Beach Peanuts

How The Sequester That Republicans Want Will Hurt Florida

With the March 1 deadline fast approaching for the sequester that Republicans wanted and used as a bargaining chip in exchange for not crashing the economy in the debt ceiling fight, Republicans are trying to pin the blame on anyone but themselves in spite of, well, facts. Everyone knows how the GOP is on facts these days. 

They don't matter.

In keeping with that magical thinking policy, today Governor Rick Scott, being forced to face reality for the second time in a week, issued a statement in order to point the finger of blame in the general direction of Washington:

“Sequestration means the Obama Administration and Congress failed to do their job to manage the budget. As thousands of Floridians lose their jobs, the Obama Administration and Congress are getting paid for not doing theirs. That’s just wrong.

“The impacts on Florida’s military installations and defense industries will be severe under the meat hammer of sequestration. Our immediate concerns include dramatic reductions to our National Guard, which threatens our ability to respond to wildfires this spring and hurricanes this summer.

“Now is the time for leadership. It is critical for all national leaders to find a way forward that will not have unwarranted, unnecessary impacts on both our economic and our national security.”

Aside from the standard boilerplate that everything bad that happens is President Obama's fault, notice Scott blames "Congress" in general. If Scott were really serious about calling out "Congress," he would be on the phone with Florida Republicans urging them to stop playing their "elementary school game of ‘chicken.’ " as he put it. But of course he won't do that. 

Here is how Republicans voted on the blackmail debt ceiling. Only five Republicans from Florida voted "no." The rest were just fine with it, even though they knew the consequences of the bargaining chip they used, the sequester, would be dire for their constituents if it came to pass. 

So here we are.

While they try their hardest to place the blame on President Obama, here are the facts. Republicans want this sequester as much as they want to have it both ways, but their logic is laughable. They've used every excuse they can come up with, and none of them make sense, especially when you compare them.

The cuts are "horrible!" The end of the world as we know it! Yet they could stop them easily, and so far they aren't budging. Some have claimed this is a trap set for them by President Obama. By that logic, why would they willingly walk into it then? Again, because they want them. 

Here's what John Boehner said back when he made the deal that kept he and his party from crashing the economy after taking it hostage:

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he got "98 percent" of what he wanted in the final deal to raise the debt ceiling. 

"When you look at this final agreement that we came to with the White House, I got 98 percent of what I wanted. I'm pretty happy," Boehner said in an interview with CBS News on Monday evening. 

The final vote to give Boehner that 98% of what he wanted was 269-161, with 174 Republicans backing the bill. Only sixty-six Republicans voted against it.  

Flying in the face of logic with their other excuses, some have also said the equivalent of "Meh! It's just not going got be a big deal." That's because, again, Republicans want the sequester. They're perfectly happy to have austerity measures in place that will cut even more programs for the poor, and hurt the average American further than they have already, all to protect their rich friends and their corporate bosses. They'll cut anything to avoid raising taxes on the wealthiest who pay very little as it is now. This is what they want. It falls in line with the ideology of the conservative wing of their party, something which Joy-Ann Reid explains in more detail here.

Rick Scott is of course one of those ideologues. But he's also a governor who is crashing in the polls, faces reelection, and is now facing the consequences of accepting reality and Medicaid expansion. The Tea Party and the crazy wing of the GOP have voiced their dismay with that choice he made last week. By generalizing the blame, he seeks to have it both ways.

Good luck with that.

If the sequester Republicans want goes through, make no mistake, it will hurt Floridians, and our Florida Republican Congressmen and women who voted for it know this. Here are some of the ways Floridians will get hurt by their actions:

Statewide impacts: There will be even more cuts in education, the military, law enforcement, clean air and water protection, work study jobs and Head Start programs. Funding will be cut in these areas: vaccinations for children, meal programs for seniors, other public health programs, and protection from domestic violence. These are just some of the statewide cuts. For a more detailed list of these, along with severe national impacts, see the report here.

Americans who have already paid dearly for wars that never should have happened thanks to Republicans, bailed out the banks when they nearly crashed the world economy, many whom were also hurt further during the process, are now being asked to make even more sacrifices so that a minute few of the wealthiest among us can gain even more wealth without having to pay their fair share in taxes. 

Because the one thing Republicans stand firm against is raising taxes for the rich. Under any circumstances. For that they are willing to risk the nation's economy, while throwing seniors, children and every average American over the cliff. Not only are they not creating jobs, they aren't willing to pay those who have them fairly, and for those who don't, they plan even more cuts to unemployment.

For these reasons, and a few others of his own, Governor Rick Scott will never "make the call" to his fellow Republicans to avoid the sequester that will hurt all Floridians.  He knows which side his bread is buttered on, and his party is slowly letting him churn for himself.

That's why Floridian will have to make the call to their Congressmen and women themselves and make their voices heard. We are now our own representatives, and we are the ones who will get hurt.

Republicans know that, and they just don't care. They have job security, and we're paying for it.

Literally.

Related articles

They've Only Just Begun: Rick Scott And Republicans Are Killing Florida

Florida Democrats Respond To Rick Scott's Flip-Flop On Medicaid Expansion

Happy New Year: The Cliff Diving Edition

Back after a vacation from politics and spending time with my family. Hope you all had a nice holiday and a Happy New Years.

I must say I was not the least bit sad to say "Don't let the door hit you" to 2012 and the most worthless Congress in recent memory. (Oh, I'm sorry. I meant EVER.) Let's hope that 2013 brings an improvement. (Right. But I did say "hope.") While the Republican obstruction machine promises threatens to do even worse in the New Year, and I have confidence they mean it, we do have things to be thankful for. For instance, we gained some sane lawmakers like Elizabeth Warren and lost many a wingnut, including one of the biggest: Allen West, who predictably didn't go quietly. I assume he will continue howling at the moon on FOX-GOP-TV, perhaps with his own time slot, but at least we can turn him off knowing he can't actually vote on things anymore. 

I did not shed a tear when Republicans began whining their way back to Washington over the weekend, complaining that they had to actually govern lest we go over the fake fiscal cliff of their own creation. As they complained that they had to miss some of the holidays with their families, many more families were missing things like meals, health care, and shelter of their own thanks to those grumbling blowhards. Still, a few rushed back to happily vote against the poor and the middle class so that their overlords could recoup their investment in them (looking at you Marco Rubio) in spite of some who actually voted for the fiscal cliff fix. Not so shocking, considering that they're planning to make up for it by taking Americans and the economy hostage once again over the debt ceiling in a few short months. Because nothing says "fiscal conservative" like defining the term as not paying your bills at the expense of the poor, the elderly, and the nation's economy (again, looking at you and your little credit card and foreclosure problems there Sen. Rubio, among other things.) As I write, it isn't quite over yet. The Republicans in the House and their "leader" (wink, wink), John Boehner, the man who requested a super sized gavel he has yet to use if you don't count the photo op when he took over with it, have not yet voted. Will he use it now on the knuckles of the Senate as they hang onto that cliff by their fingers? Maybe, maybe not. Either way he'll probably still drop it on his own foot just to be consistent. Stay tuned...

So yes, 2013 will undoubtedly bring more of the same obstruction from the far right wingnut Tea Bag Republicans (because now there really is no other kind left) but we return more resolved than ever to fight back. The majority spoke again in 2012 and gave President Obama another four years in spite of the voter suppression tactics and big spending for $0 return thanks to con men like Karl Rove, the Koch brothers, and The Dick Armey. They'll keep at it and we'll be on our toes. Florida Governor Voldemort has been busy continuing to build his State of Denial around his record (just because I've been silent the past week doesn't mean I haven't been paying attention) and the GOP case of Charlie Cristaphobia has nearly sent the Republicans completely around the bend, so it promises to be an amusing, but at the same time sobering New Year for Floridians.

For that reason alone, 2014 can't come soon enough when we finally say "Don't let the door hit ya'" to the worst governor in the history of governors ever recorded in the history of governing.

So as they say, strap yourselves in folks, it's going to be a bumpy ride....

Cliff Stearns Joins Buchanan, Rivera, And Rubio On List Of Florida Republicans Under Investigation

Latest Member Of The Club

You can add another to the list of a group of Florida Republicans currently under investigation of one kind or another: Leader of the movement to defund Planned Parenthood, Cliff Stearns:

A private clash became public Wednesday when Clay Clerk of the Court James Jett accused U.S. Rep. Cliff Stearns of plotting to buy him out of this fall’s Republican congressional primary. Stearns’ office turned the table, calling Jett’s actions a “contemptuous” ploy to solicit compensation.

Jett said the FBI wiretapped his phone and recorded conversations about offers to withdraw.

The FBI wouldn’t confirm or deny an investigation, and no one would corroborate Jett’s accusations.

Jett is running against Stearns in newly drawn Florida District 3, which includes much of Clay County. Stearns now represents Clay in 6th District from his home in Ocala, but that city is now in U.S. Rep. Rich Nugent’s district. Stearns said he will move to Orange Park.]

[Jett said one offer included a job on Stearns’ campaign staff that would pay him to cover the approximately $25,000 he had spent on his congressional run. He also said he was told there could be a job heading the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or a U.S. marshal position once there are vacancies.]

[According to paperwork Jett provided to the Times-Union, he also gave Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll’s name to the FBI. Jett said Carroll, a former Clay County state representative, confirmed the job offer to his political consultant, Matt Justice.

Stearns has led the push in Congress to defund Planned Parenthood. Stearns is endorsing U.S. Rep. Connie Mack IV in his bid for the Senate and will be fund raising for him.

Stearns joins the group of several Florida Republicans who are currently under investigation:

Rep. Vern Buchanan is under investigation over campaign contributions, an investigation that is widening. In spite of that, John Boehner recently held a fundraiser for Buchanan.

David Rivera and Marco Rubio have both been under investigations for their financial disclosure problems. Rubio recently also asked that an ethics investigation against him be closed, I suppose just in time for a hopeful VP run?

Let's hope the Stearns investigation will keep him busy enough to keep him from further policing women's unteri.

Photo: Cliff Stearns, U.S. House

Not A Fluke: GOP Side With Limbaugh To Attack Women

Vote While You Still Have The Choice

Two weeks ago when Republican Rep. Darrell Issa held his House Oversight Committee hearing to "investigate" President Obama's new policy on contraception, he wouldn't allow Georgetown University law student Sandra Fluke to testify because she wasn't an "appropriate witness." Of course Issa didn't feel any women were appropriate as none were included in the hearing.

Fluke later testified at an unofficial House hearing, saying in part:

The cost of contraception created a significant financial burden — up to $3,000 over the course of law school — that prohibited one of her fellow students from obtaining hormonal contraception. Because of a medical issue, not having access to birth control ultimately resulted in her losing an ovary.

The full transcript of Fluke's testimony is here. It's well worth the read, especially for anyone who still doesn't understand that this is a woman's health issue.

Reacting to that testimony, the current unofficial "leader" of the Republican party, Rush Limbaugh feigned outrage at the cost issue, claiming that he, the taxpayer, was expected to finance the college "co-ed's" sex life. (Never mind that we're talking about private insurance where he thinks his tax dollars are going. Note also, Fluke is speaking of a friend's experience, not her own. But facts aren't Limbaugh's strong suit even if he cared to use them.) Upon further, deep analysis, (but not deep enough to remember her name) the famed big fat idiot excitedly labeled Ms. Fluke as a "slut" and a "prostitute:"

"What does it say about the college co-ed Susan [ sic ] Fluke, who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? It makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She's having so much sex, she can't afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex. What does that make us? We're the pimps. The johns. That's right. We would be the johns. No! ... Pimp's not the right word. Okay, so she's not a slut. She's round-heeled. I take it back."

Well, there you go. Pay no attention to what you've heard about that hearing, Rush Limbaugh will tell you what really happened. After all, Nancy Pelosi was involved. Normally Nancy Pelosi and a good San Fransisco liberal joke would be all the explanation you need, but in an election year with a major GOP implosion and a new health care law that's kicking it even before it's been fully implemented, and he's got his work of fiction cut out for him. 

Naturally his explanation is ludicrous fantasy: You show me someone who never sleeps due to  working full time while paying their way through college and law school, but who isn't having sex 24-7 and I'll show you a slacker. And because you are having sex 24-7 and you occasionally have to eat something, BFI there says you're going to need that much more birth control. So let's assume you go with the pill, then you're going to need to buy it in bulk, because in Limbaugh's world there is no such thing as that little monthly dispenser nor one pill per day, or so it sounds.

Now, as any winger will tell you, there is a "work-around" for the high cost of 24-7 sex and birth control. It's supposedly even easier these days too, what with all the new innovations! What young girl didn't start out early on by earning that recreational abortion badge from the Girl Scouts, am I right? Fast forward a few years and now there are just so many more choices out there, what with drive through abortions, and that luxurious new Abortionplex! It's so awesome that even abortion foes can't help but rave about it! Of course if you don't go for the fast lane, well Rush may be right. You'll just have to go with the only option left to you. That's right: The Congressional Committee Extortion Slut. Show me the money and please don't make me get the coat hanger....

Sorry ladies, but you're on your own. That's the message according to Rush Limbaugh, the spokesman and apparently the leader of the Republican Party. It's all designed to distract from the fact that the Affordable Care Act is working, that people like it, and even when they tried to throw up yet another roadblock with the contraception issue, President Obama came up with a solution for that too. He's about solutions, they're about roadblocks.

When Darrell Issa held that hearing it was a waste of time, another thing Republicans do a lot of these days. He just wasted time on a non-issue under the guise of "religious freedom" knowing full well that had nothing to do with it. It was just another attempt to undermine the Affordable Care Act while using a wedge issue to do it. It was also another attack on women, their latest target. There's a good reason they wouldn't allow Sandra Fluke to speak at that hearing, and when she had the opportunity and the courage to do so later with Nancy Pelosi's help, the Republican party attacked her. They stood back and let Rush Limbaugh do their dirty work for them as they've done many times before, and you can see he was more than happy to do so. Just watch the video.

Yes, today the Republican party is willing to call a young woman a slut and a prostitute for the simple reason that she wants the right to good, affordable health care; health care that for some women may involve birth control.

You might think that Republicans would denounce or condemn Limbaugh's comments, but you would be wrong.

You could ask John Boehner about the comments....but you would have to find him first. You can almost picture Boehner sobbing in a corner somewhere, fearing the worst if he crossed Limbaugh. No, the closest anyone could get to asking Boehner was to ask Michael Steele what he thinks Boehner would say:

“The speaker obviously believes the use of those words was inappropriate, as is trying to raise money off the situation,” said a Boehner spokesman, Michael Steele.

Obviously? No, not obvious. What IS obvious is that Boehner is missing in action and not answering questions, but when he is maybe he could explain how referring to Ms. Fluke as a slut is ok, but raising funds off of such a thing is where he would draw the line?

What about Mitt Romney? Would you be surprised to hear that there have been two answers so far? Of course you wouldn't.

After an event in Bellevue, Washington, CNN asked Romney for a comment on Limbaugh who called Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke a "slut" after she testified before Congress on the importance of insurance coverage of contraception.

The former Massachusetts governor was within a few feet of CNN's camera when he was asked the question. But Romney walked by without comment.

Romney once said if the truth hurt him politically, it wouldn't be honest of him to walk away. Seriously, you just can't make this stuff up.

Ok Mittens, another state, another question. Think you can get it right the second time?

“I'll just say this which is it’s not the language I would have used," Romney said. "I’m focusing on the issues I think are significant in the country today and that’s why I’m here talking about jobs and Ohio.”

Shorter Mitt: "Well, I didn't actually hear what Rush said....but "slut, prostitute?" No I definitely wouldn't have said that. Ann, could you bring me my thesaurus? Let's see here....whore.... tramp? No, a little harsh, how about....hooker, no..... oh hey, look here's one: promiscuous, or scarlet woman....say would you look at those trees...!

How would Newt Gingrich answer the question?

Newt Gingrich said President Obama acted “opportunistically” when he called law student Sandra Fluke to extend his support for the woman who had been called a “slut” and a “prostitute” by radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

“I think the president will opportunistically do anything he can,” Gingrich said after a rally in Hamilton, Ohio, according to ABC News.

As always Gingrich will answer a question no one asked while creating another non-issue that President Obama dealt with the wrong way. Newt finds it "opportunistic" that Obama would have the audacity to call and offer support to a woman who was called a slut for conveying the health care horror story of a friend. But then I guess Newt would find that opportunistic. After all he seized the opportunity to serve divorce papers to one of his former wives when she was in a hospital bed being treated for cancer. But yes Newt, just change the subject. That way everybody's happy, except for the sluts and their friends who lose ovaries, as far as Newt's concerned Rush is right on the money.

Ron Paul? Again he's consistent and his answer in long, and since this blog post is long enough already I'll save some time and edit it down: It was a crude choice of words and a political football over a choice that should be between the patient and her doctor.

And now I've saved the craziest for last: Rick Santorum:

"He's being absurd, but that's you know, an entertainer can be absurd," Santorum told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Friday. "He's in a very different business than I am.

Absurd? This is the sanctimonious Santorum. Mr. Religious Fanaticism, Mr. Family Values. The guy who gives sermons rather than stump speeches and thinks he's running for Pope. The guy who will force his views of religion on the rest of us. He and only he knows what's right and what's wrong and yet he merely sighs and lets out a collective "meh" when one of God's children is labeled a slut?

Oh wait, birth control. Yeah, ok. Never mind.

So there you have it ladies. Rush Limbaugh has spoken, and the Republicans have all given him  their blessing. In the name of religious freedom, we are all sluts now.

Just because Republicans are giving Limbaugh a pass that doesn't mean we have to. We don't have to give the Republican wing-nuts a pass either. There are at least a few ways to fight back.

You can click here to send an email to Rush Limbaugh's corporate sponsors and urge them to stop supporting his show. (Did I mention that he also expects sex videos from the women whose birth control his "tax dollars" are going to? Yeah, he's a pig. Happy emailing!) Several advertisers have already pulled theirs, but there are still holdouts:

Century 21 Real Estate LLC, ProFlowers, CARBONITE, Inc., American Forces Network, and Mission Pharmacal Company.

Think Progress  is also monitoring the advertisers on Twitter. You can also go there for the latest information.

You can also click here to sign a petition to tell the GOP to condemn Rush Limbaugh for his actions.

And then there's this: Don't stay home in November! VOTE.

Reality Check: The Uteri Who Vote Edition

Republicans are at it again, using wedge issues to distract voters from the reality that they have no plan. Nothing. Nada. If it won't enrich them at the expense of the poor and the entire country for that matter, they really couldn't give a hoot.

So now they've come up with another distraction. They're clutching their pearls over birth control. Or as some are referring to it in a more formal manor, an attack on religious freedom!

Cue the fear:

 

(Is it me, or does he look a little like Eric Cantor?)

Here are some reality checks for you to consider:

The pearl clutchers don't want your health care plans to cover birth control, but they have no problem with it on their own health plans.

Mitt Romney has flip-flopped on this issue before, (who can keep count?) but here's the latest hypocrisy:

Mitt Romney Is Financially Invested In The Birth Control He Seeks To Restrict

And another:

Romney Maintained Massachusetts Contraception Requirement That Mirrors Obama’s Rule

Are you someone who you prefers that birth control be covered under your health plan? If so, you're not alone. Except for those aforementioned Republicans on the fainting couch in their chambers over it, most people do. In fact, so do a majority of Catholics, who are at the center of the debate in the first place.

If you prefer nostalgia along with your reality checks, consider this one:

Six Republican Senators — Including Snowe And Collins — Co-Sponsored Federal Contraception Mandate In 2001

After the Komen Planned Parenthood debacle, even some Republicans are doing a reality check on the subject, but unfortunately they're outnumbered by the sheer insanity of the rest, so I wouldn't get my hopes up on this one:

Pro-Choice GOP Warns Party That Contraception Fight Will Be A Disaster

(There are pro-choice Republicans in this day and age? Who knew?)

While we're touching briefly on the subject of Planned Parenthood, let's again set the record straight on PP and abortion. Abortion services are a tiny, tiny fraction of what they do. Three percent to be exact. Here's a handy chart to show you the specifics.

On the other hand, if you want to put a more human side on all the other things Planned Parenthood does, well settle in here and do a little reading.

In short, no, it's not an attack on your religious freedom, nor is it scary. It's a distraction with the benefit of saving health insurance companies a little money at your expense. They're just using religion to get there. Most importantly, it's about women's rights.

A word to the GOP: I don't want to get in anyone's face over their religion or their beliefs, I'm a live and let live type myself. But seriously, in that spirit, if you don't want birth control, don't take it! If you don't want to get an abortion, don't have one. But leave the rest of us out of it. Isn't that the freedom that our country represents? We can make up our own minds for ourselves. Really. In fact some of us have been making personal decisions for decades without the benefit of crazy Republican guidance. Shocking I know.

I find it odd that you're fanning yourselves over all of this anyway, and I've got to ask why? Is it some sick thing you have about waiting until children are born so you can prevent those same children from getting good health care, nutrition, a good education, or basically giving them the chance at an actual "life?" Or do you prefer allowing children to grow up in misery with no real opportunities? I don't know what it is, but I do know this:

You need to get over it or get out of the way.

We have more serious issues to worry about at the moment.

Obama Makes Recess Appointment To Protect Consumers

Today President Obama made a recess appointment of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Condray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau which was created by the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform legislation, drawing a line in the sand with Republicans who have blocked the appointment and aligning himself with consumers against Wall Street.

Republicans wasted no time showing their alliance with Wall Street and taking a public stand against President Obama and American consumers.

House Speaker John Boehner:

“This is an extraordinary and entirely unprecedented power grab by President Obama that defies centuries of practice and the legal advice of his own Justice Department," Boehner said. "The precedent that would be set by this cavalier action would have a devastating effect on the checks and balances that are enshrined in our Constitution."

“This position had not been filled for one reason: The agency it heads is bad for jobs and bad for the economy. It’s clear the president would rather trample our system of separation of powers than work with Republicans to move the country forward.  This action goes beyond the president’s authority, and I expect the courts will find the appointment to be illegitimate.”

Of course, Boehner's answer to everything comes in one word: Jobs.

Which jobs? Where are those jobs again, Speaker Boehner? How is it "bad for jobs" exactly?

Bad for the economy? By Boehner's translation, read "bad for the economy" as "bad for the banks."

"Unprecedented power grab" you say Speaker Bohener? You mean "unprecedented" like this? President Obama, as viewed in that graph, has made less recess appointments per year than President's Reagan, Bush I, Clinton and Bush II.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell:

"This recess appointment represents a sharp departure from a long-standing precedent that has limited the President to recess appointments only when the Senate is in a recess of 10 days or longer. Breaking from this precedent lands this appointee in uncertain legal territory, threatens the confirmation process and fundamentally endangers the Congress's role in providing a check on the excesses of the executive branch," McConnell said.

Republican hand wringing and pearl clutching aside, Joan McCarter at Daily Kos points out what a smart move this is by President Obama, and why:

This recess appointment is precedent setting. Instead of making the appointment yesterday, in the brief break when the last congressional session ended and the new one began, the White House is directly challenging the Republicans over their tactics. And his picking a very smart target, forcing them to declare their allegiance to Wall Street over America's working families.

The Republicans are wasting no time doing  just that by banking on Wall Street, as if their crashing the U.S. economy once wasn't bad enough.

Republicans seem to want to personify the very definition of crazy and do the same thing over and over with the same result, and in this instance by saying "no" to those consumer protections.

Unfortunatley here consumers would end up paying for it.

Again.

Fortunatley for the rest of us, President Obama clearly stated in his announcement:

“I refuse to take ‘no’ for an answer.”  

Lobbyists Seek To Undermine Occupy Wall Street

The 1% v. The 99%

You hear it frequently on FOX-GOP-TV and from Republicans who love to go on camera and condemn the Occupy Wall Street movement as nothing more than lazy, dirty hippies who don't want to work, or try to define them as socialists, commies, you name it. "What do they stand for?" "Get a job!"

From this you might think they've merely dismissed them as a passing trend, nothing to see here, move along.

However, behind the scenes the Occupy Wall Street movement has many worried, for starters, financial institutions. In fact, they are so worried that they fear politicians may be persuaded to turn on them, and not just Democrats, but they fear Republicans could as well. 

If you missed it, over the weekend Chris Hayes from the MSNBC's  "Up w/ Chris Hayes" obtained a memo from a lobbying firm outlining a plan to "smear" the movement. The memo was written in part by two individuals who previously worked for friend of Wall Street, Republican House Speaker John Boehner. Surprise, surprise!

The memo was prepared by the firm Clark Lytle Geduldig & Cranford for the American Bankers Association, and proposed that the ABA pay $850,000 to research the movement and create negative narratives against Occupy Wall Street, some of which which we've already witnessed from Republicans and FOX. (The full memo can be seen here.) The firm has an impressive client list, not just banks. Among them, Koch Industries and the U.S. Chamber Of Commerce. (See the client page here.)

As Mr. Hayes said, this is just one memo from one firm and there are more than likely similar memos circulating out there right now.

This of course indicates that the casual dismissal of the movement by Republicans and the smears on FOX conceal the fact that the banks are indeed concerned that this movement will undermine the control they've maintained over consumers for years, not just the mess that culminated in bailouts 2008. They're fighting financial reform in Congress as Occupy Wall Street gains traction according to the polls. The average American "gets it" and the banks and big corporation powers that be don't like it.

They don't want to lose the fight, and this may be just the beginning.

From Up w/ Chris Hayes:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

 

 

Tea Party Followers, You've Been Had

If there are still true believers in the so called Tea Party movement who haven't recognized it for the re-branded Republican party corporate funded scam that it is, this message is for you.

It's also a wake up call to the fact that in spite of what you've been told, and what you may believe, President Obama has been fighting for you all along, and still is. The Tea Party/Republicans? They're not. Never have. Never will. 

You've been had.

Like many others, this blogger has tried to tell you this before and I've been called a liar and much worse for doing so. If you're one of those who still thinks that after you read this, you're welcome to your opinion. It won't bother me in the least.

Facts are facts. Just because you may refuse to believe them doesn't make you immune to them. The Republican/Tea Party have been scamming you all along and in the coming days, if America is pushed off the cliff into default by this Republican manufactured "crisis" you'll be riding into the abyss along with the rest of us. Your so called "leaders" have no interest in saving you from the disaster they've created, and they won't.

In spite of what they tell you, they also have no interest in Democracy.

Let me give you just the latest examples of reality from the Tea Party world.

Rick Scott, John Mica

I'll start with your "leaders" in Florida. You've likely gotten the message from your Tea Party "Hero" Governor Rick Scott already. He made his bold statement against the "establishment" when he said F--- you to high-speed rail. You rallied around him in support for that move in spite of the fact that it actually resulted in F--- all of us. It cost many of your own a chance at a job and a step in the direction of boosting our economy in Florida. But then he turned around and sold you out not long after when he said yes to SunRail. Why did he do that? Well, because Republican John Mica, another big timer you supported put the pressure on the governor because SunRail helps his district. Your Tea Party organizers on the ground who enabled the Republicans made lots of noise and claimed they would go after Scott and Mica for selling out to that rail project unlike the first. How's that working out?

Crickets.

Mike Haridopolos, Dean Cannon

How about yesterday, when John Boehner buckled under yet again to his Tea Party members and passed a bill in order to hold the nation's economy for ransom, a bill that he knew had no chance of going anywhere in the first place? Zero? Governor Scott, along with stooges Mike Haridopolos and Dean Cannon jumped at the chance to kiss up to you by crafting a message in support of the Boehner non-starter bill, saying they "looked forward to Florida leading the way towards ratification of a federal balanced budget amendment.” As they wrote it they no doubt knew that the bill had less than a snowball's chance in Tea Bagger hell of passing. No worries though, they could safely go on the record for your benefit, no skin off their noses. Why else would Cannon and Haridopolos suddenly be so tight with the man they've been running from in recent months when his poll numbers were in the tank? To illustrate an empty united front to help the Republican Tea Party scam stay afloat. That's why. They want to keep you on a sinking ship. If you're still not convinced, grab a life preserver anyway just in case, and keep reading.

The crown jewel: Allen West 

Many of you have seen Allen West as a rebel for the average Tea Party Joe. You're in a very small minority who fails to recognize the crown jewel of crazy when you see it. However, your numbers just went down in the last couple days when he too sold you out by showing his true colors. You sent him to Washington because he told you he was an outsider who would never become a part of the "established Republican party." Remember? Well, file that memory away in your scrapbook, because it took him only a few short months before his status as a sellout became visible to true believers. When John Boehner bent over backwards to try and win Tea Party members over with his vast collection of rewritten bills, your hero Allen West folded into the party line when others didn't. He even offered to "drive the GOP clown car off the cliff." But alas, when reality kicked in and Boehner turned the bill back into the Republican version as it used to be, Allen West was still happily on board. West knows only the established Republican bread gets buttered in Washington even if his Tea Bag cohorts don't get it yet. He wants that butter so bad he'll churn it himself if he has to, but he doesn't want you to know.

That's why he was so quick to attempt to cover himself and his tracks by insulting your intelligence by writing "you" a letter explaining why he did it, invoking his fall back blind excuse of "patriotism" as he always does to get himself out of a bind. No one would dare call out this "steadfast and loyal" veteran! He writes as if all this congressional mumbo jumbo is really above your head, in a "trust me" fashion, claiming "It is now time for the focus to be on the United States Senate to produce a plan to take this country forward." If you've been paying attention to politics in the last few months, you know this actually translates to a "Republican party plan to take over the country" while moving forward as the lot of you remain behind and under that forward bus.

West ends his letter to you, his followers, as any "steadfast and loyal Washigton Republican would" with a rallying cry of patriotism wrapped in a flag: 

My fellow Americans, I ask you: If I had voted “No” on the Budget Control Act, who would I have been voting for?"

Who indeed? If you're curious and want an answer to that question, I would suggest you give him a buzz or send him an email in order to find out. Let me know who that is if you get a response, because the suspense is killing me.

Still convinced the Tea Party is a separate group from the Republican Party? Well, here's one more example to ponder. We'll move beyond just Florida.

Tea Party "Darling" Marco Rubio

Where to begin with this one? If you haven't seen through this Republican robot by now, there may be no hope. Still, I'll give it one more try.

This is the guy who many of you think might make a great President one day, or a great VP a little sooner? Take time to read up on him instead of reading his Tweets and listening to his script on the Sunday morning shows. He's a phony.

Fiscal conservative? Sure, if by fiscal conservative you mean not paying your bills and forcing a foreclosure, for starters. Can't get much more conservative than not paying for something I suppose. But there's plenty of investigations working on his past spending habits. For now let's focus on the fact that he is no more of a math whiz than Rick Scott is. He probably has trouble spelling the word "economy" much less understanding how it works. Sign up for Marco Rubio's world, and you'll be working until you drop dead, and if that doesn't kill you, having no health care will. You see he wants to kill everything from Social Secuirty to Medicare (but only AFTER his Mom has collected hers, of course). While Rubio has tries to paint himself as a Tea Party hero when it suits him, it's apparent he's anything but. He'll knock Allen West off that butter churn in a heartbeat and he's been at the Republican game a lot longer. He'll do anything they tell him to.

But most of all, he's been parroting one of the biggest scams of all: "American Exceptionalism." This is his all time favorite,  all purpose "patriotic" calling card. He's used it a lot, but what exactly does it mean? You could look to Rubio himself fr an answer the next time he reads his script on the air, but if you'de like a glimpse of the future from his world view of "American Exceptionalism," here's just a taste of the reality he has in store if he and the Republican/Tea Party scammers get their way when the country can't pay those bills come next Tuesday, and we all slide into default. 

You don't need to take my word for it. This is how some in other parts of the world see the scam for what it is.

From Think Progress:

But as the U.S. inches closer to defaulting on its debts for the first time in history, criticism of Congress is starting to come from beyond our own borders. From France and Germany to China and India, countries around the world are angry that American politicians play with the possibility of a U.S. default like a yo-yo with little regard for the international economic system that depends on American solvency.

Despite China’s traditional preference of staying out of the domestic affairs of other nations, senior Chinese officials’ frustrations are growing louder and louder. Stephen Roach, the non-executive chairman of Morgan Staley Asia, said senior Chinese officials told him the debt ceiling debate in the U.S. is “truly shocking.” “We understand the politics,” a Chinese official said, “but your government’s continued recklessness is astonishing.” And newspapers around the world are voicing discontent with Congress’s handling of the debt ceiling:

Conservative German Die Welt: “[T]here are few signs of self-doubt or self-awareness in the U.S. … [The Tea Party movement] sees the other side as their enemy. Negotiations with the Democrats, whether it’s about appointing a judge or the insolvency of the United States, are only successful if the enemy is defeated. Compromise, they feel, is a sign of weakness and cowardice.”

The German mass-circulation Bild: “What America is currently exhibiting is the worst kind of absurd theatrics and the whole world is being held hostage… Most importantly, the Republicans have turned a dispute over a technicality into a religious war, which no longer has any relation to a reasonable dispute between the elected government and the opposition.”

French newspaper Le Monde:”The American politicians supposed to lead the most powerful nation in the world are becoming a laughing stock.”

Chinese state-owned newspaper Xinhua: “Given the United States’ status as the world’s largest economy and the issuer of the dominant international reserve currency, such political brinksmanship in Washington is dangerously irresponsible.”

The founding documents of many nations around the world take their inspiration from and quote the U.S. Declaration of Independence and Constitution. But now, foreigners don’t seem to be too inspired watching the intransigent wing of one political party that controls one house of one branch of the federal government hold the entire U.S. hostage. American soft power has taken a self-inflicted hit as a result of the debt ceiling debate.

Even if Congress manages to forge a deal against the wishes of the Tea Party and deliver a bill to President Obama’s desk raising the debt ceiling before default, the damage to our international standing has already been done. Other nations won’t forget how some members of Congress were so careless to allow the international economy fall into another financial disaster in order to score a few political points.

There's your "American Exceptionalism." Does that sound like the future you've dreamed of?

No? Had enough? Because like it or not, believe it or not, this is what President Obama has been up against all this time. He's been fighting against it on your behalf. Now Republicans are fighting amongst themselves, and all the while this scam is trashing our country, our future, and our standing in the world.

It may not be too late. Call your leaders and tell them to get their act together. 

The scam is over.

Hell No He Can't!

All Gavel, No Votes

Ironic quote of the day:

“When the House takes action today, the United States Senate will have no more excuses for inaction,” Mr. Boehner said Thursday afternoon, just before the debate began. 

Oh really, Mr. Boehner?

Can't wait to hear his excuse for inaction.

Which "Americans" Are Republicans And John Boehner Speaking Of? (Updated)

(Updated below.)

If you're like me, you're getting really sick of hearing Republicans stand in front of the cameras and say "The American people don't want...(fill in the blank)" and then proceed to tell you a view very far from your own or that of anyone you've ever spoken to who wasn't a rich Republican or member of the Tea Party.

If so, there's a good reason. Here are the latest poll numbers from the Republican manufactured debt ceiling disaster:

Washington Post-ABC News:

The July 14-17 survey showed 77 percent said Republican leadership has been not willing enough to compromise on the issue.

CNN/Opinion Research Poll: 

A CNN/Opinion Research Poll July 18-20 showed 55 percent had an unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party, compared with 48 percent in a March 11-13 poll.

Reuters/IPSOS Poll:

Showing an intensity of interest among Americans who often ignore the intricacies of policy in Washington, 83 percent of those polled said they were either very or somewhat concerned about the potential for a U.S. debt default on August 2.

The poll found that 56 percent of Americans want to see a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases included in a deal to bring down the U.S. budget deficit and permit a vote to raise the country's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.

This is the approach favored by Obama and his fellow Democrats to begin to put America's fiscal house in order.

Republicans oppose tax increases and instead want to cut back deeply on spending, saying the federal budget has gotten out of control.

"It does seem to be that the popular narrative is falling on the side of the president on this one," said Ipsos pollster Julia Clark.

In the poll, 19 percent said the best approach is only to cut existing programs, and 12 percent said only raising taxes would be the favored solution.

Pew Research Center Poll:

Overall, President Obama and the Democrats are winning the debt-ceiling debate as such. As Pew reported, 68 percent of Americans “say that lawmakers who share their views on this issue should compromise, even it means striking a deal they disagree with. Just 23% say lawmakers who share their views should stand by their principles, even if that leads to default.” That’s a margin of nearly 3 to 1. Pew noted that compromise was favored by 81 percent of Democrats, 69 percent of independents – a key number for Obama’s political advisers — and 53 percent of Republicans. The only group that favored risking default consisted of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who said they agree with the Tea Party: 53 percent of them preferred lawmakers to stand by their principles even if it meant pushing the government into default. Just 24 percent of the non-Tea-Party Republicans and Republican leaners took this view. But the Tea Party still seems to be running the show in the House of Representatives at the moment.

This is not to say that the public isn't also growing impatient with the way Democrats have handled the debt ceiling situation, but overall this shows that they are more in sync with President Obama on this. They want the rich to pay their share of taxes for a change. They want Republicans to make reasonable compromises for a change. What a concept.

The other thing that recent polls show is that the American public that John Boehner speaks of do want something done about jobs. This is of course what Boehner and the Republicans ran on in the last election: jobs, jobs, jobs, to quote the Speaker, a subject he has scarcely spoken of since.

He says the American people are with him on cuts, cuts, cuts, but they're clearly not. They want jobs, and are asking him the question he tossed around before last November: "Where are the jobs?"

I can tell you where the jobs won't be found. In Boehner's latest budget plan:

It’s a plan that the usually “mild-mannered” Robert Greenstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is describing as “tantamount to a form of ‘class warfare’” that “if enacted, it could well produce the greatest increase in poverty and hardship produced by any law in modern U.S. history.” Since Boehner’s blueprint contains no tax increases and his first round of cuts targets discretionary spending, the joint committee will have no choice but to achieve its $1.8 trillion in budget reductions by cutting entitlement spending, Greenstein explains:

– As a result, virtually all of that $1.8 trillion would come from entitlement programs. They would have to be cut more than $1.5 trillion in order to produce sufficient interest savings to achieve $1.8 trillion in total savings.

– To secure $1.5 trillion in entitlement savings over the next ten years would require draconian policy changes. Policymakers would essentially have three choices: 1) cut Social Security and Medicare benefits heavily for current retirees, something that all budget plans from both parties (including House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s plan) have ruled out; 2) repeal the Affordable Care Act’s coverage expansions while retaining its measures that cut Medicare payments and raise tax revenues, even though Republicans seek to repeal many of those measures as well; or 3) eviscerate the safety net for low-income children, parents, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. There is no other plausible way to get $1.5 trillion in entitlement cuts in the next ten years. [...]

In short, the Boehner plan would force policymakers to choose among cutting the incomes and health benefits of ordinary retirees, repealing the guts of health reform and leaving an estimated 34 million more Americans uninsured, and savaging the safety net for the poor. It would do so even as it shielded all tax breaks, including the many lucrative tax breaks for the wealthiest and most powerful individuals and corporations.

I say it's not just a question of where are the jobs, but where are these Americans you're speaking of Mr. Boehner?

UPDATE:

Boehner proved again today that he's not concerned with what everyday Americans want, and instead only concerned with a plan the Democrats and the President will hate, and therefore not what these polls show, what Americans want.

From Steve Benen:

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is obviously scrambling to secure as much Republican support for his budget plan as possible, and took his sales pitch to Laura Ingraham’s radio show this morning. One line in particular stood out:

A large number of conservative Republicans are opposing Boehner’s proposal, arguing it does not go far enough in reducing government spending.

 

But Boehner said he couldn’t understand why any Republicans would position themselves with Democrats opposing his plan.

 

“Barack Obama hates it, Harry Reid hates it, Nancy Pelosi hates it,” he said, naming off the Democratic leadership.

Now, at a certain level, it makes sense that the House Speaker would try to rally his side by leveraging partisan feelings. Boehner probably figures Republicans will be more likely to support a plan that Democrats “hate.”

But let’s not lose sight of the larger context here. The United States is in the midst of a crisis of Republicans’ making, and a potentially catastrophic deadline is just days away. We have a Republican-led House, a Democratic-led Senate, and a Democratic White House, so the nation will need a solution that can generate approval from all three institutions.

Speaker Boehner, meanwhile, isn’t just abandoning the search for a bipartisan solution; he’s publicly bragging about pushing a plan he knows isn’t a bipartisan solution.