Bernie Sanders' entire campaign revolves around going after big banks, financial institutions, millionaires and billionaires. So you would think that an endorsement from Alan Grayson, who is undergoing an ethics investigation for possibly violating hedge fund rules, would be an unwelcome addition for his campaign, but you would be wrong.
At issue: Grayson’s name was on three hedge funds and a management company that oversaw them.
House ethics rules prohibit a sitting member of Congress from using his name on financial vehicles to prevent members from using their elected offices for financial gain. Grayson has said this rule does not apply to him because he had no “fiduciary responsibility” over the funds. Experts, however, dispute his claim.
Grayson, who started the funds in 2011 before he was re-elected to Congress in 2012, struck his name from the funds after he was hit with the ethics complaints.
The hedge fund manager boasted that he had traveled to “every country” in the world, studying overseas stock markets as he fine-tuned an investment strategy to capitalize on global companies’ suffering because of economic or political turmoil.
Said hedge fund manager would indeed be Alan Grayson. But there's more:
But the fund manager had an even more distinctive credential to showcase in his marketing material in June 2013: He was a “U.S. congressman,” Representative Alan Grayson, Democrat of Florida, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Now he is also among the leading Democratic candidates for one of Florida’s United States Senate seats.]
[Interviews and the documents show that Mr. Grayson told potential investors in his hedge fund that they should contribute money to the fund to capitalize on the unrest he observed around the world, and to take particular advantage when there was “blood in the streets.”
Capitalize from the unrest of others where there is "blood in the streets."
I don't recall hearing calls for that from Bernie Sanders. In fact, Sanders' campaign professes to be all about "the little guy" standing up to the big banks, and the "big guys" like Grayson, who would profit to the detriment of others.
This is absolutely utter hypocrisy coming from Bernie Sanders. It certainly isn't the first time for that, and undoubtably won't be the last.
But accepting this endorsement while ignoring Grayson's investigation, not to mention his views of profiting from "blood in the streets," would disqualify candidate Bernie in the eyes of the "purist" Bernie Sanders.
Selling Out The Country's Values & Safety For Political Gain
“I cannot think of a more potent recruitment tool for ISIL than some of the rhetoric coming out of here in the course of this debate. ISIL seeks to exploit the idea that there’s war between Islam and the West … that feeds the ISIL narrative.”
- President Obama
This is what President Obama said the other day about the political discourse erupting among the Republican Party over the terrorist attacks in Paris, the dangerous rhetoric they use, and their rejection of refugees fleeing ISIL in Syria.
In essence, Republicans playing into the terrorists hands by passing a bill to block refugees from coming to the U.S. is no different. In doing so they're also going against everything America stands for by turning away those who are fleeing the terrorists in their own country after their party created the problem in the first place with the Iraq war. Once again, Republicans are targeting the wrong people. Add to that the utter inhumanity of turning them away, especially when just weeks ago some were complaining that the President wasn't aiding the refugees enough.
Among those Democrats joining the Republicans to abandon the refugees, sell out the country, and our values for political gain were Florida's Rep. Gwen Graham and Rep. Patrick Murphy. Graham is facing a tough reelection and Murphy is now running for the Senate seat that's currently empty because Marco Rubio has abandoned his job, also for political gain, as a White House hopeful. They were the only Florida Democrats to join all the Florida Republicans in voting for the bill.
Both have a habit of voting with Republicans to protect themselves, and both could have done the right and humanitarian thing here, but once again they didn't. Instead, they offered the following excuses:
"Fiscally Conservative" Webster, Pushing To Extend Bush Tax Cuts For The Rich
Daniel Webster (R-FL) is one of many in the mad rush to throw their hats in the ring to become the next Speaker of the House now that John Boehner took the coward's way out by fleeing before the crazy caucus could oust him.
Webster, who took part in a failed attempt to throw Boehner overboard once before, has little chance at becoming Speaker, but as anyone watching Congress these days knows, just about anything is possible.
Webster hasn't made much of a splash since his arrival in Washington during the 2010 Teabagistan election, but he's as extreme as the rest of them and warrants a look see as to why those who prefer a little reality based thinking in a House Speaker might want to take notice of him.
He's introduced 18 bills total since he arrived in the House, and with the exception of two in 2011, none have any cosponsors. None of Webster's 18 bills have gone anywhere.
He aspires to all the right cookie cutter Tea Party Conservative views. He claims to care deeply about fiscal responsibility and jobs, loathes Dodd-Frank but loves tax cuts for wealthy business owners, favors right-to-work laws but wants to do away with the estate tax, and wants to take away your health care. He also wants God everywhere, but government nowhere, with exceptions being his job, governing a woman's uterus, and governing end of life choices as he tried to do when he intervened in the Terri Schiavo case. He's got those "small government" issues covered and is just about as anti-choice as they come.
Surprise!
His official bio is a warm and fuzzy place, filled with mentions of his love of God and teaching Sunday School, and boasts of his six children and ten grandchildren. He also touches briefly on the fact that he and his wife homeschooled their children.
But here's what he doesn't mention in that bio: He homeschooled his children with the same method used by the Duggar family. That would be the same Duggar family whose son allegedly molested his own sisters.
Though his chances of becoming Speaker are low, if he somehow managed to win, it could be a short run. Back home in the Florida legislature, thanks to the GOP's adventures in map making, his district is in danger of being redrawn, and the bad news for him, that district would favor a Democrat.
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That's common for those who are facing health problems and working with their insurance companies. It makes perfect sense. Throughout the entire health care reform process, and even now, Americans are fed a steady stream of Republican anti-reform talking points. Republicans who benefit from big contributions from the health care industry want to protect big profits for those same companies, so they come up with catchy terms like "death panels" and "ObamaCare" to scare people while telling you that the President's ACA must be repealed for any number of nonsensical reasons.
Not included in those reasons of course is the real one: Health Insurance means big business and huge profits that feed the Washington revolving door. That translates to millions of Americans who can't afford health care because of the staggering costs. The Republicans want to repeal the ACA, and those in states like Florida are throwing up roadblocks along the way because they know what reports like that show: Once people see the real benefits, they like the health care law.
If you've watched any of the Republican debates, you know that killing the ACA is a big rallying cry, and their base seems to relish in it. Note early on, when Ron Paul got a hypothetical question about a man in his thirties who has no health insurance but faces an illness. Paul said that choosing to have health insurance, or not, was "what freedom is all about." When the moderator followed up his response by asking: "But congressman, are you saying that society should just let him die?" the audience beat Paul to an answer by cheering, laughing, and shouting "Yeah!" Hypothetically they cheered the potential death of an adult, but in reality, those cheers include children as well.
You could parse this reaction several ways. That these are simply Paul fans who value "freedom" at any cost, that they have indeed fallen for the GOP scare tactics, or they're simply people who could care less if someone lives or dies and have the "I've got mine, so screw you" mentality.
“The Republican health care plan: don’t get sick,” he said. But, he added,”The Republicans have a back up plan in case you do get sick … This is what the Republicans want you to do. If you get sick America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly!”
Grayson was harshly criticized for his comments, but ask yourself, isn't this exactly what Republicans are striving for? Again, all the Republican candidates for President, not to mention all Republicans currently in Washington have vowed in one way or another to kill or weaken the ACA. Rep. Grayson hit the nail on the head, or perhaps the coffin: If you get sick but have no insurance, too bad.
You. Lose.
Unless you're someone who has faced a major illness without insurance, or someone who pays around say $1,000 a month (not a hypothetical) for health insurance that covers little of your medical bills, Republicans have largely been able to convince many Americans that the ACA is almost as bad for them as the socialist, communist, Kenyan (fill in the blank with any ridiculous GOP label) President in the White House. But as the report I cited above shows, when you see true benefits as a result of the new law, you see the Republicans for what they are: Shills for the insurance companies. Your life meas little to them.
The ACA is facing an upcoming battle in the U.S. Supreme Court which gave us Citizens United, allowing mountains of cash from undisclosed sources that will make it easier for the Republicans to fight against President Obama and Democrats in the next election. Some of those justices who'll be making decisions in the challenge to the ACA are those who ruled in favor of Citizens United. They're also justices who attend fundraisers and speaking engagements with the very lobbyists and groups like the Koch brothers who are fighting against ACA in lockstep with the Republicans. One of those is Justice Clarence Thomas whose wife Ginni has actually earned a nice income by working towards the defeat of health care reform, yet Thomas has no plans to recuse himself from the case.
All these desperate attempts by Republicans show what many who supported health care reform during the battle thought would result: Republicans would begin to lose their message war. It would seem they already are. The proof is in parts of the ACA that are already helping many who would have been out of luck had it not passed. There are real people with names and faces, not hypothetical red meat for debate fodder.
Take the words of a woman named Spike Dolomite Ward who wrote an Op-Ed last week in the Los Angeles Times. She was one of those Democrats who were disillusioned by the Obama health care battle and was angry enough at the President to change her party registration to Independent. She didn't understand the details of "ObamaCare" until she found herself uninsured, and diagnosed with stage three breast cancer just weeks ago. That was when she was saved by the Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan, part of Obama's ACA. You can read the entire Op-Ed piece here, and I would encourage you to do so.
It's a real life example of how the ACA is saving lives NOW.
Who among us hasn't either faced an illness like cancer ourselves, have family members or friends who have? How many of those are lucky enough to have insurance that covers it? How many have none at all and could lose their battle (or already have) simply because insurance company profits and scoring political points for power are more important to Republicans in Washington who are fighting against them every step of the way? How many could be saved like Spike Dolomite Ward? Aren't her life and others worth saving? Should Americans have to settle for the likes of those who would cheer over letting an uninsured person die?
Show me a person who does, and I'll show you a person who never had to face what those they condemn are facing.
The Affordable Care Act may not be the best it might have been had it not been for the mountains of opposition from the health care industry and the politicians who did their bidding, but it's one heck of a good start and it'll be improved on in the future. In spite of all that, it's saving lives now.
That's why we have to keep fighting and support the law going forward, because this shouldn't be a fight about politics.
Remember last year during the health care fight when the media reported on the "angry mobs" at town hall meetings all over the country?
Remember also that these "plain folks who were outraged over a potential government take over of health care" were really bused in and in some cases paid by groups attempting to hijack the Tea Party "movement," and to use manufactured outrage to disrupt the meetings?
Well, that was last year.
This year there are more of those town hall meetings, and there are plenty of angry people again too. The difference this year is these people aren't bused in, paid, or scripted by those "Tea Party" lobbyists. They're real people who are armed with more facts than the congressmen have talking points and colorful pie charts in which to muddy them with.
This year they're angry not over a manufactured, mythical government takeover of health care ("Hands Off My Medicare!"), they're angry at a real GOP proposal to take away Medicare and health care as they know it. They aren't fooled by the sales pitch they're getting from their congressmen, and they're confronting them with it.
And those Republicans don't like it.
Last week, Paul "Ayn Rand Is My Mentor" Ryan was booed at his first town hall, where he was confronted by people who (surprise!) don't care for replacing Medicare with Ryan's "throw them a bone voucher" in order to fork over yet more tax cuts for big corporations who are already either paying very little taxes or none at all, getting refunds, subsidies, and oh by the way, busily NOT creating all those jobs the Bush tax cuts promised oh those many years ago.
Problem.
This week there have been a couple memorable town halls, which are actually getting some media attention. Two of them were in Florida.
The first was in Alan Grayson's former district, this time represented by Daniel Webster who defeated Grayson in last year's election. You'll recall that Grayson was defeated in part because he dared to speak the truth about the GOP health care plan. Grayson gave a speech on the House floor, where he said:
"The Republican health care plan: don't get sick," he said. But, he added,"The Republicans have a back up plan in case you do get sick ... This is what the Republicans want you to do. If you get sick America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly!"
This description immediately caused the GOP, the media, and some Democrats to fan themselves and head for the fainting couches faster than one could say "but he's right." He was. Read that quote again and see if you can see any difference from the Ryan plan for Medicare. Don't get sick, because if you do, well good luck finding insurance with that coupon! (As if any health insurance company would even insure them in the first place.) That being said, because Democrats are labeled as radicals for speaking the truth about what the GOP is really up to, for that offense Grayson was in part swept out of office and replaced with a real radical, Daniel Webster.
Webster's first town hall since Ayn Ryan...I'm sorry, PAUL Ryan unveiled his fantasy based, math free "budget plan" took place yesterday. Webster was busy reciting his scripted talking points to the crowd with his little charts and graphs when he was challenged by constituents who were armed with facts. This is what happened:
Problem.
GOP New Town Hall Rule 1. Facts are not permitted.
Now we move on to another of yesterday's town hall meetings held by Allen West who makes Dan Webster look almost down right normal. Almost. West has never been a "fact" person and he tends to make up his own reality as he goes along. However, yesterday according to reports, he did admit to one fact: This years town halls are more heated than last year. He just chooses to pretend it's for different reasons.
“The natives are restless. You go up and you whack a hornet’s nest,” he said.
Well, sure. If those "restless natives" are senior citizens, or those who will be in the near future, who want health care, and if that "hornet's nest" is being "whacked" by members of the media asking actual fact-based questions rather than those collected and screened "George W. Bush style" at the door prior to the meeting. Those natives and whackers of hornets nests would be dealt with, as West pointed out himself:
“You’re not going to intimidate me,” West said.
West is certainly a man of his word, and in his little corner of GOP style Democracy, those who dare to ask impromptu questions will be...arrested:
One protester was just arrested at Congressman Allen West’s Fort Lauderdale town hall meeting.
Nicole Sandler of Coral Springs interrupted when West was explaining the Republican position on Medicare.
Sandler shouted a question, which prompted responses from other audience members: “Shut up lady.”
She didn’t stop. As people recorded the scene with their camera phones, she was escorted out by a Fort Lauderdale police officer.
Sandler objected to being asked to leave, arguing with the officer as he escorted her out, including emphatically cursing at him. Ultimately he arrested her for “trespass after warning” and transferred her to another police officer who took Sandler away.
Problem.
GOP New Town Hall Rule 2. You May Ask Questions Only If You Don't Mind Spending At Least One Night In Jail. Bring Your Toothbrush.
So there is a glimpse of what democracy looks like in the new world of the Right Wing-Nuts who have become today's Republican Party. Facts have rarely been tolerated by the GOP in the past either, it's just that now there will be no debate. Rather than asking questions based on actual facts, you will be stripped of your rights and silly luxuries like Medicare, and you will sit quietly while your future is quite possibly destroyed so that the rich might buy another yacht with gold-plated fixtures so they can sail to one of their private islands where they can bide their time sipping cocktails garnished with swizzle sticks topped with tiny plastic senior citizens and poor children as they keep the fire pits stoking with $100 bills.
And you will like it. Or else.
Yes, the GOP are learning a new lesson this year. Life just isn't scripted, and there are only so many gullible, bad actors willing to get on the bus and protest against their own best interests.
