic and Black formatted radio stations when few main stream companies even bothered.  

lifted from 2/11/13 feed of Political Carnival

Forty of the eighty markets were my responsibility, i.e. targeting, visiting and buying newspaper and radio according to the statistical research in each.  We went a step farther taking into account the demographic makeup of each area and producing accordingly.  I bought radio and newspaper advertising in forty markets including Chicago, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Detroit, New Orleans, Cleveland.  

When I see the GOP going after  groups of voters they've long ignored, I can't help but wonder 

"What took them so long?"   and

"Are we buying this?"

What If You Gave A Party and Nobody Came and Other Interesting Tidbits

 

Some Republicans have repeatedly declined to spend time with Obama.  Boehner chose not to be photographed with the president at last year’s White House Christmas party and has refused invitations to five state dinners in a row. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has also turned down multiple state dinners. Many new Republican House members chose not to come to a reception Obama held for the incoming freshmen in 2011. . .Boehner and McConnell also both turned down an invitation to watch “Lincoln” at the White House, along with three Republican senators — Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Olympia Snowe of Maine.   Washington Post 

I cannot imagine turning down an invitation from a sitting or retired President.  It's inconceivable.  In my work in broadcast sales, I've spent plenty of time with people I didn't like or agree with.  It's my job.  I've worked for people I didn't like.  It wasn't easy but it was my job.  John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Lamar Alexander, Tom Coburn missed the memo.  IT'S THEIR JOB.  No wonder nothing ever gets done.

Olympia?  She doesn't count.  Her term is up.

                                               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New York lawmakers agreed to pass the toughest gun control law in the nation and the first since the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, calling for a stricter assault weapons ban and provisions to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill who make threats. . .The measure also calls for restrictions on ammunition and the sale of guns. It is expected to pass Tuesday.     Huffington Post

It's a start.  Kudos to Gov. Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg for spearheading the passage of strict new gun laws in New York state.  Now, if our other 49 states will belly up to the bar...

                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And then there's THIS guy:

Recently reelected Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) has barely had a chance to get his feet wet in Congress again, after serving one term from 1995-1997. But already he's making bold threats to file articles of impeachment against President Barack Obama over gun control measures being sought in the wake of December's mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.   Huffington Post

                                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From the Dept "Oh How the Mighty Have Fallen and Can't Get Up"

While he can’t save his career or his fortune, an admission of doping might rehabilitate Lance Armstrong’s charity and, ultimately, his legacy. . .The disgraced cyclist, who denied doping for more than a decade, admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. . . “Lance knows he’s poison as is, and my guess is he believes if he apologizes... and cries big crocodile tears it won’t solve his problems immediately, but it will at least start the process,” said Richard Burton, David Falk professor of sports management at Syracuse University. . .“His brand value during his yellow jersey days was almost immeasurable,” said Mark Serrano, CEO of ProActive Communications. “I think there were probably few brands in the world that were worth in excess of $20 million a year, and he was one of them.”...

“Today we’re looking at a brand value of near zero,” Serrano said.

                                                      

Things to Consider This Election and Beyond

The stakes are high.  So high, former NY Times columnist Frank Rich gave a startling interview to salon.com.  Should be mandatory reading for those on the Left and the Right.  

Republicans Ignore Women's Issues at Their Peril

Women on the airwaves are PISSED!  They are all over the moronic comments of Rep. Todd Akin (R: MO) yesterday regarding abortion for "legitimate rape" victims.

The good side of this?  Claire McCaskill, whom most pundits   said was in the "fight of her political career" now has a great chance to win re-election.                                                                                                      **********

Next we have Republican members of the House of Representatives carousing in the Sea of Galilee involving drinking and nudity:

A group of House Republicans were reprimanded last August for taking a late-night swim in Israel's Sea of Galilee that reportedly involved drinking and nudity. As Politico reported Sunday night, a number of Republican lawmakers on a fact-finding trip to Israel were involved in the incident, including Reps. Kevin Yoder (R-Kan.), Steve Southerland (R-Fla.), Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.), Tom Reed (R-N.Y.), Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) and Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.). Some spouses, family members, and staffers were also present. According to the report, Yoder took off his clothes before entering the reservoir, which the Bible cites as the place where Jesus walked on water.  Huffington Post 08-20-12

Gotta love those awesome junkets abroad.                                                                                         ********* The Donald weighs in on women in general "not getting what's going on" when it comes to President Obama. In his usual subtle delivery, he states his case:

Can you imagine being married to this guy?  Or working for him?  Every time I hear him speak and look at his hair, all I can think is "What a douchebag."  It's ever so much more descriptive than "asshole".

President Obama is currently giving an impromptu press conference as I type this.  His comment when asked his thoughts on Akin's "legitimate rape" response.

Obama: "We shouldn't have a bunch of politicians - a bunch of whom are men - making health-care decisions for women"  MSNBC  08/20/12

Yeah.  Tell that to Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, Donald Trump and the GOP in general.  

JUST RELEASED:  NBC/WSJ POLL:   Obama 56% vs Romney 39%  with WOMEN

And Furthermore...

It may be too much to ask the GOP to stop "whining" about the removal of Osama Bin Laden being a political tool of the re-election campaign.  But, so what?  

Is it really necessary to point out the many ways in which the GOP politicizes

their many accomplishments?  

Oh, wait.  It is.

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Now, if you want to hear the REAL MISSION ACCOMPLISHED by President George W. Bush Barack Obama, tune in Rock Center on NBC tonight (9PM E/8PM C).   Brian Williams gave a riveting account of his exclusive from inside the Situation Room (no tv cameras ever before allowed) and his interviews with all cabinet and military members present with the President during the actual raid.  

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Women, Aspirin and Contraception

Foster Friess has done Liberals a favor.  He has everyone talking about the reactionary rhetoric of the Rick Santorum campaign and its Right Wing boosters (like his own badass self).   His remarks yesterday have energized the dialogue about Women's Rights, what the 2012 GOP platform is really striving for and what lies in wait should they somehow be re-elected.   

The timing couldn't have been better.  His crass "joke", as he called it, coincided with the all male panel convened by Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to discuss denying access to birth control.  Afterwards, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi sent an email urging people to sign this petition:  

 "We almost couldn’t believe it. Today, at a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, House Republicans convened a panel on denying access to birth control converge with five men and no women. As my colleague Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney asked, where are the women?" Pelosi says in the email. "Join me in our call to Speaker Boehner, Eric Cantor, Chairman Issa and all House Republicans to demand that women be brought to the table when discussing women’s health issues. Help us gather 50,000 signatures before Congress heads home tomorrow." 

Several Democratic lawmakers had walked out of the meeting to protest Rep. Darryl Issa's (R:Calif) "refusal to allow a progressive woman to testify in favor of the Obama administration's contraception rule."

House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) defended his decision to not allow a women to testify at his hearing on the Obama administration’s new birth control rule yesterday, telling Fox News host Greta Van Susteren last night that the woman’s story wasn’t at all relevant to the hearing.  thinkprogress.org 

Back to Friess; it was all over the news he'd apologized as of this morning.  Had to visit his blog to find it.  Rather than reprint, you may link to his arguable apology.

My reaction to the Reactionary?

That's a disingenuous response at best.  You may be old but you aren't dead.  Your ideas, however, should be buried in the past along with segregation, women not having the vote, men being the only legal landholders.  

I think you knew perfect well what you were saying.

On the other hand, there is nothing like re-visiting a sacred cow like Women's Rights to stir up opposition to Right Wing who would love to go back to the "good old days" whatever they may be.

24 Hour later update:  Friess' blog & web site are back up but my comment is "still awaiting moderation".
  

Mad Magazine: The More Things Change...

Click to enlarge.

I "borrowed" this from Coffee Messiah.

At first I thought it was a spirochete trying to penetrate an amoeba (if that's even possible IDK).  

On closer inspection, I see what it really is.  

Coffee says he's had this since...wait for it...1972.  

8 Votes of Separation & Buh Bye Bachmann

Mitt Romney beats Rick Santorum by 8 votes.  Woo hoo!  He's on a roll now.  

Perry Tucks Tail,  Hightails to Texas to "reassess".  

Michelle Bachmann bows out in self-righteous style channeling Horton the Elephant  "I mean what I say and I say what I mean" and Prof. Harold Hill  'We Got Trouble Right Here in River City" which coincidentally takes place in I-O-WAY.  This woman can really yammer on.   She asserts the founding fathers wanted her to defeat Obamacare and Dodd-Frank among other things, and to "protect" us from Obama's socialism, our security, heterosexual marriage blah blah blah.

 If you want to waste another 10 minutes, here's the speech.  She's here for us.  

Newt in a snit.

Ron Paul & Rick Santorum...who cares?

Any Candidacy But Romney's Candidacy

With Newt Gingrich's resurgent candidacy for the GOP nomination in 2012, many thoughts assault me.

"I've got all this stuff twirling round in my head."

Nope.  Not it.  Wrong candidate; that's Herman Cain. 

 "Oops!"

Wrong candidate again; Rick Perry.

I keep hearing the mantra, "Any candidate but the Romney candidate" which puts me in mind of a favorite scene from a favorite movie, The Way We Were.  Barbra Streisand, as Katie Morosky, student president of the Young Communist Leage on her 1930s' college campus, is trying to motivate the student body to strike for peace in Spain during the Spanish Civil War.   She is repeatedly rebuffed by the other students until she gives a stirring speech.

For one shining moment, she has them.

 And then the signs go up.

"The Way We Were"  1973

Romney keeps thinkin' he has 'em.

And then the signs go up.  

Class Warfare???

I don't understand this "class warfare" sound bite coming from the mouths of members of the GOP.  It's a catchy phrase, to be sure, but in the context it's used, it seems oxymoronic.

The term expression now used by many politicos on the Right is a refutation of  the tax proposals put forth by the President last Monday.  President Obama wants to tax anyone making a million dollars plus to pay at least the same effective tax rate as many of those who work for them.  Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

There was a hue and cry from the GOP with (R) Rep. Paul Ryan leading the charge with his own tax program "which would slash taxes for the rich as well as funding for food stamps and other low-income assistance programs".  Huh?  When asked if he was engaging in his own "class warfare", his said

“...the president is using rhetoric that divides people, that preys on people’s sense of anxiety, fear, envy.” He said: “what we’re trying to do is appeal to people’s sense of hope, aspiration. We want an equal- opportunity society. We want a society of upward mobility, and that is what we’re striving for.”

Wait.  Whose hopes and aspirations is he talking about?   Upward mobility?  Right now, many of us would be happy with a job, food on the table and a permanent place to sleep.

Speaker of the House Boehner was not to be denied his moment in the sun; of course, he always looks like he's been in the sun.  

“I don’t think I would describe class warfare as leadership. The government has a spending problem and I don’t believe it makes any sense to tax the people we expect to invest in our economy.”

Uh, that would be a shitload of GOP supporters and opposition to environment protection, social welfare and less government oversight like the billionaire Koch brothers.

They couldn't possibly mean these people.  The ones the US Census Bureau say are now 46,000,000  strong in what is still considered by many the "richest country in the world":

The pain was not evenly distributed, however. Black households suffered the greatest decline, losing 10.1% of household income since 2007. Those over the age of 65 saw household income increase by 5.5% since 2007.

Roughly 9.4 million individuals have lost their full-time jobs since 2007. There are roughly 6.6 million fewer men in the full-time workforce and 2.8 million fewer women.

The national poverty rate has hit 15.1% of the population now lives in poverty — up from 14.3% in 2009 and from 12.5% in 2007. 

The Census reports that 46.2 million individuals now live in poverty, up from 43.6 million in 2009. This is the highest number of people living in poverty since statistics were first kept in 1959 — a 52-year highRead more: http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/devil-details/census-report-income-down-poverty-up/5140/#ixzz1YobLjsa6

You get the idea.  And the idea is we, the people of the United States of America, are circling the downward economic drain while the country burns and the GOP, lobbyists, bankers, corporations and Wall Street fiddle.

The Ryan Bill, Newt Gingrich and the GOP

House Republicans approved a budget on Friday that would fundamentally alter Medicare and Medicaid, lower taxes on individuals and corporations and cut $4.4 trillion from the nation’s deficit over the next decade.  The Washington Post 4-15-11

Ryan's bill will end Medicare as an "open minded entitlement for new retirees", begin raising the age of eligibility from 65 to 67 and create a Medicare exchange from which we can all choose a private policy.  Individual states would receive less money from the federal government and have more management control over the programs in their state.  This is scary stuff to me.  I'm in the "Live Free or Die" state...emphasis on the die part.

Newt came out strongly against it and a firestorm of punditry from the media and alarm from members of the GOP.  But frankly, and I never thought I'd say this, he's right. 

“I think that that is too big a jump. I think that what you want to have is a system where people voluntarily migrate to better outcomes, better solutions, better options.” The Washington Post  Eugene Robinson  Op-Ed 5-19-11

And the talking heads were all over it this morning.  Both "Face the Nation" and "Meet the Press" were on point with the subject. 

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Even Mitch McConnell, if you believe Huff Post, is not wild about the Ryan bill. 

What I want to know is, why don't we just bring home our soldiers from all three fronts and save ourselves, a staggering $1, 198, 130, +++,+++.  

Sarah Trump Newtie and Mitt: Oh MY!

Hear Sarah Palin talk about "vanquish"ing a great enemy. Listen to the Donald flirt with Sarah as he invites her to join his run for prez. God, imagine those two on the same ticket.

For those of you looking for a bit more insight into Mitt than SNL can provide, go here!

SSDD

Interesting headline from Robert Reich's blog today.

The Super Rich Get Richer, Everyone Else Gets Poorer, and the Democrats Punt

The super-rich got even wealthier this year, and yet most of them are paying even fewer taxes to support the eduction, job training, and job creation of the rest of us...Only twice before in American history has so much been held by so few, and the gap between them and the great majority been a chasm — the late 1920s, and the era of the robber barons in the 1880s...And yet the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, which conferred almost all their benefits on the rich, continue...Democrats have decided to delay voting on whether to extend them for the top 2 percent of Americans or for the bottom 98 percent until after the mid-term elections.

Sure hope this doesn't hurt the Dems in races where the Huff Post reports this morning:

Are the Democrats experiencing a rebound on the Pacific Coast? Three new surveys, two in California and one in Washington State, indicate small gains for Democratic since mid-August. More specifically, two new California polls confirm that Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer is maintaining a narrow lead over Republican challenger Carly Fiorina...The two new California polls also suggest a reversal of the previous trend favoring Republican Meg Whitman. The Field poll results released yesterday show Whitman tied with Democrat Jerry Brown (at 41% each), while SurveyUSA gives Brown a small but statistically insignificant advantage (46% to 43%). So while six surveys had shown Brown with nominal leads in August and early September, the five most recent polls show either a tie or a slight Brown edge...SurveyUSA also released new data this week in Washington confirming a similar rebound by Democratic Senator Patty Murray over Republican challenger Dino Rossi. The new automated poll gives Murray a two-point edge (50% to 48%)...Democrats also received encouraging news in Florida, where a new Mason-Dixon poll shows Democrat Alex Sink holding a six percentage point lead (47% to 40%) over Republican Rick Scott.

And then, there's The Daily Show POV. His take last night on the Republicans and their "brand new"(sic) Pledge to America.

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Is Newt On Our Side? Maybe...

Newt as Lego Man by blogadilla.com

No point in me paraphrasing a perfectly marvelous post by Robert Reich.   Let's just see if history repeats itself.

The Republican Threat to Shut Down the Federal Government

              Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Newt Gingrich is saying if Republicans win back control of Congress and reach a budget impasse with the President, they should shut down the government again. GOP pollster Dick Morris is echoing those sentiments, as is Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R. Ga), and Alaska GOP Senate candidate Joe Miller.

I am continuously amazed at the GOP’s ability to snatch defeat out of the jaws of potential victory. It is the gift that keeps giving.

I was there November 14, 1995 when Newt Gingrich pulled the plug on the federal government the first time. It proved to be the stupidest political move in recent history. Not only did it help Bill Clinton win reelection but it was a boon to almost all other Democrats in 1996 (Gingrich’s photo was widely used in negative ads), and the move damaged Republicans for years.

Gingrich hurt his cause by complaining that Bill Clinton had put him in the back of Air Force One on a trip that occurred about the same time. Republican lore has it that it was this babyish behavior rather than the shutdown itself that caused the public to side with Clinton in the game of chicken Gingrich launched over the budget. Undoubtedly Gingrich’s whining didn’t help, but it was his cavalier attitude toward government itself that was the defining issue. Gingrich was the one who first bragged he’d shut down the government if Clinton didn’t agree to what the Republicans wanted. . .


Americans may be cynical about government but we’re proud of our system of governance. And we don’t want it to be used as a political pawn in partisan power games. That’s what Republicans forget time and again. They dislike government so much they don’t see the difference between government as a bureaucracy and democratic governance as a cherished system.

The framers of the Constitution developed checks and balances to assure one branch didn’t accumulate too much power. But they never contemplated that one party could shut down the entire governmental system if it didn’t get what it wanted

Robert Reich served as Secretary of Labor under President Clinton.  He's now Professor of Public Policy A UC Berkeley.
 
If that isn't condemnatory enough, how 'bout THIS?
 

An Open Letter To Newt Gingrich From His Gay Sister Candace

        

Dear Newt,


I recently had the displeasure of watching you bash the protestors of the Prop 8 marriage ban to Bill O’Reilly on FOX News. I must say, after years of watching you build your career by stirring up the fears and prejudices of the far right, I feel compelled to use the words of your idol, Ronald Reagan, “There you go, again.”


However, I realize that you may have been a little preoccupied lately with planning your resurrection as the savior of your party, so I thought I would fill you in on a few important developments you might have overlooked.


The truth is that you’re living in a world that no longer exists. I, along with millions of Americans, clearly see the world the way it as — and we embrace what it can be. You, on the other hand, seem incapable of looking for new ideas or moving beyond what worked in the past.


Welcome to the 21st century, big bro. I can understand why you’re so afraid of the energy that has been unleashed after gay and lesbian couples had their rights stripped away from them by a hateful campaign. I can see why you’re sounding the alarm against the activists who use all the latest tech tools to build these rallies from the ground up in cities across the country.


This unstoppable progress has at its core a group we at HRC call Generation Equality. They are the most supportive of full LGBT equality than any American generation ever — and when it comes to the politics of division, well, they don’t roll that way. 18-24 year olds voted overwhelmingly against Prop 8 and overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. And the numbers of young progressive voters will only continue to grow. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning, about 23 million 18-29 year olds voted on Nov. 4, 2008 — the most young voters ever to cast a ballot in a presidential election. That’s an increase of 3 million more voters compared to 2004.


These are the same people who helped elect Barack Obama and sent a decisive message to your party. These young people are the future and their energy will continue to drive our country forward. Even older Americans are turning their backs on the politics of fear and demagoguery that you and your cronies have perfected over the years.


This is a movement of the people that you most fear. It’s a movement of progress — and your words on FOX News only show how truly desperate you are to maintain control of a world that is changing before your very eyes.


Then again, we’ve seen these tactics before. We know how much the right likes to play political and cultural hardball, and then turn around and accuse us of lashing out first. You give a pass to a religious group — one that looks down upon minorities and women — when they use their money and membership roles to roll back the rights of others, and then you label us “fascists” when we fight back. You belittle the relationships of gay and lesbian couples, and yet somehow neglect to explain who anointed you the protector of “traditional” marriage. And, of course, you’ve also mastered taking the foolish actions of a few people and then indicting an entire population based on those mistakes. I fail to see how any of these patterns coincide with the values of “historic Christianity” you claim to champion.


Again, nothing new here. This is just more of the blatant hypocrisy we’re used to hearing.  What really worries me is that you are always willing to use LGBT Americans as political weapons to further your ambitions. That’s really so ’90s, Newt. In this day and age, it’s embarrassing to watch you talk like that. You should be more afraid of the new political climate in America, because, there is no place for you in it.


In other words, stop being a hater, big bro.

  Posted 11/23/08 by girl du jour reprinted from The Huffington Post 11/22/08

Wow!  How did I ever miss this one first time around? 

From their mouths to God's ear. 

Oh Brother...

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Beware the Bogey Man According to the GOP

By now you've most likely heard about this.  The Power Point presentation of confidential Republican party strategy for campaign fundraising to fight the "evil empire".

For more on the dastardly dealings of the rampant Right and their plan to bring down the Obama administration, go here or here or here.