Last week, I noted the most amazing thing about the Rush Limbaugh "slut" saga is that the GOP could barely manage a peep against him. Now TPM is advertising a "tipping point", as "GOPers Start To Turn On Rush Limbaugh." Forgive me, but I just don't see it.
The only two politicians they cite who really can be said to have "condemned" Limbaugh are Carly Fiorina (who I already mentioned) and Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) (locked in a tight battle with Elizabeth Warren). Beyond that? It's basically nothing. John Boehner murmers that Limbaugh's comments were "inappropriate" -- roughly as offensive as a Democratic fundraising letter. Rick Santorum called the statement "absurd" but observed that "an entertainer can be absurd". Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) (who in a sense is responsible for this whole mess) barely managed to sneak in a word against Limbaugh as he tried desperately to play the victim. And Mitt Romney? "It's not the language I would have used." Feel the outrage!
No, there's no tipping going on amongst the GOP. They're still as much in thrall of Rush as ever.
Showing posts with label John Boehner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Boehner. Show all posts
Monday, March 05, 2012
Monday, August 01, 2011
I Can't Look
I can't even bring myself to look at the details of the debt ceiling "compromise". It infuriates me that we had to give into a bunch of immature thugs who decided holding the country's economy hostage was the best way to secure draconian cuts to government while the working class continues to struggle.
And it could have been avoided if we simply were willing to realize that one major political party is not comprised of members fit to govern. As Paul Krugman points out, the reason the President didn't get a debt ceiling extension in December was because he was convinced Republicans would act responsibly. Hind-sight may be 20-20, but it is rapidly becoming apparent that that's always the wrong answer.
The debt ceiling scandal (and frankly, that's what this is -- a scandal) has revealed a Republican Party split into three branches:
(1) Those who knew that refusing to raise the debt ceiling would be a catastrophe but were too spineless to stand up to the rest of their party. Exemplified by Rep. John Boehner (R-OH).
(2) Those who knew that refusing to raise the debt ceiling would be a catastrophe and who relished the idea of exploiting that fact for their own political gain. Exemplified by Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA).
(3) Those who really didn't grasp that voluntarily defaulting on our debt would be the economic equivalent of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Exemplified by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN).
The cowardly, the avaricious, and the delusional. Ladies and gentlemen, your modern GOP.
Boehner is bragging at the massive success Republicans reaped for these tactics -- and he's right. When one party cares about the economic future of the country, and one party made it abundantly clear they're willing to shoot the hostage if it comes to that, what can you do? How do you stop yourself from getting rolled again?
The only thing I can think of is for Obama to start throwing elbows. The Senate can't do squat with McConnell's auto-filibuster policy, so it has to come from the White House. And I don't mean Oval Office speeches with a slightly raised voice. I mean the force of the executive branch. Recess appointments, new agency regulations designed to piss of the right, and take the leash off the DOJ on politically sensitive topics like corruption and the VRA. The minute this deal is signed -- because, horrible as I'm sure it is (any deal that isn't "a clean increase" is horrible to me), it has to be signed -- it's time to send a message back. You pull a knife on the American economy, we pull a gun on Republican priorities.
No more mister nice President.
And it could have been avoided if we simply were willing to realize that one major political party is not comprised of members fit to govern. As Paul Krugman points out, the reason the President didn't get a debt ceiling extension in December was because he was convinced Republicans would act responsibly. Hind-sight may be 20-20, but it is rapidly becoming apparent that that's always the wrong answer.
The debt ceiling scandal (and frankly, that's what this is -- a scandal) has revealed a Republican Party split into three branches:
(1) Those who knew that refusing to raise the debt ceiling would be a catastrophe but were too spineless to stand up to the rest of their party. Exemplified by Rep. John Boehner (R-OH).
(2) Those who knew that refusing to raise the debt ceiling would be a catastrophe and who relished the idea of exploiting that fact for their own political gain. Exemplified by Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA).
(3) Those who really didn't grasp that voluntarily defaulting on our debt would be the economic equivalent of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. Exemplified by Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN).
The cowardly, the avaricious, and the delusional. Ladies and gentlemen, your modern GOP.
Boehner is bragging at the massive success Republicans reaped for these tactics -- and he's right. When one party cares about the economic future of the country, and one party made it abundantly clear they're willing to shoot the hostage if it comes to that, what can you do? How do you stop yourself from getting rolled again?
The only thing I can think of is for Obama to start throwing elbows. The Senate can't do squat with McConnell's auto-filibuster policy, so it has to come from the White House. And I don't mean Oval Office speeches with a slightly raised voice. I mean the force of the executive branch. Recess appointments, new agency regulations designed to piss of the right, and take the leash off the DOJ on politically sensitive topics like corruption and the VRA. The minute this deal is signed -- because, horrible as I'm sure it is (any deal that isn't "a clean increase" is horrible to me), it has to be signed -- it's time to send a message back. You pull a knife on the American economy, we pull a gun on Republican priorities.
No more mister nice President.
Friday, July 29, 2011
Debtpocalypse Watch: Day Two
As we move into the second day of Speaker John Boehner's furious negotiations with the far-right fringe to secure the votes needed to pass his debt ceiling plan, which would solve this crisis once and for all is a massive waste of time because it's DOA in the Senate, let's examine what is sticking in the right-wing's craw:
"Hmmm ... I could vote to save the country from economic ruination. But then poor people might go to college. I hate these tough, grueling political choices."
Meanwhile, word is that Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has flipped to "yes" on the Boehner plan. Flake had called the negotiations over this bill "refreshing" because nobody's children were threatened. Folks think Flake is exaggerating about the bad old days. Tell that to former Rep. Nick Smith (R-MI).
I have to admit, having basically resigned myself to debtpocalypse, I know find this whole charade to be uproariously funny. Boehner is killing himself to crawl across the finish line of a bill which stands no chance of ever becoming law. As Jon Chait points out, Republicans are delusional if they think this will ever pass. It is "like a kidnapper demanding for the release of your child $100,000 and your other child." It's a terrible plan, that will likely be made worse by whatever Boehner will have to do to wrangle those last couple extremist votes, and isn't going anywhere.
The inclusion of the extra money for Pell Grants could cost Republican votes.
Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) has compared Pell Grants to “welfare”.
"So you can go to college on Pell Grants — maybe I should not be telling anybody this because it’s turning out to be the welfare of the 21st century," Rehberg told Blog Talk Radio in April. "You can go to school, collect your Pell Grants, get food stamps, low-income energy assistance, Section 8 housing, and all of a sudden we find ourselves subsidizing people that don’t have to graduate from college.”
"Hmmm ... I could vote to save the country from economic ruination. But then poor people might go to college. I hate these tough, grueling political choices."
Meanwhile, word is that Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has flipped to "yes" on the Boehner plan. Flake had called the negotiations over this bill "refreshing" because nobody's children were threatened. Folks think Flake is exaggerating about the bad old days. Tell that to former Rep. Nick Smith (R-MI).
I have to admit, having basically resigned myself to debtpocalypse, I know find this whole charade to be uproariously funny. Boehner is killing himself to crawl across the finish line of a bill which stands no chance of ever becoming law. As Jon Chait points out, Republicans are delusional if they think this will ever pass. It is "like a kidnapper demanding for the release of your child $100,000 and your other child." It's a terrible plan, that will likely be made worse by whatever Boehner will have to do to wrangle those last couple extremist votes, and isn't going anywhere.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
All Teed Up
Dear Anderson Cooper,
I know it was an eventful night what with the Republican Party being massive fuck-ups, but you can't interview Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) and not ask him whether he's massively delinquent on child support. I mean that story just broke! Do you think that if the Democrats anointed Rep. David Wu (OR) to speak for them tonight, folks wouldn't ask about his alleged sexual assault? Trick question -- David Wu would never take on the voice of a leading Democrat right now.
Meanwhile, my dad says that if Boehner can't rustle up the votes for this plan, he's got to resign as Speaker. Not in the "out of shame" sense (though sure), but in the "he clearly doesn't have the ability to control his own caucus anymore" sense.
I know it was an eventful night what with the Republican Party being massive fuck-ups, but you can't interview Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) and not ask him whether he's massively delinquent on child support. I mean that story just broke! Do you think that if the Democrats anointed Rep. David Wu (OR) to speak for them tonight, folks wouldn't ask about his alleged sexual assault? Trick question -- David Wu would never take on the voice of a leading Democrat right now.
Meanwhile, my dad says that if Boehner can't rustle up the votes for this plan, he's got to resign as Speaker. Not in the "out of shame" sense (though sure), but in the "he clearly doesn't have the ability to control his own caucus anymore" sense.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Power of Words
Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC): Not all that bright.
That's not all that bad though, compared to Rep. John Boehner (R-OH):
Much like bullets, CO2 does not cause cancer. Hence, we don't have to worry about it.
Senator Richard Burr took a bit of a jab at President Barack Obama Friday night. Burr said he does not need a teleprompter to speak as he travels from city to city, unlike the president. Nor did Burr need one to talk about an economic turnaround in southeastern North Carolina.
"You can begin to see growth in this community, you see life, you see tourism back,” said Senator Burr. “It's just a matter of time before this economy turns around and we see pricing stabilized and we forget about the economic downtime and we look forward to the opportunities."
That's not all that bad though, compared to Rep. John Boehner (R-OH):
STEPHANOPOULOS: So what is the responsible way? That’s my question. What is the Republican plan to deal with carbon emissions, which every major scientific organization has said is contributing to climate change?
BOEHNER: George, the idea that carbon dioxide is a carcinogen that is harmful to our environment is almost comical. Every time we exhale, we exhale carbon dioxide. Every cow in the world, you know, when they do what they do, you’ve got more carbon dioxide.
Much like bullets, CO2 does not cause cancer. Hence, we don't have to worry about it.
Friday, August 03, 2007
Cracking the Party
Today, Steve Benen noted that House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) has done a surprisingly good job keeping his caucus in line. In three relatively popular bills that recently came to a vote on the House floor (Pay Equity, Child Healthcare, and Troop Readiness), Boehner managed to keep Republican defections to 2, 5, and 6, respectively. Democrats can't get that level of uniformity even when they're in the majority, and when they were in the minority half the time the party broke more often than Humpty-Dumpty. So it's an impressive display by Boehner (though whether it is wise to have his whole party on record against these issues is something else entirely).
But on the presidential side, things are looking less sanguine. Mike Huckabee strongly hinted today that he would consider an independent, third party run if the GOP nominated a pro-choice or pro-gay rights candidate. It's clearly a reference to Giuliani (and Romney?), who are now the front-runners for the nomination. The Christianist wing of the Republican Party is not happy with either of those two folk, does not trust the institutional branch of its party, and I can see a serious flight to a third party candidate if they nominate someone who is even perceived to be moderate on social issues.
And if the GOP doesn't nominate a moderate? Well, I don't think that Michael Bloomberg is running, but if he does, it will because the Republican Party nominated a winger. And once again, if that happens, you'll see a GOP split that can only help Democrats.
There are a few candidates I think might be able to thread the needle (McCain, Thompson). And it's far from clear that Huckabee's threat is genuine. But it did raise my eyebrows. A GOP crackup is something I've been predicting for years. The day of reckoning may be close.
But on the presidential side, things are looking less sanguine. Mike Huckabee strongly hinted today that he would consider an independent, third party run if the GOP nominated a pro-choice or pro-gay rights candidate. It's clearly a reference to Giuliani (and Romney?), who are now the front-runners for the nomination. The Christianist wing of the Republican Party is not happy with either of those two folk, does not trust the institutional branch of its party, and I can see a serious flight to a third party candidate if they nominate someone who is even perceived to be moderate on social issues.
And if the GOP doesn't nominate a moderate? Well, I don't think that Michael Bloomberg is running, but if he does, it will because the Republican Party nominated a winger. And once again, if that happens, you'll see a GOP split that can only help Democrats.
There are a few candidates I think might be able to thread the needle (McCain, Thompson). And it's far from clear that Huckabee's threat is genuine. But it did raise my eyebrows. A GOP crackup is something I've been predicting for years. The day of reckoning may be close.
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