Exposing 5 of the Biggest Lies Republicans Tell About the Economy
"Republicans are literally advocating for the exact same types of economic policies we saw passed during George W. Bush’s presidency that led to historic income inequality and the worst economic crash since the Great Depression. It makes absolutely no sense. Despite the overwhelming evidence that Republican economic policies do nothing but favor the rich, they continue to insist that these same top-down policies are the only way to “save the American dream.” Meanwhile, it’s these types of policies that are killing it."
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Bill Gates: The Private Sector Is Inept @alternet
Bill Gates: The Private Sector Is Inept @alternet
"It turns out he thinks the private sector is too selfish and inept to tackle the dire climate change situation, and relying on it would be courting disaster."
"It turns out he thinks the private sector is too selfish and inept to tackle the dire climate change situation, and relying on it would be courting disaster."
Amid Flood of Dark Money, Groups Make Simple Request of FEC: 'Do Your Job'
Amid Flood of Dark Money, Groups Make Simple Request of FEC: 'Do Your Job'
"While super PACs—which can solicit unlimited donations and have thus far raised $211 million in this election cycle—are ostensibly independent from the candidates and campaigns they support, watchdogs say the reality tells a much different story."
"While super PACs—which can solicit unlimited donations and have thus far raised $211 million in this election cycle—are ostensibly independent from the candidates and campaigns they support, watchdogs say the reality tells a much different story."
Kochs Go After Wisconsin Republicans Who Still Have A Conscience
Kochs Go After Wisconsin Republicans Who Still Have A Conscience
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive."
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive."
Marco Rubio Is Blocking His Own Judicial Nominee
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marco-rubio-judicial-nominee_563123d7e4b00aa54a4c69ed
"Rubio is withholding his so-called "blue slip" from the Judiciary Committee to prevent Florida district judge nominee Mary Flores from advancing. The committee won't let any nominee move forward until it has blue slips -- they're literally blue pieces of paper that reflect a senator's support -- from both of a nominee's home-state senators. Florida's other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, turned in his blue slip eight months ago. But nothing from Rubio.
The weird part is that Rubio supports Flores. He and Nelson recommended her to President Barack Obama, and the president formally nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in February. She's now been waiting for a hearing for 242 days, but can't move without Rubio's sign-off. She would fill a seat that's been empty for 532 days, and that court is so overloaded with work that it's considered a judicial emergency."
"Rubio is withholding his so-called "blue slip" from the Judiciary Committee to prevent Florida district judge nominee Mary Flores from advancing. The committee won't let any nominee move forward until it has blue slips -- they're literally blue pieces of paper that reflect a senator's support -- from both of a nominee's home-state senators. Florida's other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, turned in his blue slip eight months ago. But nothing from Rubio.
The weird part is that Rubio supports Flores. He and Nelson recommended her to President Barack Obama, and the president formally nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in February. She's now been waiting for a hearing for 242 days, but can't move without Rubio's sign-off. She would fill a seat that's been empty for 532 days, and that court is so overloaded with work that it's considered a judicial emergency."
The Return Of The Hastert Rule -- And What It Means For The Rest Of Us
The Return Of The Hastert Rule -- And What It Means For The Rest Of Us
"under the Hastert Rule, the most right-wing members of the House have just taken control of the House of Representatives."
"under the Hastert Rule, the most right-wing members of the House have just taken control of the House of Representatives."
Staffing Up For Corruption
Staffing Up For Corruption
"We can thank the Supreme Court for this. Its malevolent Citizens United decision produced an insidious platinum class of mega-donors and corporate super PACs, each pumping $500,000, $5 million, $50 million — or even more — into campaigns. These elites aren’t silent donors. They’re boisterous, very special interests playing in this court-created political money game for their own gain. Having paid to play, they feel entitled to tell candidates what to say and do, what to support and oppose. A Jeb Bush insider confirms that mega-donors bluntly tell the candidate: “I just invested in you. Now I need to have my say; you need to answer to me.” Thus, campaigns are hiring donor maintenance managers as personal concierges to meet every need and whim of these special ones. This subservience institutionalizes the plutocratic corruption of our democratic elections, allowing a handful of uber-rich interests to buy positions of overbearing influence directly inside campaigns."
"We can thank the Supreme Court for this. Its malevolent Citizens United decision produced an insidious platinum class of mega-donors and corporate super PACs, each pumping $500,000, $5 million, $50 million — or even more — into campaigns. These elites aren’t silent donors. They’re boisterous, very special interests playing in this court-created political money game for their own gain. Having paid to play, they feel entitled to tell candidates what to say and do, what to support and oppose. A Jeb Bush insider confirms that mega-donors bluntly tell the candidate: “I just invested in you. Now I need to have my say; you need to answer to me.” Thus, campaigns are hiring donor maintenance managers as personal concierges to meet every need and whim of these special ones. This subservience institutionalizes the plutocratic corruption of our democratic elections, allowing a handful of uber-rich interests to buy positions of overbearing influence directly inside campaigns."
Bush Admin. Secretly Warned Republicans To Sell Stocks A Week Before 08′ Crash
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/bush-admin-secretly-warned-republicans-to-sell-stocks-a-week-before-08-crash/
"The crooks on Wall Street ended up engineering a colossal transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy, setting up the absurd level of income inequality that is strangling our middle class and the funneling of political power to the oligarchs who dominate modern American politics."
"The crooks on Wall Street ended up engineering a colossal transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy, setting up the absurd level of income inequality that is strangling our middle class and the funneling of political power to the oligarchs who dominate modern American politics."
Sun-Sentinel To Rubio: If You Don't Like The Job, Senator, Resign
Sun-Sentinel To Rubio: If You Don't Like The Job, Senator, Resign
"You are paid $174,000 per year to represent us, to fight for us, to solve our problems. Plus you take a $10,000 federal subsidy — declined by some in the Senate — to participate in one of the Obamacare health plans, though you are a big critic of Obamacare.
You are ripping us off, senator."
"You are paid $174,000 per year to represent us, to fight for us, to solve our problems. Plus you take a $10,000 federal subsidy — declined by some in the Senate — to participate in one of the Obamacare health plans, though you are a big critic of Obamacare.
You are ripping us off, senator."
The Republican Study Committee wants to ratchet austerity up well past the sequester
The Republican Study Committee wants to ratchet austerity up well past the sequester
"The fiscal drag resulting from the sequester relented a little in the past two years, as the result of a compromise reached between the House and Senate budget committees. But this compromise only rolled back sequester cuts for two years. For fiscal year 2016, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that not extending this compromise and instead returning to 2011 BCA spending targets could cost as many as 800,000 jobs as these cuts drag on aggregate demand.
One would think that loosening this coming fiscal drag would be a high priority for policymakers. Instead, the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a bloc of conservatives in Congress, has made replaying the 2011 debt ceiling crisis a top priority."
"The fiscal drag resulting from the sequester relented a little in the past two years, as the result of a compromise reached between the House and Senate budget committees. But this compromise only rolled back sequester cuts for two years. For fiscal year 2016, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that not extending this compromise and instead returning to 2011 BCA spending targets could cost as many as 800,000 jobs as these cuts drag on aggregate demand.
One would think that loosening this coming fiscal drag would be a high priority for policymakers. Instead, the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a bloc of conservatives in Congress, has made replaying the 2011 debt ceiling crisis a top priority."
Paul Wellstone’s Ordinary Life and Extraordinary Legacy
Paul Wellstone’s Ordinary Life and Extraordinary Legacy
"Shortly before his death, Wellstone explained why he was in the Senate: “I don't represent the big oil companies, the big pharmaceuticals, or the big insurance industry. They already have great representation in Washington. It's the rest of the people that need representation"."
"Shortly before his death, Wellstone explained why he was in the Senate: “I don't represent the big oil companies, the big pharmaceuticals, or the big insurance industry. They already have great representation in Washington. It's the rest of the people that need representation"."
Bernie Sanders Drops A Major Truth Bomb About Republicans On ‘The View’ (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/26/bernie-sanders-drops-a-major-truth-bomb-about-republicans-on-the-view-video/
"Those who don’t follow conservatives closely can have an outdated view of what the Republican Party represents – and completely miss the extremist, hateful messages the party has tangled itself in nowadays.
It’s important that we don’t mistake the current Republican Party for the conservative views that existed during Eisenhower’s day, and Sanders wants to make sure that every American has their eyes and ears open. The new GOP doesn’t have the majority of Americans’ interests in mind, and having these people in charge would be detrimental to our country."
"Those who don’t follow conservatives closely can have an outdated view of what the Republican Party represents – and completely miss the extremist, hateful messages the party has tangled itself in nowadays.
It’s important that we don’t mistake the current Republican Party for the conservative views that existed during Eisenhower’s day, and Sanders wants to make sure that every American has their eyes and ears open. The new GOP doesn’t have the majority of Americans’ interests in mind, and having these people in charge would be detrimental to our country."
Nonprofits that spent millions backing Southern candidates accused of breaking campaign finance laws
http://www.southernstudies.org/2015/10/nonprofits-that-spent-millions-backing-southern-ca.html
"If the groups are found to have violated the law, the potential penalties from the IRS include revoking their 501c4 status, imposing taxes on them, and treating them as taxable corporations or 527 political organizations, which are required to disclose their donors.
But the chance of enforcement by the IRS is slim. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the agency has "all but [quit] its regulation of politically active nonprofits" after coming under fire from conservative groups whose applications for nonprofit status were delayed in the approval process. In addition, Congress has made significant cuts to the IRS budget, and fewer employees are investigating nonprofits."
"If the groups are found to have violated the law, the potential penalties from the IRS include revoking their 501c4 status, imposing taxes on them, and treating them as taxable corporations or 527 political organizations, which are required to disclose their donors.
But the chance of enforcement by the IRS is slim. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the agency has "all but [quit] its regulation of politically active nonprofits" after coming under fire from conservative groups whose applications for nonprofit status were delayed in the approval process. In addition, Congress has made significant cuts to the IRS budget, and fewer employees are investigating nonprofits."
Koch Brothers Panic As Support For Their “Tea Party” Drops To Historic Low
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/koch-brothers-panic-as-support-for-their-tea-party-drops-to-historic-low/
"Following the midterm elections 2010, a “grassroots” movement suddenly sprouted up in direct opposition to every aspect of the Democratic agenda. Known as the “Tea Party” in a shameless attempt to associate the movement with the ideals of the American Revolution, the movement was actually a product of the Koch Brothers and other hyper-conservative free-market fascists who poured millions of dollars into shadowy groups. Since then, their political brinkmanship has given us the legislative terrorists in the “House Freedom Caucus” and are responsible for the 2013 shutdown and the perpetual gridlock that has come to define Congress."
"Following the midterm elections 2010, a “grassroots” movement suddenly sprouted up in direct opposition to every aspect of the Democratic agenda. Known as the “Tea Party” in a shameless attempt to associate the movement with the ideals of the American Revolution, the movement was actually a product of the Koch Brothers and other hyper-conservative free-market fascists who poured millions of dollars into shadowy groups. Since then, their political brinkmanship has given us the legislative terrorists in the “House Freedom Caucus” and are responsible for the 2013 shutdown and the perpetual gridlock that has come to define Congress."
Lazy Reporters Don't Think To Check Paul Ryan's Budget Math
Lazy Reporters Don't Think To Check Paul Ryan's Budget Math
"In addition to wanting to privatize both Social Security and Medicare, Ryan has indicated that he essentially wants to shut down the federal government in the sense of taking all of the money for the non-military portion of the budget."
"In addition to wanting to privatize both Social Security and Medicare, Ryan has indicated that he essentially wants to shut down the federal government in the sense of taking all of the money for the non-military portion of the budget."
Ben Carson Pretends He Doesn't Really Want To End Medicare
Ben Carson Pretends He Doesn't Really Want To End Medicare
"It's pretty bad when even a host on Fox isn't buying the B.S. you're shoveling. Wallace pushed and pushed Carson on where the money would come from for his program, and Carson either doesn't even understand what his own health care proposal would do, or he's just lying through his teeth."
"It's pretty bad when even a host on Fox isn't buying the B.S. you're shoveling. Wallace pushed and pushed Carson on where the money would come from for his program, and Carson either doesn't even understand what his own health care proposal would do, or he's just lying through his teeth."
The Tea Party is on life support: New poll shows it’s less popular than ever
The Tea Party is on life support: New poll shows it’s less popular than ever
"the Tea Party’s favorability nationally has dropped nearly in half from a November 2010 high of 32 percent to a five year low of 17 percent."
"the Tea Party’s favorability nationally has dropped nearly in half from a November 2010 high of 32 percent to a five year low of 17 percent."
Sanders Slams Republicans For ‘Amnesia’ Over Wrecking The Economy
Sanders Slams Republicans For ‘Amnesia’ Over Wrecking The Economy
"He also bashed Citizens United, a controversial Supreme Court decision that allows the wealthiest to donate unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns.
“Republicans said you can’t win a campaign… unless you go to the millionaires and billionaires and you beg for money,” Sanders said"
"He also bashed Citizens United, a controversial Supreme Court decision that allows the wealthiest to donate unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns.
“Republicans said you can’t win a campaign… unless you go to the millionaires and billionaires and you beg for money,” Sanders said"
Club for Growth and Koch Industries shown to be key financial backers of Freedom Caucus candidates
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/24/1437517/-Club-for-Growth-and-Koch-Industries-shown-to-be-key-financial-backers-of-Freedom-Caucus-candidates
"Koch Industries and the conservative Club for Growth (CFG) are now watching the "Freedom Caucus" (i.e. the House crazies) they made possible drive the Republican party into the ground."
"Koch Industries and the conservative Club for Growth (CFG) are now watching the "Freedom Caucus" (i.e. the House crazies) they made possible drive the Republican party into the ground."
Friday, October 30, 2015
Paul Ryan's Chairmen Do End Run On 9/11 Responders
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-ryan-committee-chairmen-9-11-responders_56334e28e4b0c66bae5bf417
"Two of House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) newly empowered committee chairmen took immediate advantage Thursday of the freshly elected leader's pledge to give power back to committees -- and may have handed him a 9/11-related publicity disaster.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, both announced measures to temporarily extend the expiring 9/11 health and compensation programs.
In the process, they appear to have ignored permanent 9/11 legislation that was already proposed and sponsored by a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and a majority of more than 240 members in the House.
That bill is universally backed by 9/11 responders and advocates, and they were furious the two chairmen decided to ignore a measure that already has enough support to pass."
"Two of House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) newly empowered committee chairmen took immediate advantage Thursday of the freshly elected leader's pledge to give power back to committees -- and may have handed him a 9/11-related publicity disaster.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, both announced measures to temporarily extend the expiring 9/11 health and compensation programs.
In the process, they appear to have ignored permanent 9/11 legislation that was already proposed and sponsored by a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and a majority of more than 240 members in the House.
That bill is universally backed by 9/11 responders and advocates, and they were furious the two chairmen decided to ignore a measure that already has enough support to pass."
Preempting Democracy: What's Not Being Voted on This November Is Sinister
Preempting Democracy: What's Not Being Voted on This November Is Sinister
"State preemption has reached an infamous status. People are outraged by state legislatures’ claim of unilateral authority to prohibit local governments from raising the minimum wage, curbing fossil fuel extraction or otherwise increasing state protections for workers, the environment and even tenants. It’s an accelerating issue; state preemption bills are broadening. For example, in Michigan and elsewhere the preemption of local minimum wage hikes is being expanded to include all law making that regulates employer-employee relations. And now, in the past few months, local citizens’ very right to vote on the issues has been caught in the crosshairs.
Those whom are spearheading this wave of state preemption—often linked to the equally infamous American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—are escalating their tactics."
"State preemption has reached an infamous status. People are outraged by state legislatures’ claim of unilateral authority to prohibit local governments from raising the minimum wage, curbing fossil fuel extraction or otherwise increasing state protections for workers, the environment and even tenants. It’s an accelerating issue; state preemption bills are broadening. For example, in Michigan and elsewhere the preemption of local minimum wage hikes is being expanded to include all law making that regulates employer-employee relations. And now, in the past few months, local citizens’ very right to vote on the issues has been caught in the crosshairs.
Those whom are spearheading this wave of state preemption—often linked to the equally infamous American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—are escalating their tactics."
Charles Koch’s Frankenstein Problem: He Created the Tea Party Monster — and Now He’s Horrified With the Results @alternet
Charles Koch’s Frankenstein Problem: He Created the Tea Party Monster — and Now He’s Horrified With the Results @alternet
"The Koch brothers, whether they know it or not, got exactly what they paid for. If the tone of our politics has sunk to Cro-Magnon levels, it’s because the process has been flooded with money and propaganda and rabid right-wingers who’ve coarsened the discourse and made compromise impossible."
"The Koch brothers, whether they know it or not, got exactly what they paid for. If the tone of our politics has sunk to Cro-Magnon levels, it’s because the process has been flooded with money and propaganda and rabid right-wingers who’ve coarsened the discourse and made compromise impossible."
The GOPers Don't Even Bother To Hide The Non-Profit Abuse Now
The GOPers Don't Even Bother To Hide The Non-Profit Abuse Now
"One of the rules about these so-called "social welfare" organizations -- 501(c)(4) nonprofits -- is that they are limited to spending 50 percent or less on overt political activities. If they violate that rule, they're supposed to be disqualified.
The real IRS scandal here is that they are not. In this case, it's so blatant and over the top that watchdog groups are now filing suit over it.
Carolina Rising had one donor and spent all $4.7 million on mostly one candidate: Thom Tillis. The ads that money purchased weren't even subtle."
"One of the rules about these so-called "social welfare" organizations -- 501(c)(4) nonprofits -- is that they are limited to spending 50 percent or less on overt political activities. If they violate that rule, they're supposed to be disqualified.
The real IRS scandal here is that they are not. In this case, it's so blatant and over the top that watchdog groups are now filing suit over it.
Carolina Rising had one donor and spent all $4.7 million on mostly one candidate: Thom Tillis. The ads that money purchased weren't even subtle."
10 Taxpayer Handouts to the Super Rich That Will Make Your Blood Boil
http://usuncut.com/class-war/10-corporate-welfare-programs-that-will-make-your-blood-boil/
"The combined cost of these 10 corporate welfare programs is $1.539 trillion per year. The three main programs needy families depend upon — Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ($17.3 billion), food stamps ($74 billion), and the Earned Income Tax Credit ($67.2 billion) — cost just $158.5 billion in total. This means we spend ten times as much on corporate welfare and handouts to the top 1 percent than we do on welfare for working families struggling to make ends meet."
"The combined cost of these 10 corporate welfare programs is $1.539 trillion per year. The three main programs needy families depend upon — Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ($17.3 billion), food stamps ($74 billion), and the Earned Income Tax Credit ($67.2 billion) — cost just $158.5 billion in total. This means we spend ten times as much on corporate welfare and handouts to the top 1 percent than we do on welfare for working families struggling to make ends meet."
Jim Hightower: How Much 'Free Speech' Can You Buy?
Jim Hightower: How Much 'Free Speech' Can You Buy?
"Sure enough, in the first six months of this presidential election cycle, more than half of the record-setting $300 million given to the various candidates came from only 358 mega-rich families and the corporations they control. The top 158 of them totaled $176 million in political spending, meaning that, on average, each one of them bought more than a million dollars' worth of "free" speech.
Nearly all of their money is backing Republican presidential hopefuls who promise: (1) to cut taxes on the rich; (2) cut regulations that protect us from corporate pollution and other abuses of the common good; and (3) to cut Social Security, food stamps and other safety-net programs that we un-rich people need. The great majority of Americans adamantly oppose all of those cuts — but none of us has a million bucks to buy an equivalent amount of political "free" speech."
"Sure enough, in the first six months of this presidential election cycle, more than half of the record-setting $300 million given to the various candidates came from only 358 mega-rich families and the corporations they control. The top 158 of them totaled $176 million in political spending, meaning that, on average, each one of them bought more than a million dollars' worth of "free" speech.
Nearly all of their money is backing Republican presidential hopefuls who promise: (1) to cut taxes on the rich; (2) cut regulations that protect us from corporate pollution and other abuses of the common good; and (3) to cut Social Security, food stamps and other safety-net programs that we un-rich people need. The great majority of Americans adamantly oppose all of those cuts — but none of us has a million bucks to buy an equivalent amount of political "free" speech."
Kochs Hit the Airwaves in Support of WI Corruption Measures
Kochs Hit the Airwaves in Support of WI Corruption Measures
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive.
David Koch's Americans for Prosperity is up with ads targeting constituents of GOP Senators Rob Cowles of Green Bay, Luther Olsen of Ripon, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, and Jerry Petrowski of Marathon, who have expressed reservations about the measures. The ads portray the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB) as a cold war-era agency "silencing free speech" and "raiding conservative's (sic) homes." AFP Wisconsin's director Eric Bott also said the group would be mobilizing its activists this week. AFP is the only group registered to lobby in favor of dismantling the GAB.
Wisconsin Club for Growth also launched a robocall campaign on Tuesday, with a recording of the Club's director Eric O'Keefe urging the wavering senators' constituents to demand the senators vote "yes" on the bill."
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive.
David Koch's Americans for Prosperity is up with ads targeting constituents of GOP Senators Rob Cowles of Green Bay, Luther Olsen of Ripon, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, and Jerry Petrowski of Marathon, who have expressed reservations about the measures. The ads portray the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB) as a cold war-era agency "silencing free speech" and "raiding conservative's (sic) homes." AFP Wisconsin's director Eric Bott also said the group would be mobilizing its activists this week. AFP is the only group registered to lobby in favor of dismantling the GAB.
Wisconsin Club for Growth also launched a robocall campaign on Tuesday, with a recording of the Club's director Eric O'Keefe urging the wavering senators' constituents to demand the senators vote "yes" on the bill."
Paul Ryan Is a Hypocrite, Charlatan and Right-Wing Extremist @alternet
Paul Ryan Is a Hypocrite, Charlatan and Right-Wing Extremist @alternet
"Let's start with Ryan's outrageous hypocrisy. Ryan worships at the altar of novelist Ayn Rand, the philosopher of you're-on-your-own selfishness, whose books have been required reading for his Congressional staffers. Like Rand, he consistently demonizes people who improve their lives with the help of government. Ryan seems to be unaware of how much his own family and his own financial success has been influenced by "big government."
Despite Ryan's persistent attacks on government spending, his family's construction business has been anchored in building roads on government contracts. Despite his worship of private-sector entrepreneurs, he's spent his entire career as a government employee. Despite being a crusader against anti-poverty programs, Ryan is a millionaire who made his money the old-fashioned way: bymarrying a woman who inherited a fortune."
"Let's start with Ryan's outrageous hypocrisy. Ryan worships at the altar of novelist Ayn Rand, the philosopher of you're-on-your-own selfishness, whose books have been required reading for his Congressional staffers. Like Rand, he consistently demonizes people who improve their lives with the help of government. Ryan seems to be unaware of how much his own family and his own financial success has been influenced by "big government."
Despite Ryan's persistent attacks on government spending, his family's construction business has been anchored in building roads on government contracts. Despite his worship of private-sector entrepreneurs, he's spent his entire career as a government employee. Despite being a crusader against anti-poverty programs, Ryan is a millionaire who made his money the old-fashioned way: bymarrying a woman who inherited a fortune."
Jeb! Bush has a plan for America seniors, sort of, and it isn't pretty
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/27/1440952/-Jeb-Bush-has-a-plan-for-America-seniors-sort-of-and-it-isn-t-pretty
"If you were waiting breathlessly for policy details on Social Security and Medicare from Jeb! Bush (beyond his endorsement of his brother's disastrous Social Security privatization scheme, or how much he wants to "phase out" Medicare) here you go. While it's pretty weak on actual specifics, Jeb! has released his plan to "Preserve, Protect and Reform Medicare and Social Security." In other words, how he'll privatize Social Security and phase out Medicare under the usual Republican guise of "protecting" them."
"If you were waiting breathlessly for policy details on Social Security and Medicare from Jeb! Bush (beyond his endorsement of his brother's disastrous Social Security privatization scheme, or how much he wants to "phase out" Medicare) here you go. While it's pretty weak on actual specifics, Jeb! has released his plan to "Preserve, Protect and Reform Medicare and Social Security." In other words, how he'll privatize Social Security and phase out Medicare under the usual Republican guise of "protecting" them."
Ted Cruz Embraces Fringe Monetary Policy That Went Out Of Style In The 1930s
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/10/29/3717416/ted-cruz-gold-standard-debate/
"At Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called for returning to a policy idea that died in 1933 and has gone unmourned ever since."
"At Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called for returning to a policy idea that died in 1933 and has gone unmourned ever since."
Ben Carson’s Deadly Lies Put Profits Over People
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/10/ben-carsons-deadly-lies-put-profits-over-people/
“The claims made by the con artists, who see the conservative movement as a source of elderly and naive marks to target, are far from harmless,” the report noted, adding “It’s not just that they drain money out of people, but that they often claim that nutritional supplements can cure cancer and Alzheimer’s. That Carson would lend his good name as a neurosurgeon to such claims is so awful that the word ‘unethical’ doesn’t begin to encompass it"."
“The claims made by the con artists, who see the conservative movement as a source of elderly and naive marks to target, are far from harmless,” the report noted, adding “It’s not just that they drain money out of people, but that they often claim that nutritional supplements can cure cancer and Alzheimer’s. That Carson would lend his good name as a neurosurgeon to such claims is so awful that the word ‘unethical’ doesn’t begin to encompass it"."
Liar Fiorina Gets Defensive When Questioned About Her Bad Information
http://ringoffireradio.com/2015/10/30/liar-fiorina-gets-defensive-when-questioned-about-her-bad-informatio/
"On Thursday, Fiorina was questioned about her failure to present the truth during Wednesday night’s debate by CNN host Alisyn Camerota. When confronted, Fiorina became agitated and appeared to turn hostile."
"On Thursday, Fiorina was questioned about her failure to present the truth during Wednesday night’s debate by CNN host Alisyn Camerota. When confronted, Fiorina became agitated and appeared to turn hostile."
CNN Confronts Carly Fiorina On Her Factless Claims
CNN Confronts Carly Fiorina On Her Factless Claims
"the point of the primary is to see who can tell the best lies with the most sincere expression on their face."
"the point of the primary is to see who can tell the best lies with the most sincere expression on their face."
Campaign Bombshell: Ben Carson Did Have Relationship With Mannatech
Campaign Bombshell: Ben Carson Did Have Relationship With Mannatech
"On Wednesday night's CNBC Debate, Ben Carson basically called Carl Quintanilla, the CNBC moderator a liar because he quizzed him on his relationship with Mannatech, a company that's been sued for false advertising. Carson shouted from the heavens that he had NO relationship with them and that CNBC was using propaganda against him."
"On Wednesday night's CNBC Debate, Ben Carson basically called Carl Quintanilla, the CNBC moderator a liar because he quizzed him on his relationship with Mannatech, a company that's been sued for false advertising. Carson shouted from the heavens that he had NO relationship with them and that CNBC was using propaganda against him."
Thursday, October 29, 2015
GOP and the Rise of Anti-Knowledge
https://consortiumnews.com/2015/10/29/gop-and-the-rise-of-anti-knowledge/
"Fifty years ago, if a person did not know who the prime minister of Great Britain was, what the conflict in Vietnam was about, or the barest rudiments of how a nuclear reaction worked, he would shrug his shoulders and move on. And if he didn’t bother to know those things, he was in all likelihood politically apathetic and confined his passionate arguing to topics like sports or the attributes of the opposite sex.
There were exceptions, like the Birchers’ theory that fluoridation was a monstrous communist conspiracy, but they were mostly confined to the fringes. Certainly, political candidates with national aspirations steered clear of such balderdash.
At present, however, a person can be blissfully ignorant of how to locate Kenya on a map, but know to a metaphysical certitude that Barack Obama was born there, because he learned it from Fox News. Likewise, he can be unable to differentiate a species from a phylum but be confident from viewing the 700 Club that evolution is “politically correct” hooey and that the earth is 6,000 years old.
And he may never have read the Constitution and have no clue about the Commerce Clause, but believe with an angry righteousness that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.
This brings us inevitably to celebrity presidential candidate Ben Carson. The man is anti-knowledge incarnated, a walking compendium of every imbecility ever uttered during the last three decades. Obamacare is worse than chattel slavery. Women who have abortions are like slave owners. If Jews had firearms they could have stopped the Holocaust (author’s note: they obtained at least some weapons during the Warsaw Ghetto rising, and no, it didn’t). Victims of a mass shooting in Oregon enabled their own deaths by their behavior. And so on, ad nauseam."
"Fifty years ago, if a person did not know who the prime minister of Great Britain was, what the conflict in Vietnam was about, or the barest rudiments of how a nuclear reaction worked, he would shrug his shoulders and move on. And if he didn’t bother to know those things, he was in all likelihood politically apathetic and confined his passionate arguing to topics like sports or the attributes of the opposite sex.
There were exceptions, like the Birchers’ theory that fluoridation was a monstrous communist conspiracy, but they were mostly confined to the fringes. Certainly, political candidates with national aspirations steered clear of such balderdash.
At present, however, a person can be blissfully ignorant of how to locate Kenya on a map, but know to a metaphysical certitude that Barack Obama was born there, because he learned it from Fox News. Likewise, he can be unable to differentiate a species from a phylum but be confident from viewing the 700 Club that evolution is “politically correct” hooey and that the earth is 6,000 years old.
And he may never have read the Constitution and have no clue about the Commerce Clause, but believe with an angry righteousness that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.
This brings us inevitably to celebrity presidential candidate Ben Carson. The man is anti-knowledge incarnated, a walking compendium of every imbecility ever uttered during the last three decades. Obamacare is worse than chattel slavery. Women who have abortions are like slave owners. If Jews had firearms they could have stopped the Holocaust (author’s note: they obtained at least some weapons during the Warsaw Ghetto rising, and no, it didn’t). Victims of a mass shooting in Oregon enabled their own deaths by their behavior. And so on, ad nauseam."
8 Lies, Distortions and Misrepresentations From the Third GOP Debate | Alternet
8 Lies, Distortions and Misrepresentations From the Third GOP Debate | Alternet
"Both debates took place in an alternate reality, where facts are made up on the spot and history doesn't matter."
"Both debates took place in an alternate reality, where facts are made up on the spot and history doesn't matter."
Ben Carson’s Biggest Moment of the Third Debate Came During His Biggest Lie of the Evening
Ben Carson’s Biggest Moment of the Third Debate Came During His Biggest Lie of the Evening
"It’s more typical rhetoric from Republicans. They say all sorts of nonsense, then attack the media or claim bias whenever their lies are called out. This plays right into the hands of the typical conservative voter who’s been indoctrinated to believe that any news source that’s not approved by the GOP is “part of the liberal media” that’s out to get Republicans. It’s a classic tactic used by conspiracy theorists."
"It’s more typical rhetoric from Republicans. They say all sorts of nonsense, then attack the media or claim bias whenever their lies are called out. This plays right into the hands of the typical conservative voter who’s been indoctrinated to believe that any news source that’s not approved by the GOP is “part of the liberal media” that’s out to get Republicans. It’s a classic tactic used by conspiracy theorists."
CNN Host Puts Carly Fiorina On BLAST After Repeated Lies During The Debate (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/29/cnn-host-puts-carly-fiorina-on-blast-after-repeated-lies-during-the-debate-video/
"It’s very unfortunate that Republicans are immune to facts, because proper recollection of events, facts and figures could really do them some good every now and then. One of the most immune to facts seems to be Republican presidential candidate and failed former HP head, Carly Fiorina.
If it wasn’t bad enough that she lied during the last debate about Planned Parenthood, now Fiorina has decided to provide more hyperbolic rhetoric to try and boost her failing poll numbers. Either that, or she’s generously trying to boost the pay of fact checkers everywhere."
"It’s very unfortunate that Republicans are immune to facts, because proper recollection of events, facts and figures could really do them some good every now and then. One of the most immune to facts seems to be Republican presidential candidate and failed former HP head, Carly Fiorina.
If it wasn’t bad enough that she lied during the last debate about Planned Parenthood, now Fiorina has decided to provide more hyperbolic rhetoric to try and boost her failing poll numbers. Either that, or she’s generously trying to boost the pay of fact checkers everywhere."
The CNBC Republican Debate: Bring In the Clowns
The CNBC Republican Debate: Bring In the Clowns
"these candidates are selling fantasies. They reject arithmetic and confound logic. They can’t admit that a flat tax – a tax that lowers top rates – by definition gives a massive tax break to the wealthy. They can’t admit that a 10 percent or 15 percent flat tax raises trillions less in revenue. Like incoming House Speaker Paul Ryan, they can’t admit that their pledge to cut taxes, balance the budget and expand the military will require literally gutting the domestic functions of the federal government – from education to disease control.
And somehow, at a time when the rich capture ever more of the wealth, when the profit share of GDP is near record highs and the income share near record lows, they argue that cutting taxes on the rich and accountability on the corporations will magically generate growth."
"these candidates are selling fantasies. They reject arithmetic and confound logic. They can’t admit that a flat tax – a tax that lowers top rates – by definition gives a massive tax break to the wealthy. They can’t admit that a 10 percent or 15 percent flat tax raises trillions less in revenue. Like incoming House Speaker Paul Ryan, they can’t admit that their pledge to cut taxes, balance the budget and expand the military will require literally gutting the domestic functions of the federal government – from education to disease control.
And somehow, at a time when the rich capture ever more of the wealth, when the profit share of GDP is near record highs and the income share near record lows, they argue that cutting taxes on the rich and accountability on the corporations will magically generate growth."
BEYOND Bad Math: Carson’s Tax Scam Raises Taxes For Poor, Cuts Taxes For Rich (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/29/ben-carson-flat-tax-scheme-raise-taxes-on-poor-cut-taxes-for-rich-video/
"Carson’s flat tax scheme doesn’t look anything like “tithing.” In fact it looks just like every other GOP plan to take from the poor and give to the rich."
"Carson’s flat tax scheme doesn’t look anything like “tithing.” In fact it looks just like every other GOP plan to take from the poor and give to the rich."
Third GOP Debate Perfectly Displays How Unfit Republicans Are to Lead This Country
Third GOP Debate Perfectly Displays How Unfit Republicans Are to Lead This Country
"what this debate ultimately did was prove once again how out of touch the Republican party has become. This is a group of people who seem more concerned with becoming the darling of the conservative media than actually offering rational plans to help most Americans. It was just another debate filled with petty attacks, worn out rhetoric and many of the same failed recycled ideas Republicans have been pushing for the last 30+ years, and they should be ashamed if they truly consider themselves “deadly serious” candidates."
"what this debate ultimately did was prove once again how out of touch the Republican party has become. This is a group of people who seem more concerned with becoming the darling of the conservative media than actually offering rational plans to help most Americans. It was just another debate filled with petty attacks, worn out rhetoric and many of the same failed recycled ideas Republicans have been pushing for the last 30+ years, and they should be ashamed if they truly consider themselves “deadly serious” candidates."
Everything The GOP Candidates Said About Equal Pay During The Debate Is BS—And Then Some
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/29/everything-the-gop-candidates-said-about-equal-pay-during-the-debate-is-bs-and-then-some/
"Here are the facts, folks. Say whatever you want to attack President Obama, the very first bill he signed as president was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, so don’t even try and pretend like he hasn’t done anything for women and families.
Republicans? What were they doing? Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz all voted against cloture to bring the Paycheck Fairness Act to the Senate floor for an up or down vote. Get this: Rubio even had the gall, on the Senate floor, to say “I just think we’re wasting time” while the Senate was discussing these equal pay bills. But hell, at least he knew what paycheck fairness was. Jeb can’t consider himself so lucky.
Christie is worse. As governor, he vetoed two bills that would have helped with equal pay for equal work. The first one would have required transparency for salaries for all government contractors. The other was a state version of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Again, both were vetoed."
"Here are the facts, folks. Say whatever you want to attack President Obama, the very first bill he signed as president was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, so don’t even try and pretend like he hasn’t done anything for women and families.
Republicans? What were they doing? Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz all voted against cloture to bring the Paycheck Fairness Act to the Senate floor for an up or down vote. Get this: Rubio even had the gall, on the Senate floor, to say “I just think we’re wasting time” while the Senate was discussing these equal pay bills. But hell, at least he knew what paycheck fairness was. Jeb can’t consider himself so lucky.
Christie is worse. As governor, he vetoed two bills that would have helped with equal pay for equal work. The first one would have required transparency for salaries for all government contractors. The other was a state version of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Again, both were vetoed."
Marco Rubio's blatant lie about his personal finances should worry you
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/29/1442388/-Marco-Rubio-s-blatant-lie-about-his-personal-finances-should-worry-you
"There are two issues here. One is the substance of the question: Rubio and his "scandal plagued"-doesn't-begin-to-describe-it friend, former Rep. David Rivera, only last summer sold the house which had at one point been in foreclosure. That is a fact, not a "discredited attack." And so on. The financial problems and mismanagement detailed in the question were accurate, so make of his personal finances what you will.
But whatever you make of Rubio's personal finances, pay attention to his lying. Because he didn't flinch, he didn't equivocate. He seemed sincere and a little wounded as he dismissed that list of true facts as "a litany of discredited attacks from Democrats and my political opponents" and said he wouldn't address them because it would "waste 60 seconds." Sincere, wounded ... and lying.
Maybe you don't have a problem with a presidential candidate having faced foreclosure on the second house he co-owned with another scandal-plagued politician. Maybe you don't have a problem with any of Rubio's financial missteps, with the fact that the guy is clearly a terrible manager of his own money. But the lying should be a problem nonetheless."
"There are two issues here. One is the substance of the question: Rubio and his "scandal plagued"-doesn't-begin-to-describe-it friend, former Rep. David Rivera, only last summer sold the house which had at one point been in foreclosure. That is a fact, not a "discredited attack." And so on. The financial problems and mismanagement detailed in the question were accurate, so make of his personal finances what you will.
But whatever you make of Rubio's personal finances, pay attention to his lying. Because he didn't flinch, he didn't equivocate. He seemed sincere and a little wounded as he dismissed that list of true facts as "a litany of discredited attacks from Democrats and my political opponents" and said he wouldn't address them because it would "waste 60 seconds." Sincere, wounded ... and lying.
Maybe you don't have a problem with a presidential candidate having faced foreclosure on the second house he co-owned with another scandal-plagued politician. Maybe you don't have a problem with any of Rubio's financial missteps, with the fact that the guy is clearly a terrible manager of his own money. But the lying should be a problem nonetheless."
Ben Carson’s Plan for Health Care is a Comically Bad Version of Socialized Medicine (Video)
Ben Carson’s Plan for Health Care is a Comically Bad Version of Socialized Medicine (Video)
"What Carson is essentially advocating for is socialized health care just a really bad version of it. What he wants to do is set up what he calls “health savings accounts” that are established the moment someone is born. The way he wants to accomplish this is by taking the money Americans are currently paying for health insurance and putting it into these HSAs established by the government. That, ladies and gentlemen, is socialized health care. But the idiotic part of his plan is that he doesn’t want these HSAs to cover catastrophic health care. For those situations he wants people to purchase their own care at what he thinks will be a heavily discounted rate considering the bulk of their health care would be provided via these HSA accounts. So, in other words, he wants Americans to pay money into a government account to cover part of their health care while still having to purchase catastrophic coverage through a private insurance company. That’s just stupid. And his plan does nothing to address those who can’t afford to pay into these accounts. But why even have the gap in coverage? If you’re going to go all-in with a form of socialized health care (which is Ben Carson’s plan) then go all in. Don’t half-ass it by not covering catastrophic occurrences. This is all about semantics. Either the government is raising taxes on Americans to cover socialized medicine (eliminating the need to pay private insurance companies monthly) or you’re creating these HSA’s that people pay into with the money they would normally pay to private insurance companies. Either way, it’s money Americans are handing over to the government to pay for health insurance. That is socialized health care. It’s just that Carson’s plan doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. While covering day-to-day health care needs is great, it’s the catastrophic events in someone’s life that tend to leave millions in mountains of debt. And don’t believe for a moment that these “catastrophic-only” policies would be cheap, either. If there’s one thing insurance companies prove time and time again, it’s that they’re going to get their money and try to screw over their policies holders whenever they can."
"What Carson is essentially advocating for is socialized health care just a really bad version of it. What he wants to do is set up what he calls “health savings accounts” that are established the moment someone is born. The way he wants to accomplish this is by taking the money Americans are currently paying for health insurance and putting it into these HSAs established by the government. That, ladies and gentlemen, is socialized health care. But the idiotic part of his plan is that he doesn’t want these HSAs to cover catastrophic health care. For those situations he wants people to purchase their own care at what he thinks will be a heavily discounted rate considering the bulk of their health care would be provided via these HSA accounts. So, in other words, he wants Americans to pay money into a government account to cover part of their health care while still having to purchase catastrophic coverage through a private insurance company. That’s just stupid. And his plan does nothing to address those who can’t afford to pay into these accounts. But why even have the gap in coverage? If you’re going to go all-in with a form of socialized health care (which is Ben Carson’s plan) then go all in. Don’t half-ass it by not covering catastrophic occurrences. This is all about semantics. Either the government is raising taxes on Americans to cover socialized medicine (eliminating the need to pay private insurance companies monthly) or you’re creating these HSA’s that people pay into with the money they would normally pay to private insurance companies. Either way, it’s money Americans are handing over to the government to pay for health insurance. That is socialized health care. It’s just that Carson’s plan doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. While covering day-to-day health care needs is great, it’s the catastrophic events in someone’s life that tend to leave millions in mountains of debt. And don’t believe for a moment that these “catastrophic-only” policies would be cheap, either. If there’s one thing insurance companies prove time and time again, it’s that they’re going to get their money and try to screw over their policies holders whenever they can."
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Welcome to the Wholly Owned Koch Subsidiary Formerly Known as Wisconsin @alternet
Welcome to the Wholly Owned Koch Subsidiary Formerly Known as Wisconsin @alternet
"The same group of GOP leaders who attempted to gut the state's open records law over the 4th of July weekend are now calling for secrecy in campaign spending and for dismantling the two major avenues for investigating political corruption."
"The same group of GOP leaders who attempted to gut the state's open records law over the 4th of July weekend are now calling for secrecy in campaign spending and for dismantling the two major avenues for investigating political corruption."
Sam Brownback is a harbinger of national doom: Bleeding Kansas’ scary lesson for America
Sam Brownback is a harbinger of national doom: Bleeding Kansas’ scary lesson for America
"Most humiliating of all for Brownback? In this heavily Republican state, Barack Obama is outpolling him by double digits, with 28 percent of Kansas residents pronouncing themselves “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the president’s job performance.
One cannot overstate just how badly Brownback and his pet Republican far-right legislature have wrecked Kansas in just a few years. The governor came into office in early 2011 promising to turn the state into a “real live experiment” for trickle-down economics that involved cutting tax rates to goose economic growth, which would fill the state’s coffers with so much revenue that Kansans would be literally swimming through seas of cash to get to Jayhawks basketball games. In other words, the usual supply-side plans that conservatives cling to no matter how many times they have crashed and burned at the national level.
To the surprise of absolutely no one who lived through the 1980s under Reagan or the 2000s under George W. Bush, Brownback’s economic plans have not worked out. This year the state found itself with a budget deficit of somewhere around $600 million. It has an annual job-growth rate almost four percentage points below the nationwide average. In June, after an exceptionally long legislative, Brownback signed a bitterly fought-over budget that requires the state to slash education funding and raid its highway fund in order to bring it into balance. Enjoy your potholes, Kansas!"
"Most humiliating of all for Brownback? In this heavily Republican state, Barack Obama is outpolling him by double digits, with 28 percent of Kansas residents pronouncing themselves “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the president’s job performance.
One cannot overstate just how badly Brownback and his pet Republican far-right legislature have wrecked Kansas in just a few years. The governor came into office in early 2011 promising to turn the state into a “real live experiment” for trickle-down economics that involved cutting tax rates to goose economic growth, which would fill the state’s coffers with so much revenue that Kansans would be literally swimming through seas of cash to get to Jayhawks basketball games. In other words, the usual supply-side plans that conservatives cling to no matter how many times they have crashed and burned at the national level.
To the surprise of absolutely no one who lived through the 1980s under Reagan or the 2000s under George W. Bush, Brownback’s economic plans have not worked out. This year the state found itself with a budget deficit of somewhere around $600 million. It has an annual job-growth rate almost four percentage points below the nationwide average. In June, after an exceptionally long legislative, Brownback signed a bitterly fought-over budget that requires the state to slash education funding and raid its highway fund in order to bring it into balance. Enjoy your potholes, Kansas!"
Red States Spent $2 Billion Rejecting Medicare Expansion
Red States Spent $2 Billion Rejecting Medicare Expansion
"If there's one thing you can count on from Republicans, it's that their governing principles always include finding new ways to kick poor people in their teeth as they did here: Red States Spent $2 Billion in 2015 to Screw the Poor"
"If there's one thing you can count on from Republicans, it's that their governing principles always include finding new ways to kick poor people in their teeth as they did here: Red States Spent $2 Billion in 2015 to Screw the Poor"
The Numbers Are In: After $15 Minimum Wage, Seattle’s Restaurants Are BOOMING
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/the-numbers-are-in-after-15-minimum-wage-seattles-restaurants-are-booming/
"Conservatives are using small businesses as a talking point on why the minimum wage should not be raised to $15. Luckily, in enlightened Seattle, where the increase has already passed, the truth can dispel this factless rhetoric. Restaurant owners in the state, who originally feared that the wage hike would hurt their business are now strongly convinced that it made only a positive impact. This makes sense, as now more people have the money to eat!"
"Conservatives are using small businesses as a talking point on why the minimum wage should not be raised to $15. Luckily, in enlightened Seattle, where the increase has already passed, the truth can dispel this factless rhetoric. Restaurant owners in the state, who originally feared that the wage hike would hurt their business are now strongly convinced that it made only a positive impact. This makes sense, as now more people have the money to eat!"
California law shows how wrong Republican opposition to paid family leave is
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/23/1437781/-California-law-shows-how-wrong-Republican-opposition-to-paid-family-leave-is
"An analysis for the U.S. Labor Department led by Columbia Business School professor Ann Bartel last year examined dozens of studies on family leave. It concluded that while California’s policy prompted mothers and fathers to take more time, it didn’t harm workplace productivity, profitability, retention or morale."
"An analysis for the U.S. Labor Department led by Columbia Business School professor Ann Bartel last year examined dozens of studies on family leave. It concluded that while California’s policy prompted mothers and fathers to take more time, it didn’t harm workplace productivity, profitability, retention or morale."
Kentucky Is Obamacare’s Undeniable Success Story. This Man Is Trying To Burn It All Down.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/09/14/3698831/matt-bevin-kentucky-eliminate-health-care/
"The nation’s most unlikely Obamacare success story — a state system that has provided more than 500,000 Kentuckians with affordable health insurance — might well be ransacked by a Tea Party candidate named Matt Bevin."
"The nation’s most unlikely Obamacare success story — a state system that has provided more than 500,000 Kentuckians with affordable health insurance — might well be ransacked by a Tea Party candidate named Matt Bevin."
PERRspectives: Jeb's Friends Claim Dubya 'Inherited' 9/11 and Recession
PERRspectives: Jeb's Friends Claim Dubya 'Inherited' 9/11 and Recession
"During the entire month of August, President Bush was on vacation at his ranch in Texas -- which tied with one of Richard Nixon's as the longest vacation ever taken by a president. CIA Director George Tenet has said he didn't speak to Bush once that month, describing the president as being "on leave." Bush did not hold a Principals' meeting on terrorism until September 4, 2001, having downgraded the meetings to a deputies' meeting, which then-counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke has repeatedly said slowed down anti-Bin Laden efforts "enormously, by months."
That's a far cry from the image of the President Bush, Republicans were so fond of telling Americans, who "kept us safe."
"During the entire month of August, President Bush was on vacation at his ranch in Texas -- which tied with one of Richard Nixon's as the longest vacation ever taken by a president. CIA Director George Tenet has said he didn't speak to Bush once that month, describing the president as being "on leave." Bush did not hold a Principals' meeting on terrorism until September 4, 2001, having downgraded the meetings to a deputies' meeting, which then-counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke has repeatedly said slowed down anti-Bin Laden efforts "enormously, by months."
That's a far cry from the image of the President Bush, Republicans were so fond of telling Americans, who "kept us safe."
Hypocrisy Alert: Speaker Vos and Rep. Craig Use Private Email, Too
Hypocrisy Alert: Speaker Vos and Rep. Craig Use Private Email, Too
"Wisconsin Republicans have been caught in the spin cycle with their latest attack on the state's independent, nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB), which oversees elections and ethics."
"Wisconsin Republicans have been caught in the spin cycle with their latest attack on the state's independent, nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB), which oversees elections and ethics."
Koch Brothers’ Plot To Privatize Education Has Already Stolen $3.7 Billion From Taxpayers
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/koch-brothers-plot-to-privatize-education-has-already-stolen-3-7-billion-from-taxpayers/
"Billions of our tax dollars are being wasted on this Republican crusade to destroy public education"
"Billions of our tax dollars are being wasted on this Republican crusade to destroy public education"
Voters in WI Want Money Out of Politics; Politicians Don't Care
Voters in WI Want Money Out of Politics; Politicians Don't Care
"Sixty one communities in Wisconsin, including some in the most conservative pockets of the state, have passed referendums expressing opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United and declaring money is not speech. Poll after poll has shown that both Republican and Democratic voters want less money in elections and stronger donor disclosure laws.Wisconsin politicians, though, are opening the floodgates to an unlimited flow of secret money.
Where states like Montana have recently strengthened donor disclosure laws, Wisconsin is moving the opposite direction, and this week is likely to enact legislation making the Dairy State one of the worst in the country in terms of campaign finance transparency.
"These bills make it easier to hide pay to play politics," said Democratic Rep. Lisa Subeck.
One bill, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, will allow groups like Americans for Prosperity to spend unlimited amounts in state elections, and keep the source of those funds hidden from the public, even if the groups expressly call for the election or defeat of candidates.
It will allow politicians to work hand-in-glove with secretly-funded "issue ad" groups that spend millions on elections, creating a situation where politicians will know where their support comes from, but the press and public will not. It will also allow corporations to give unlimited amounts to political parties and campaign committees, and eliminates the requirement that disclosed contributors name their employer.
Another bill will neuter the state's elections agency, and a third will make it difficult for prosecutors to investigate political corruption."
"Sixty one communities in Wisconsin, including some in the most conservative pockets of the state, have passed referendums expressing opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United and declaring money is not speech. Poll after poll has shown that both Republican and Democratic voters want less money in elections and stronger donor disclosure laws.Wisconsin politicians, though, are opening the floodgates to an unlimited flow of secret money.
Where states like Montana have recently strengthened donor disclosure laws, Wisconsin is moving the opposite direction, and this week is likely to enact legislation making the Dairy State one of the worst in the country in terms of campaign finance transparency.
"These bills make it easier to hide pay to play politics," said Democratic Rep. Lisa Subeck.
One bill, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, will allow groups like Americans for Prosperity to spend unlimited amounts in state elections, and keep the source of those funds hidden from the public, even if the groups expressly call for the election or defeat of candidates.
It will allow politicians to work hand-in-glove with secretly-funded "issue ad" groups that spend millions on elections, creating a situation where politicians will know where their support comes from, but the press and public will not. It will also allow corporations to give unlimited amounts to political parties and campaign committees, and eliminates the requirement that disclosed contributors name their employer.
Another bill will neuter the state's elections agency, and a third will make it difficult for prosecutors to investigate political corruption."
8 Disgusting Things To Remind You Just Who Right-Wing Soon-To-Be Speaker Paul Ryan Really Is (IMAGES)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/21/8-disgusting-things-to-remind-you-just-how-right-wing-soon-to-be-speaker-paul-ryan-really-is-images/
"Paul Ryan loves to talk about debt and deficits. If the quote above is any indication, he hates having debt. But he blew the deficit when he voted for W’s tax cuts to the rich. And guess what, the trickle-down… didn’t. Because it NEVER DOES!"
"Paul Ryan loves to talk about debt and deficits. If the quote above is any indication, he hates having debt. But he blew the deficit when he voted for W’s tax cuts to the rich. And guess what, the trickle-down… didn’t. Because it NEVER DOES!"
Paul Ryan is too far left? The media lunacy beyond Fox News which lets the right get wackier and more extreme
Paul Ryan is too far left? The media lunacy beyond Fox News which lets the right get wackier and more extreme
"Let’s start with Ryan’s outrageous hypocrisy. Ryan worships at the altar of novelist Ayn Rand, the philosopher of you’re-on-your-own selfishness, whose books have been required reading for his Congressional staffers. Like Rand, he consistently demonizes people who improve their lives with the help of government. Ryan seems to be unaware of how much his own family and his own financial success has been influenced by “big government.”
Despite Ryan’s persistent attacks on government spending, his family’s construction business has been anchored in building roads on government contracts. Despite his worship of private-sector entrepreneurs, he’s spent his entire career as a government employee. Despite being a crusader against anti-poverty programs, Ryan is a millionaire who made his money the old-fashioned way: by marrying a woman who inherited a fortune."
"Let’s start with Ryan’s outrageous hypocrisy. Ryan worships at the altar of novelist Ayn Rand, the philosopher of you’re-on-your-own selfishness, whose books have been required reading for his Congressional staffers. Like Rand, he consistently demonizes people who improve their lives with the help of government. Ryan seems to be unaware of how much his own family and his own financial success has been influenced by “big government.”
Despite Ryan’s persistent attacks on government spending, his family’s construction business has been anchored in building roads on government contracts. Despite his worship of private-sector entrepreneurs, he’s spent his entire career as a government employee. Despite being a crusader against anti-poverty programs, Ryan is a millionaire who made his money the old-fashioned way: by marrying a woman who inherited a fortune."
See If You Can Guess What Grade Level This Professional Analysis Gives To A Trump Speech (INFOGRAPHIC)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/22/see-if-you-can-guess-what-grade-level-this-professional-analysis-gives-to-a-trump-speech-infographic/
"Trump does well appealing to the uneducated base of modern Republican dimwits, because he speaks to them as just that. By using short, simple sentences, crass insults and a very basic vocabulary, Donald Trump is speaking to the neo-con dunce in the language of a fourth grader."
"Trump does well appealing to the uneducated base of modern Republican dimwits, because he speaks to them as just that. By using short, simple sentences, crass insults and a very basic vocabulary, Donald Trump is speaking to the neo-con dunce in the language of a fourth grader."
Paul Ryan's 'Family Values' Are That Only Elite Families Have Value @alternet
Paul Ryan's 'Family Values' Are That Only Elite Families Have Value @alternet
"this whole incident is a reminder that what is wrong with Ryan’s libertarian-inflected conservatism goes far deeper than mere hypocrisy. In fact, I’d argue that Ryan isn’t really a hypocrite at all, but that this move to preserve his family time is a perfect distillation of the Ayn Rand-constructed worldview he has, where all the goodies are reserved for the elite and the rest of us can go hang. And by “goodies,” I don’t just mean NFL tickets and first class plane tickets every weekend. Increasingly, the Republican worldview is one where even basic things like love, connection, and other basic human needs are being reclassified as privileges that should only be available to the wealthy."
"this whole incident is a reminder that what is wrong with Ryan’s libertarian-inflected conservatism goes far deeper than mere hypocrisy. In fact, I’d argue that Ryan isn’t really a hypocrite at all, but that this move to preserve his family time is a perfect distillation of the Ayn Rand-constructed worldview he has, where all the goodies are reserved for the elite and the rest of us can go hang. And by “goodies,” I don’t just mean NFL tickets and first class plane tickets every weekend. Increasingly, the Republican worldview is one where even basic things like love, connection, and other basic human needs are being reclassified as privileges that should only be available to the wealthy."
Paul Ryan Wants To Preserve His Work/Family Balance While Making It Harder For Poor Parents
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/10/21/3714503/paul-ryan-speaker-work-family/
"while Ryan seeks to preserve his own balance between his work and his family, he’s pushed policies that would make doing so more difficult for others, particularly poor parents."
"while Ryan seeks to preserve his own balance between his work and his family, he’s pushed policies that would make doing so more difficult for others, particularly poor parents."
Paul Ryan is an arrogant clown drunk on years of flatterers lying about how smart he is
Paul Ryan is an arrogant clown drunk on years of flatterers lying about how smart he is
"Ryan is a major fan of the works of Ayn Rand who has said that we are “living in an Ayn Rand novel” and that now, more than ever, we need Rand to explain to us “the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism.” Of course he imagines that he’s a Galtian superhero, the kind of man who deserves to have the unquestioning obedience of his underlings and the opportunity to spend his weekends relaxing on a boat while the lesser people have to toil away working overtime.
Alas, the problem for Paul Ryan is that everyone who subscribes to Randian philosophy thinks the same way: That they, by dint of their self-appointed status as smarter and better than everyone else, should also be the masters of the universe.
That’s the problem with Ayn Rand’s worldview. In order to be John Galt, you need the hordes of nameless plebes to lord your alleged superiority over. But the Republican party is made up of self-appointed John Galts. When everyone in your party believes they’re meant to be giving orders, not taking them, it’s really hard to have basic discussions, much less organize effectively to get anything done.
The Galt vs. Galt tension exploded almost immediately after Ryan’s egocentric list of demands was rolled out. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, who leads the Tea Party Caucus, asked, “Is he serious?”
Rep. Raul Labrador also called out Ryan for being arrogant enough to want to change the House rules, saying that if the rules are “good enough for [Thomas] Jefferson, it’s got to be good enough for Paul Ryan.” The Freedom Caucus isn’t having it, either."
"Ryan is a major fan of the works of Ayn Rand who has said that we are “living in an Ayn Rand novel” and that now, more than ever, we need Rand to explain to us “the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism.” Of course he imagines that he’s a Galtian superhero, the kind of man who deserves to have the unquestioning obedience of his underlings and the opportunity to spend his weekends relaxing on a boat while the lesser people have to toil away working overtime.
Alas, the problem for Paul Ryan is that everyone who subscribes to Randian philosophy thinks the same way: That they, by dint of their self-appointed status as smarter and better than everyone else, should also be the masters of the universe.
That’s the problem with Ayn Rand’s worldview. In order to be John Galt, you need the hordes of nameless plebes to lord your alleged superiority over. But the Republican party is made up of self-appointed John Galts. When everyone in your party believes they’re meant to be giving orders, not taking them, it’s really hard to have basic discussions, much less organize effectively to get anything done.
The Galt vs. Galt tension exploded almost immediately after Ryan’s egocentric list of demands was rolled out. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, who leads the Tea Party Caucus, asked, “Is he serious?”
Rep. Raul Labrador also called out Ryan for being arrogant enough to want to change the House rules, saying that if the rules are “good enough for [Thomas] Jefferson, it’s got to be good enough for Paul Ryan.” The Freedom Caucus isn’t having it, either."
The War for Voting Rights
The War for Voting Rights
"It’s no secret why Republicans would rather prevent some people from voting. While they run up big margins in midterm elections with low turnout, Republicans have won the national popular vote just once in the past six presidential elections. Moreover, instead of answering to the American public, Republican candidates are increasingly beholden to the privileged few who fund their campaigns. In the 2016 election cycle, nearly half of the contributions to presidential candidates so far have come from just 158 families. As the New York Times reports, “They are overwhelmingly white, rich, older and male.” They are also overwhelmingly backing Republicans, of course, thereby “serving as a kind of financial check on demographic forces that have been nudging the electorate toward support for the Democratic Party and its economic policies.” It’s a strategy of delay, of buying time, of staving off the inevitable.
But change is coming whether Republican politicians and their billionaire backers like it or not. They have disgraced our democracy with their voter suppression strategy, but they are not powerful enough to stop it. They will eventually have to reckon with a country that is more diverse, more compassionate and more progressive. The Alabama vision will not prevail."
"It’s no secret why Republicans would rather prevent some people from voting. While they run up big margins in midterm elections with low turnout, Republicans have won the national popular vote just once in the past six presidential elections. Moreover, instead of answering to the American public, Republican candidates are increasingly beholden to the privileged few who fund their campaigns. In the 2016 election cycle, nearly half of the contributions to presidential candidates so far have come from just 158 families. As the New York Times reports, “They are overwhelmingly white, rich, older and male.” They are also overwhelmingly backing Republicans, of course, thereby “serving as a kind of financial check on demographic forces that have been nudging the electorate toward support for the Democratic Party and its economic policies.” It’s a strategy of delay, of buying time, of staving off the inevitable.
But change is coming whether Republican politicians and their billionaire backers like it or not. They have disgraced our democracy with their voter suppression strategy, but they are not powerful enough to stop it. They will eventually have to reckon with a country that is more diverse, more compassionate and more progressive. The Alabama vision will not prevail."
Altar Welfare: Churches Steal $71 Billion A Year From Taxpayers, Spend Little On Charity
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/altar-welfare-churches-steal-71-billion-a-year-from-taxpayers-spend-little-on-charity/
"The Republican Party has the mendacity to stand in the way of legislation that would close hidden corporate and personal tax loopholes that are estimated to cost American taxpayers $38 billion a year. However, what always slips right through the cracks are the tax benefits to religious organizations, which overwhelmingly support Republicans, and are estimated to cost taxpayers nearly double those of hidden off-shore havens."
"The Republican Party has the mendacity to stand in the way of legislation that would close hidden corporate and personal tax loopholes that are estimated to cost American taxpayers $38 billion a year. However, what always slips right through the cracks are the tax benefits to religious organizations, which overwhelmingly support Republicans, and are estimated to cost taxpayers nearly double those of hidden off-shore havens."
Fact-Checkers: Trump Is A Liar, U.S. Doesn’t Have Highest Tax Rate In The World
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/fact-checkers-trump-is-a-liar-u-s-doesnt-have-highest-tax-rate-in-the-world/
"The fantasyland of Trump and his apparently mindless supporters aside, in reality this statement couldn’t be further from the truth no matter how you measure it. A list compiled by the international tax advising firm KPMG found that the United States’ top income tax rate – 39.6% – ranks 33rd out of 112 countries surveyed. A different analysis ranked the U.S. 38th out of 155 countries. As for the bottom income tax level, the United States’ minimum of 10% ranked 42nd out of 152 countries surveyed by Ernst & Young, an international accounting firm.
Despite these middle of the pack rankings – and the fact that after deductions the average American pays an effective tax rate of only 9.5% – one could argue that such measures are inadequate because of some nations’ emphasis on corporate or payroll taxes rather than income taxes. No cigar for The Donald here either, though. In fact, the United States ranks even lower internationally on analyses that measure the overall tax burden. For example, in the measurement of tax revenue as a percentage of GDP – widely considered an effective measure by tax experts – the United States’ rate of 25% ranks it 27th out of 30 advanced economies studied by the OECD. In a World Bank ranking of taxation as a percentage of GDP, the U.S. ranked a far-from-the-highest 103rd out of 115 countries studied. Finally, when ranking by the measure of tax revenue per capita, the U.S. figure of $13,482 ranks us 16th out of 29 countries surveyed by the OECD.
Any way you slice it, America’s tax rates are far from the highest in the world, and in fact often rank among the lowest."
"The fantasyland of Trump and his apparently mindless supporters aside, in reality this statement couldn’t be further from the truth no matter how you measure it. A list compiled by the international tax advising firm KPMG found that the United States’ top income tax rate – 39.6% – ranks 33rd out of 112 countries surveyed. A different analysis ranked the U.S. 38th out of 155 countries. As for the bottom income tax level, the United States’ minimum of 10% ranked 42nd out of 152 countries surveyed by Ernst & Young, an international accounting firm.
Despite these middle of the pack rankings – and the fact that after deductions the average American pays an effective tax rate of only 9.5% – one could argue that such measures are inadequate because of some nations’ emphasis on corporate or payroll taxes rather than income taxes. No cigar for The Donald here either, though. In fact, the United States ranks even lower internationally on analyses that measure the overall tax burden. For example, in the measurement of tax revenue as a percentage of GDP – widely considered an effective measure by tax experts – the United States’ rate of 25% ranks it 27th out of 30 advanced economies studied by the OECD. In a World Bank ranking of taxation as a percentage of GDP, the U.S. ranked a far-from-the-highest 103rd out of 115 countries studied. Finally, when ranking by the measure of tax revenue per capita, the U.S. figure of $13,482 ranks us 16th out of 29 countries surveyed by the OECD.
Any way you slice it, America’s tax rates are far from the highest in the world, and in fact often rank among the lowest."
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Scott Walker Is Ready To Turn Back The Clock On Ethics And Campaign Finance In Wisconsin
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/10/21/3714163/wisconsin-ethics-campaigns/
"the Wisconsin state legislature has lined up this week on bills designed to deregulate state campaign finance law, dissolve the state ethics and elections board, and take away a key tool prosecutors use to investigate political crimes.
Gov. Scott Walker (R) — home from his expensive, short-lived bid for president — has indicated he will sign all three measures into law, should they reach his desk.
If they are enacted, critics warn the bills would dramatically remake how elections are run in a state that used to be one of the most progressive and ethically strict in the nation."
"the Wisconsin state legislature has lined up this week on bills designed to deregulate state campaign finance law, dissolve the state ethics and elections board, and take away a key tool prosecutors use to investigate political crimes.
Gov. Scott Walker (R) — home from his expensive, short-lived bid for president — has indicated he will sign all three measures into law, should they reach his desk.
If they are enacted, critics warn the bills would dramatically remake how elections are run in a state that used to be one of the most progressive and ethically strict in the nation."
The End Of Good Government In Wisconsin
The End Of Good Government In Wisconsin
"In an interesting twist and a brilliant maneuver, each and every Democrat recused themselves from the vote, pointing out that they have a conflict of interest because it would directly affect their own campaign committees. The Republicans were at a loss at having their blatant corruption and greed exposed like that, but not enough so to keep them from passing the bill anyway."
"In an interesting twist and a brilliant maneuver, each and every Democrat recused themselves from the vote, pointing out that they have a conflict of interest because it would directly affect their own campaign committees. The Republicans were at a loss at having their blatant corruption and greed exposed like that, but not enough so to keep them from passing the bill anyway."
Saturday, October 17, 2015
The GOP’s entire identity is based on a lie: How the Obama presidency exposed Republican deficit delusions
The GOP’s entire identity is based on a lie: How the Obama presidency exposed Republican deficit delusions
"According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch site, the federal government ran up a deficit of $439 billion for the 2015 fiscal year. That’s 2.5 percent of GDP, which is the lowest level since 2007. Why is this significant? The Obama administration inherited a $1.4 trillion (with a “t”) budget deficit — driven in large part by stimulus spending meant to combat the financial crisis — which authorized George W. Bush in October 2008.
Since then, Obama has presided over a gradual $1 trillion-dollar reduction in the deficit. Insofar as deficit reduction is important — and remember, according to the rhetoric of the GOP over the past several years, it is very important — this is a massive achievement for the Obama administration. Massive. And neither he nor the Democrats will get any credit for it.
If Mitt Romney’s lies about the deficit in 2012 were a predictor of the GOP’s attack plan for 2016, we can expect to hear the Republican ticket attack both Obama and the Democratic nominee on this very issue. But they won’t cite deficit numbers because, well, they’re not nearly as dumb as they look. Instead, they’ll recycle the Romney tactic of conflating the deficit and the national debt — two entirely separate numbers.
For example, Romney said during his first debate against Obama in 2012: “The president said he’d cut the deficit in half. Unfortunately, he doubled it.” Well, no. The deficit wasn’t “doubled” at all. It was the debt that rose, but analysts have repeatedly shown that the chief drivers of national debt were George W. Bush’s wars, Medicare Part-D (a Bush-era policy) and the impact of the Great Recession — none of which was offset with higher taxes or spending cuts. Obama can hardly be blamed for all that.
Not insignificantly, though, the Obama administration’s deficit reduction has slowed the growth of the debt. In fact, the year-over-year increase in the debt has slowed to 10 percent. Compare that with the highest growth rate for the debt ever — 13.4 percent per year under, yes, Ronald Reagan."
"According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch site, the federal government ran up a deficit of $439 billion for the 2015 fiscal year. That’s 2.5 percent of GDP, which is the lowest level since 2007. Why is this significant? The Obama administration inherited a $1.4 trillion (with a “t”) budget deficit — driven in large part by stimulus spending meant to combat the financial crisis — which authorized George W. Bush in October 2008.
Since then, Obama has presided over a gradual $1 trillion-dollar reduction in the deficit. Insofar as deficit reduction is important — and remember, according to the rhetoric of the GOP over the past several years, it is very important — this is a massive achievement for the Obama administration. Massive. And neither he nor the Democrats will get any credit for it.
If Mitt Romney’s lies about the deficit in 2012 were a predictor of the GOP’s attack plan for 2016, we can expect to hear the Republican ticket attack both Obama and the Democratic nominee on this very issue. But they won’t cite deficit numbers because, well, they’re not nearly as dumb as they look. Instead, they’ll recycle the Romney tactic of conflating the deficit and the national debt — two entirely separate numbers.
For example, Romney said during his first debate against Obama in 2012: “The president said he’d cut the deficit in half. Unfortunately, he doubled it.” Well, no. The deficit wasn’t “doubled” at all. It was the debt that rose, but analysts have repeatedly shown that the chief drivers of national debt were George W. Bush’s wars, Medicare Part-D (a Bush-era policy) and the impact of the Great Recession — none of which was offset with higher taxes or spending cuts. Obama can hardly be blamed for all that.
Not insignificantly, though, the Obama administration’s deficit reduction has slowed the growth of the debt. In fact, the year-over-year increase in the debt has slowed to 10 percent. Compare that with the highest growth rate for the debt ever — 13.4 percent per year under, yes, Ronald Reagan."
RNC Chairman Admits the Republican Party May Implode if They Don’t Win in 2016
RNC Chairman Admits the Republican Party May Implode if They Don’t Win in 2016
"The GOP is an absolute mess right now, and it’s all their own doing. They embraced the monster known as the tea party and now they don’t know what the heck to do with it. The leadership of the party, despite what they say publicly, is smart enough to know that they cannot continue to embrace these radical tea party values if they want to remain nationally relevant."
"The GOP is an absolute mess right now, and it’s all their own doing. They embraced the monster known as the tea party and now they don’t know what the heck to do with it. The leadership of the party, despite what they say publicly, is smart enough to know that they cannot continue to embrace these radical tea party values if they want to remain nationally relevant."
Ben Bernanke: I’m Ditching The Republican Party Because Of Their ‘Stupid Economic Conspiracies’
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/ben-bernanke-im-ditching-the-republican-party-because-of-their-stupid-economic-conspiracies/
"Ben Bernanke, former Bush appointee to Federal Reserve Chairman and former Princeton Economics professor slammed modern Republican economic policies in his new memoir. According to Bernanke, a life-long Republican, the far-right extremism that has taken over the Republican Party in the name of extreme conservatism: “It’s the stupid economics.…[they] saw inflation where it did not exist and, when the official data did not bear out their predictions, invoked conspiracy theories. They denied that monetary or fiscal policy could support job growth, while still working to direct federal spending to their own districts. They advocated discredited monetary systems, like the gold standard"."
"Ben Bernanke, former Bush appointee to Federal Reserve Chairman and former Princeton Economics professor slammed modern Republican economic policies in his new memoir. According to Bernanke, a life-long Republican, the far-right extremism that has taken over the Republican Party in the name of extreme conservatism: “It’s the stupid economics.…[they] saw inflation where it did not exist and, when the official data did not bear out their predictions, invoked conspiracy theories. They denied that monetary or fiscal policy could support job growth, while still working to direct federal spending to their own districts. They advocated discredited monetary systems, like the gold standard"."
Republicans Just Killed A Vital College Loan Program For Low-Income Students
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/republicans-just-killed-a-vital-college-loan-program-for-low-income-students/
"The Republican Party’s decision is cruel, unethical and will without a doubt negatively impact the lives and dreams of countless young Americans."
"The Republican Party’s decision is cruel, unethical and will without a doubt negatively impact the lives and dreams of countless young Americans."
Another Tea Party Assault on Democracy
Another Tea Party Assault on Democracy
"What the Freedom Caucus seeks is not more democracy, but a House in which a minority – actually 10 percent—of the House can shut down the government and destroy the full faith and credit of the U.S. government—unless in response to this blackmail wildly unpopular policies like defunding Planned Parenthood and repealing Affordable Health Care are part of the package."
"What the Freedom Caucus seeks is not more democracy, but a House in which a minority – actually 10 percent—of the House can shut down the government and destroy the full faith and credit of the U.S. government—unless in response to this blackmail wildly unpopular policies like defunding Planned Parenthood and repealing Affordable Health Care are part of the package."
New PPP Poll Shows How Wildly Unpopular The Republican Party Has Become
New PPP Poll Shows How Wildly Unpopular The Republican Party Has Become
"Congress has become so dysfunctional under Republican leadership that a small band of right-wing conservatives pushed House Speaker John Boehner to resign - and then promptly torpedoed his assumed successor, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. At this time, it looks like becoming the next Speaker of the House is a job that nobody in their right mind would want, potentially leaving the position open for a lunatic like Louie Gohmert or something much, much worse. This is a Republican Congress that has become so extreme, former vice presidential candidate and Ayn Rand worshiper Paul Ryan is considered to be too liberal for the ideological purists who will try to dictate the choice for Speaker. Not to mention Ryan wants nothing to do with the position; even if he could get the votes needed, he knows that it would be completely toxic to his future aspirations for higher office. It’s no wonder that a recent poll by Public Policy Polling found that the GOP has gone so far to the fringes, Mitch McConnell is now slightly more popular with Democrats than he is with his own Republican base. Yes, really.
It’s not just the war on Planned Parenthood that has hurt Republicans, the whole Benghazi witch hunt has backfired horribly on them as well. To moderates and independents, they’ve proven that they’re incapable of governing, and to the Republican base – they’ve proven that they’re incapable of delivering on promises."
"Congress has become so dysfunctional under Republican leadership that a small band of right-wing conservatives pushed House Speaker John Boehner to resign - and then promptly torpedoed his assumed successor, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy. At this time, it looks like becoming the next Speaker of the House is a job that nobody in their right mind would want, potentially leaving the position open for a lunatic like Louie Gohmert or something much, much worse. This is a Republican Congress that has become so extreme, former vice presidential candidate and Ayn Rand worshiper Paul Ryan is considered to be too liberal for the ideological purists who will try to dictate the choice for Speaker. Not to mention Ryan wants nothing to do with the position; even if he could get the votes needed, he knows that it would be completely toxic to his future aspirations for higher office. It’s no wonder that a recent poll by Public Policy Polling found that the GOP has gone so far to the fringes, Mitch McConnell is now slightly more popular with Democrats than he is with his own Republican base. Yes, really.
It’s not just the war on Planned Parenthood that has hurt Republicans, the whole Benghazi witch hunt has backfired horribly on them as well. To moderates and independents, they’ve proven that they’re incapable of governing, and to the Republican base – they’ve proven that they’re incapable of delivering on promises."
Politix Update: Treasonous House Republicans Find Despicable New Ways To Define Chaos
Politix Update: Treasonous House Republicans Find Despicable New Ways To Define Chaos
"A grave question must now be asked in the wake of a Republican meltdown in the House of Representatives that in the short term threatens the fiscal stability of the U.S. and world markets, as well as the ability of government to function, and in the longer term calls into question whether the Republican Party is still capable of governing, let alone whether its prospects for the 2016 presidential election have been further damaged: Have the Gang of 40 lurched from their patented brand of despicable politics into treason?
Why, yes they have.
The Gang of 40 is, of course, the cannibalistic Tea Party-inoculated congressfolk who, although they represent barely 3 percent of the population, have brought the Republican Party's House caucus to its knees because of a fanaticism not seen in national politics since the run up to the Civil War. In this context, the question of whether these men (and lone woman) are traitors is not knee-jerk liberal nattering or a pushback in support of a threadbare status quo. The definition of a traitor is someone who betrays their country, and there can be no doubt that the fevered labors of the Gang of 40, who are the spawn of years of conspiring to destroy the established order, have been traitorous.
What, you may ask, is the established order and why is it wrong, let alone traitorous, to try to overthrow a political system that is sodden with corruption and in the thrall of big money? Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea, and one that is long overdue.
The reality is, in fact, really bad. This is because the Gang of 40 is on a mission to rebuild government in its own harshly hard-right image: Less inclusive, intolerant of the differences in a multi-cultural society, and hungry for armed conflict abroad. The gang is committed to an integration of church and state, so long as the church is white and Christian, and believes that women are inferior, gays are aberrant, immigrants are criminals, access to health care is a privilege and not a right, and are determined to rip to shreds a social safety net that for this writer and 60 million other people is the difference between sufficiency and penury.
Beyond all the parliamentary machinations that are dominating coverage, this gang seeks replace the status quo, as screwed up as it is, with a system that is just as sodden with corruption and in the thrall of big money but infinitely worse and deeply un-American when you examine the fine print."
"A grave question must now be asked in the wake of a Republican meltdown in the House of Representatives that in the short term threatens the fiscal stability of the U.S. and world markets, as well as the ability of government to function, and in the longer term calls into question whether the Republican Party is still capable of governing, let alone whether its prospects for the 2016 presidential election have been further damaged: Have the Gang of 40 lurched from their patented brand of despicable politics into treason?
Why, yes they have.
The Gang of 40 is, of course, the cannibalistic Tea Party-inoculated congressfolk who, although they represent barely 3 percent of the population, have brought the Republican Party's House caucus to its knees because of a fanaticism not seen in national politics since the run up to the Civil War. In this context, the question of whether these men (and lone woman) are traitors is not knee-jerk liberal nattering or a pushback in support of a threadbare status quo. The definition of a traitor is someone who betrays their country, and there can be no doubt that the fevered labors of the Gang of 40, who are the spawn of years of conspiring to destroy the established order, have been traitorous.
What, you may ask, is the established order and why is it wrong, let alone traitorous, to try to overthrow a political system that is sodden with corruption and in the thrall of big money? Actually, that sounds like a pretty good idea, and one that is long overdue.
The reality is, in fact, really bad. This is because the Gang of 40 is on a mission to rebuild government in its own harshly hard-right image: Less inclusive, intolerant of the differences in a multi-cultural society, and hungry for armed conflict abroad. The gang is committed to an integration of church and state, so long as the church is white and Christian, and believes that women are inferior, gays are aberrant, immigrants are criminals, access to health care is a privilege and not a right, and are determined to rip to shreds a social safety net that for this writer and 60 million other people is the difference between sufficiency and penury.
Beyond all the parliamentary machinations that are dominating coverage, this gang seeks replace the status quo, as screwed up as it is, with a system that is just as sodden with corruption and in the thrall of big money but infinitely worse and deeply un-American when you examine the fine print."
Tea Party Republicans Left Dazed As Obama Cuts Bush’s Deficit By $1 Trillion
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/tea-party-republicans-left-dazed-as-obama-cuts-bushs-deficit-by-1-trillion/
"although no Republican will admit it, the public deficit has in fact shrunk by $1 trillion under Obama’s leadership, while at the same time programs like healthcare and education have expanded.
The Treasury Department reports that the fiscal year that ended September 30th witnessed the lowest deficit of Obama’s presidency – $439 billion, which is nine percent lower than last year, and over a trillion dollars lower than the $1.4 trillion that we saw the year Obama took office. These figures strike a death blow to the kind of “austerity” policies that conservatives want to impose.
Despite this impressive achievement, it’s startling how ignorant the Republicans are about the deficit."
"although no Republican will admit it, the public deficit has in fact shrunk by $1 trillion under Obama’s leadership, while at the same time programs like healthcare and education have expanded.
The Treasury Department reports that the fiscal year that ended September 30th witnessed the lowest deficit of Obama’s presidency – $439 billion, which is nine percent lower than last year, and over a trillion dollars lower than the $1.4 trillion that we saw the year Obama took office. These figures strike a death blow to the kind of “austerity” policies that conservatives want to impose.
Despite this impressive achievement, it’s startling how ignorant the Republicans are about the deficit."
This Just In: We Are Officially in a New Gilded Age
This Just In: We Are Officially in a New Gilded Age
"We’ve known for some time now that the mega-rich, who have a very specific political agenda, have captured the campaign-finance system. This investigation serves, however, to turn that notion from an abstract to a very tangible concept and brings these political power-players out from the shadows."
"We’ve known for some time now that the mega-rich, who have a very specific political agenda, have captured the campaign-finance system. This investigation serves, however, to turn that notion from an abstract to a very tangible concept and brings these political power-players out from the shadows."
Dirty energy plutocrats are trying to buy the presidential election
http://grist.org/politics/dirty-energy-plutocrats-are-trying-to-buy-the-presidential-election/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=daily-horizon
"Of the 158 mega-donors, the most common industry in which they have made their money is finance and the second biggest is energy, mostly oil and gas. The donors are disproportionately old, white, and male, concentrated in a handful of very rich, non-diverse neighborhoods. Most importantly, their politics are not representative of the country at all: 138 of the 158, or 87 percent, are Republicans."
"Of the 158 mega-donors, the most common industry in which they have made their money is finance and the second biggest is energy, mostly oil and gas. The donors are disproportionately old, white, and male, concentrated in a handful of very rich, non-diverse neighborhoods. Most importantly, their politics are not representative of the country at all: 138 of the 158, or 87 percent, are Republicans."
Friday, October 16, 2015
Welcome to the conservative apocalypse! First David Brooks, now the party chairman figures out right-wing clusterf**k
Welcome to the conservative apocalypse! First David Brooks, now the party chairman figures out right-wing clusterf**k
"The bottom line is that the Republican Party has taken steps in recent years that yielded short-term victories in midterm elections. But they’ve lost control of the party. The Tea Party wing and the extremists on whom Republicans have relied for grassroots support have steered the party off a cliff. They’ve sent a crop of nihilists to Congress who’ve done nothing but obstruct for the better part of a decade. Does Priebus think there would be no long-term consequences for this?
When you’ve reached the point where your presidential nominees are forced to deny science and compete to see who cares less about women’s rights, you’ve got a major problem. Someone like Priebus thinks Trump and Carson will never win, and that a Jeb Bush or a Marco Rubio will ultimately prevail. Perhaps that’s true, but the presence of fanatics like Trump and Carson and Cruz in the race means even the so-called moderates have to adopt extreme positions to remain competitive in the party. And no matter how centrist their eventually nominee is, the Republican brand will remain tainted.
This has been the case for the last two presidential elections, and 2016 will be no different."
"The bottom line is that the Republican Party has taken steps in recent years that yielded short-term victories in midterm elections. But they’ve lost control of the party. The Tea Party wing and the extremists on whom Republicans have relied for grassroots support have steered the party off a cliff. They’ve sent a crop of nihilists to Congress who’ve done nothing but obstruct for the better part of a decade. Does Priebus think there would be no long-term consequences for this?
When you’ve reached the point where your presidential nominees are forced to deny science and compete to see who cares less about women’s rights, you’ve got a major problem. Someone like Priebus thinks Trump and Carson will never win, and that a Jeb Bush or a Marco Rubio will ultimately prevail. Perhaps that’s true, but the presence of fanatics like Trump and Carson and Cruz in the race means even the so-called moderates have to adopt extreme positions to remain competitive in the party. And no matter how centrist their eventually nominee is, the Republican brand will remain tainted.
This has been the case for the last two presidential elections, and 2016 will be no different."
Charles Koch Stops By Megyn Kelly's Show To Lie About His Political Activity
Charles Koch Stops By Megyn Kelly's Show To Lie About His Political Activity
"Charles Koch's Great Public Relations Propaganda Tour of 2015 made a stop at Megyn Kelly's doorstep so he could downplay his role in destroying our political system."
"Charles Koch's Great Public Relations Propaganda Tour of 2015 made a stop at Megyn Kelly's doorstep so he could downplay his role in destroying our political system."
Krugman: Why Wall Street Tycoons Are Panicking About the 2016 Election @alternet
Krugman: Why Wall Street Tycoons Are Panicking About the 2016 Election @alternet
"Financiers are doing whatever they can to elect a Republican, any Republican."
"Financiers are doing whatever they can to elect a Republican, any Republican."
“Cooked as a party” shocker: Republican chairman admits “terrible feeling” about GOP’s future
“Cooked as a party” shocker: Republican chairman admits “terrible feeling” about GOP’s future
"Priebus has been sounding the alarm for quite some time, but now he has finally come out and said the Republican Party will cease to exist if one of its 15 presidential candidates doesn’t win the 2016 election."
"Priebus has been sounding the alarm for quite some time, but now he has finally come out and said the Republican Party will cease to exist if one of its 15 presidential candidates doesn’t win the 2016 election."
Thursday, October 15, 2015
Corporations Demand Budget Cuts, Owe Government $660 Billion
Corporations Demand Budget Cuts, Owe Government $660 Billion
"Again, the corporations that are funding this anti-government, conservative propaganda machine that is demanding cutbacks in everything that makes our lives better (but never, ever on military corporate contracts) are dodging $620 billion in taxes and another $90 billion every year."
"Again, the corporations that are funding this anti-government, conservative propaganda machine that is demanding cutbacks in everything that makes our lives better (but never, ever on military corporate contracts) are dodging $620 billion in taxes and another $90 billion every year."
O'Malley's Closing Lays Out The Differences Between His Colleagues And Republicans
O'Malley's Closing Lays Out The Differences Between His Colleagues And Republicans
O'Malley: "On this stage you didn't hear anyone denigrate women, you didn't hear anyone make racist comments about new American immigrants. You didn't hear anyone speak ill of another American because of their religious beliefs."
O'Malley: "On this stage you didn't hear anyone denigrate women, you didn't hear anyone make racist comments about new American immigrants. You didn't hear anyone speak ill of another American because of their religious beliefs."
California Democrats Show Republicans What Good Government Looks Like
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/10/15/californias-democratic-majority-shows-national-republicans-govern-people.html
"Over the past three years there has been no dearth of examples of what Americans have to look forward to if Republicans ever gained control of all three branches of government. States like Kansas, Louisiana, and Wisconsin are prime examples of Republicans piling up crushing debt, cutting services, destroying education, and killing jobs by pandering to the ultra-rich and corporations. It is obvious that in Republican-led states, like the United States Congress, conservatives have demonstrated their ineptitude to govern as a matter of course, and if they do govern, it is only to benefit a very small portion of their populations.
There is one example of a state that leads the nation in economic growth, job creation, and the ability to govern for all the people. This week, in a seriously stunning editorial by a very conservative newspaper they readily admit and praise California with its Democratic super-majority and governor as the model the rest of the nation and Republicans in Congress should follow."
"Over the past three years there has been no dearth of examples of what Americans have to look forward to if Republicans ever gained control of all three branches of government. States like Kansas, Louisiana, and Wisconsin are prime examples of Republicans piling up crushing debt, cutting services, destroying education, and killing jobs by pandering to the ultra-rich and corporations. It is obvious that in Republican-led states, like the United States Congress, conservatives have demonstrated their ineptitude to govern as a matter of course, and if they do govern, it is only to benefit a very small portion of their populations.
There is one example of a state that leads the nation in economic growth, job creation, and the ability to govern for all the people. This week, in a seriously stunning editorial by a very conservative newspaper they readily admit and praise California with its Democratic super-majority and governor as the model the rest of the nation and Republicans in Congress should follow."
If You Have a Working Brain, You Have No Choice But To Vote for a Democrat for President in 2016
http://thedailybanter.com/2015/10/if-you-have-a-working-brain-you-have-no-choice-but-to-vote-for-a-democrat-for-president-in-2016/
"If you’re someone who values basic logic and reason, to say nothing of everything this country stands for, you cannot let it fall into the hands of the Republicans in their current incarnation. As long as Donald Trump and Ben Carson are essentially the leaders of the party, particularly since the GOPs de facto leader quit and the Republican House remains unprecedentedly adrift, the Republicans are no longer a serious party. They’re no longer able or willing to govern. They’re the party of pure, unadulterated crazy."
"If you’re someone who values basic logic and reason, to say nothing of everything this country stands for, you cannot let it fall into the hands of the Republicans in their current incarnation. As long as Donald Trump and Ben Carson are essentially the leaders of the party, particularly since the GOPs de facto leader quit and the Republican House remains unprecedentedly adrift, the Republicans are no longer a serious party. They’re no longer able or willing to govern. They’re the party of pure, unadulterated crazy."
Hillary Was Right: Our Economy Thrives Under Democratic Presidents
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/14/hillary-was-right-our-economy-thrives-under-democratic-presidents/
"Democrats’ success in the White House was also noticed by Bob Deitrick and Lew Godlfarb, who heavily researched and wrote about the last 80 years of economic history in their book “Bulls, Bears and the Ballot Box”. In their book, a number of truth-bearing tidbits were uncovered. Here are just a few:
Personal disposable income has grown nearly 6 times more under Democratic presidents
Corporate profits have grown over 16% more per year under Democratic presidents (they actually declined under Republicans by an average of 4.53%/year)
Average annual compound return on the stock market has been 18 times greater under Democratic presidents
Republican presidents added 2.5 times more to the national debt than Democratic presidents
The two times the economy steered into the ditch (Great Depression and Great Recession) were during Republican, laissez faire administrations"
"Democrats’ success in the White House was also noticed by Bob Deitrick and Lew Godlfarb, who heavily researched and wrote about the last 80 years of economic history in their book “Bulls, Bears and the Ballot Box”. In their book, a number of truth-bearing tidbits were uncovered. Here are just a few:
Personal disposable income has grown nearly 6 times more under Democratic presidents
Corporate profits have grown over 16% more per year under Democratic presidents (they actually declined under Republicans by an average of 4.53%/year)
Average annual compound return on the stock market has been 18 times greater under Democratic presidents
Republican presidents added 2.5 times more to the national debt than Democratic presidents
The two times the economy steered into the ditch (Great Depression and Great Recession) were during Republican, laissez faire administrations"
Clinton and Sanders defend family leave against Republican-inspired debate questions
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/14/1432326/-Clinton-and-Sanders-defend-family-leave-against-Republican-inspired-debate-questions
"Paid family leave got some attention at Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate, with Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley speaking forcefully for the policy, though CNN's Dana Bash did her best to turn it into a terrifying, crazy fringe left idea"
"Paid family leave got some attention at Tuesday night's Democratic presidential debate, with Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O'Malley speaking forcefully for the policy, though CNN's Dana Bash did her best to turn it into a terrifying, crazy fringe left idea"
Dear Republicans: I Would Like to Personally Thank You All for Being So Awful
Dear Republicans: I Would Like to Personally Thank You All for Being So Awful
"After watching the first two GOP debates, it was obvious to most of us what an absolute sideshow the GOP had become. But following the first Democratic debate, when five candidates stood on stage and spoke about important issues like real adults, I think many on the left finally realize how lucky we really are. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not just your party’s debates that are ridiculous. The everyday rhetoric coming from your candidates is often so ridiculous, I have to check to make sure I’m reading an actual quote and not some article from The Onion."
"After watching the first two GOP debates, it was obvious to most of us what an absolute sideshow the GOP had become. But following the first Democratic debate, when five candidates stood on stage and spoke about important issues like real adults, I think many on the left finally realize how lucky we really are. And don’t get me wrong, it’s not just your party’s debates that are ridiculous. The everyday rhetoric coming from your candidates is often so ridiculous, I have to check to make sure I’m reading an actual quote and not some article from The Onion."
The Biggest Losers from the First Democratic Debate are Republicans
The Biggest Losers from the First Democratic Debate are Republicans
"While Democrats are discussing ways to provide Americans paid sick leave (like the rest of the modernized world), affordable education or universal health care – Republicans are wasting time discussing made-up “wars on Christianity” because gay Americans are now allowed to get married. To say nothing about those conservatives who are literally saying that we’re going to experience “God’s wrath” over gay rights. As if that’s not an insane enough premise to begin with."
"While Democrats are discussing ways to provide Americans paid sick leave (like the rest of the modernized world), affordable education or universal health care – Republicans are wasting time discussing made-up “wars on Christianity” because gay Americans are now allowed to get married. To say nothing about those conservatives who are literally saying that we’re going to experience “God’s wrath” over gay rights. As if that’s not an insane enough premise to begin with."
CNN’s Dana Bash fronts for the 1 percent: The debate’s worst question came straight from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
CNN’s Dana Bash fronts for the 1 percent: The debate’s worst question came straight from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
"The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t mandate paid leave for mothers of newborns."
"The United States is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t mandate paid leave for mothers of newborns."
WI GOP Creates Perverse Online Voter Registration, Making It Harder for People to Vote
WI GOP Creates Perverse Online Voter Registration, Making It Harder for People to Vote
"In a continuing effort to give themselves a partisan advantage in elections, the Wisconsin GOP held a public hearing today on three bills that would open Wisconsin elections to unlimited secret money in political campaigns, cripple ethics and election law enforcement and, once again, make it harder for many people to vote."
"In a continuing effort to give themselves a partisan advantage in elections, the Wisconsin GOP held a public hearing today on three bills that would open Wisconsin elections to unlimited secret money in political campaigns, cripple ethics and election law enforcement and, once again, make it harder for many people to vote."
Six Ways Paul Ryan Will Rev Up The Right-Wing War on America If He Becomes House Speaker @alternet
Six Ways Paul Ryan Will Rev Up The Right-Wing War on America If He Becomes House Speaker @alternet
"To put it mildly, Ryan is the king of GOP shams—and in his gee-whiz, ah-shucks way, is proud to pretend that there’s still life in the worst ideas and policies perpetrated by Ronald Reagan, Jack Kemp, Bill Bennett, John Kasich and Sam Brownback, all of whom were influential in shaping his views and much of his right-wing policy agenda."
"To put it mildly, Ryan is the king of GOP shams—and in his gee-whiz, ah-shucks way, is proud to pretend that there’s still life in the worst ideas and policies perpetrated by Ronald Reagan, Jack Kemp, Bill Bennett, John Kasich and Sam Brownback, all of whom were influential in shaping his views and much of his right-wing policy agenda."
Sanders Destroys NoLabels Talking Points On Social Safety Net
Sanders Destroys NoLabels Talking Points On Social Safety Net
"Bernie Sanders was the sole 2016 Democratic candidate to appear at today's Cut The Safety Net No Labels Presidential Forum, and he absolutely destroyed Chris Christie's appearance earlier in the program."
"Bernie Sanders was the sole 2016 Democratic candidate to appear at today's Cut The Safety Net No Labels Presidential Forum, and he absolutely destroyed Chris Christie's appearance earlier in the program."
Infographic: Divided Government Has Not Always Meant Slow Judicial Confirmations
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/civil-liberties/news/2015/10/07/120299/infographic-divided-government-has-not-always-meant-slow-judicial-confirmations/
"the worst obstruction of judicial nominations in more than half a century."
"the worst obstruction of judicial nominations in more than half a century."
The More Power Republicans Have, The More They Screw Things Up
The More Power Republicans Have, The More They Screw Things Up
"In fact, the more power Republicans have in our government, the more they screw things up. For the vast majority of George W. Bush’s presidency, Republicans had full control of Congress. What did they manage to accomplish? The Iraq War, historic income inequality and economic policies that ultimately led to the worst crash since the Great Depression and a national debt that nearly doubled during his eight years. Then looking at Congress since 2010, when Republicans took back the House and seized more power in the Senate – it’s been an absolute embarrassment. From record low approval numbers, to our first government shutdown in nearly 20 years, Congress has been a pathetic sideshow. And things just keep getting worse. It’s pretty bad when John Boehner might not even be able to resign at the end of this month – a move enthusiastically celebrated by tea party Republicans – because Republicans can’t seem to find any person who can get the 218 votes needed to replace the outgoing speaker who actually wants the job.
And why doesn’t someone like Paul Ryan, the lone individual who most believe could get the votes needed to win, want the position? Because he doesn’t want to have to deal with the idiocy of his own party. Just think about that for a moment. A man who has huge presidential aspirations doesn’t want to become the most powerful member of his own party (a move that should be seen as a promotion) because he knows dealing with the ineptitude of Republicans would likely ruin his chances of ever becoming president."
"In fact, the more power Republicans have in our government, the more they screw things up. For the vast majority of George W. Bush’s presidency, Republicans had full control of Congress. What did they manage to accomplish? The Iraq War, historic income inequality and economic policies that ultimately led to the worst crash since the Great Depression and a national debt that nearly doubled during his eight years. Then looking at Congress since 2010, when Republicans took back the House and seized more power in the Senate – it’s been an absolute embarrassment. From record low approval numbers, to our first government shutdown in nearly 20 years, Congress has been a pathetic sideshow. And things just keep getting worse. It’s pretty bad when John Boehner might not even be able to resign at the end of this month – a move enthusiastically celebrated by tea party Republicans – because Republicans can’t seem to find any person who can get the 218 votes needed to replace the outgoing speaker who actually wants the job.
And why doesn’t someone like Paul Ryan, the lone individual who most believe could get the votes needed to win, want the position? Because he doesn’t want to have to deal with the idiocy of his own party. Just think about that for a moment. A man who has huge presidential aspirations doesn’t want to become the most powerful member of his own party (a move that should be seen as a promotion) because he knows dealing with the ineptitude of Republicans would likely ruin his chances of ever becoming president."
Paul Krugman: Republicans Are Running Out of Talented Con Men to Sell Their Garbage Agenda @alternet
Paul Krugman: Republicans Are Running Out of Talented Con Men to Sell Their Garbage Agenda @alternet
"To understand Mr. Ryan’s role in our political-media ecosystem, you need to know two things. First, the modern Republican Party is a post-policy enterprise, which doesn’t do real solutions to real problems. Second, pundits and the news media really, really don’t want to face up to that awkward reality."
"To understand Mr. Ryan’s role in our political-media ecosystem, you need to know two things. First, the modern Republican Party is a post-policy enterprise, which doesn’t do real solutions to real problems. Second, pundits and the news media really, really don’t want to face up to that awkward reality."
PERRspectives: Rubio: My Tax Cuts Will--and Won't--Pay for Themselves
PERRspectives: Rubio: My Tax Cuts Will--and Won't--Pay for Themselves
"all of the 2016 GOP tax proposals produce red ink as far as the eye can see. The Tax Policy Center among others put the 10-year cost of Rubio's plan at least $2.4 trillion, Jeb Bush's at $3.7 trillion and Donald Trump's as much as $12 trillion. That's why Republicans in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail have turned to so-called "dynamic scoring" in order to make big deficits smaller and convert small deficits into surpluses. Marco Rubio is no exception, touting the fuzzy math of Bill McBride of the conservative Tax Foundation to magically turn red ink black"
"all of the 2016 GOP tax proposals produce red ink as far as the eye can see. The Tax Policy Center among others put the 10-year cost of Rubio's plan at least $2.4 trillion, Jeb Bush's at $3.7 trillion and Donald Trump's as much as $12 trillion. That's why Republicans in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail have turned to so-called "dynamic scoring" in order to make big deficits smaller and convert small deficits into surpluses. Marco Rubio is no exception, touting the fuzzy math of Bill McBride of the conservative Tax Foundation to magically turn red ink black"
The GOP As We Know It Is Dead As A National Party
http://thedailybanter.com/2015/10/the-gop-as-we-know-it-is-dead-as-a-national-party/
"Such disconnect is one reason the Republican nominee has won the popular vote just once in the last six elections. And though it’s certainly possible a Republican who more or less espouses the current party platform could win one or two more presidential elections, that will be the upper limit under the current GOP worldview. Republicans will still be able to thrive at the state level in the legislatures and governors’ mansions, as well as federally in the House. But as long as the GOP refuses to acknowledge the changed — not changing, but changed — cultural landscape, it will soon cease to be a truly national political force both in the executive branch and in the Senate, where elections in states with growing Latino populations are becoming too close for a GOP used to ignoring or even demonizing Hispanics.
Eventually, establishment Republicans will get the message if they have not already. Their current model for attempting to win national elections is an abject failure that will only become more ridiculous with time barring a seismic shift in thinking. Until that happens, the Republican Party will become increasingly irrelevant in presidential politics."
"Such disconnect is one reason the Republican nominee has won the popular vote just once in the last six elections. And though it’s certainly possible a Republican who more or less espouses the current party platform could win one or two more presidential elections, that will be the upper limit under the current GOP worldview. Republicans will still be able to thrive at the state level in the legislatures and governors’ mansions, as well as federally in the House. But as long as the GOP refuses to acknowledge the changed — not changing, but changed — cultural landscape, it will soon cease to be a truly national political force both in the executive branch and in the Senate, where elections in states with growing Latino populations are becoming too close for a GOP used to ignoring or even demonizing Hispanics.
Eventually, establishment Republicans will get the message if they have not already. Their current model for attempting to win national elections is an abject failure that will only become more ridiculous with time barring a seismic shift in thinking. Until that happens, the Republican Party will become increasingly irrelevant in presidential politics."
House Freedom Caucus Document Explains Why the House Is Ungovernable
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/10/10/house-freedom-caucus-document-informs-house-ungovernable.html
"For most of President Barack Obama’s time in office, Republicans in Congress have used various means of obstruction as their “my way or the highway” policy, but the problem has increased substantially since the emergence of ultra-conservative sycophants adhering to the Ted Cruz ideology of burning down government if “their way” is not implemented. Speaker John Boehner has had to deal with about 40 Cruz acolytes in the House and because they are intransigent on everything, Boehner seemingly could not get out soon enough and threw in the proverbial towel.
Now that the House Republican caucus is in complete disarray and no-one in their right mind wants the dangerous Speaker’s job, some people asked what could be so difficult about corralling a few dozen “outliers” into the Republican fold and convince them to actually govern. Fortunately, the recent revelation of a House Freedom Caucus ‘questionnaire for prospective candidates for the Speakers’ position clears up why Republicans are terrified of being Speaker, and why there is no good outcome as long as Cruz’s House Freedom Caucus is allowed to exist."
"For most of President Barack Obama’s time in office, Republicans in Congress have used various means of obstruction as their “my way or the highway” policy, but the problem has increased substantially since the emergence of ultra-conservative sycophants adhering to the Ted Cruz ideology of burning down government if “their way” is not implemented. Speaker John Boehner has had to deal with about 40 Cruz acolytes in the House and because they are intransigent on everything, Boehner seemingly could not get out soon enough and threw in the proverbial towel.
Now that the House Republican caucus is in complete disarray and no-one in their right mind wants the dangerous Speaker’s job, some people asked what could be so difficult about corralling a few dozen “outliers” into the Republican fold and convince them to actually govern. Fortunately, the recent revelation of a House Freedom Caucus ‘questionnaire for prospective candidates for the Speakers’ position clears up why Republicans are terrified of being Speaker, and why there is no good outcome as long as Cruz’s House Freedom Caucus is allowed to exist."
Paul Ryan is No Savior, He’s a Hypocrite and a Scumbag
Paul Ryan is No Savior, He’s a Hypocrite and a Scumbag
"This man is the definition of a hypocrite. He’s someone who went to public school as a minor, used Social Security money to pay for his college degree where he went to a publicly funded university, has made a career as a government employee and voted for bills that have added trillions to our national debt – yet has the gall to champion himself as a small government, fiscally conservative hero. Then there’s the total disdain he seems to have for the poor. This is a man who refused to let poor people testify at a hearing about Americans living in poverty, and levied an attack on free lunch programs in schools by trying to pass off a story he plagiarized from a book. But even beyond all of that, however, lies the contradiction in his worship of both Ayn Rand (an atheist who preached selfishness and considered religious people to be fools) and his claims of being a devout follower of Jesus Christ. How Paul Ryan can say he models his life based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, while supporting the social economic ideologies of a woman who preached the exact opposite, is a true testament to his ignorance and hypocrisy."
"This man is the definition of a hypocrite. He’s someone who went to public school as a minor, used Social Security money to pay for his college degree where he went to a publicly funded university, has made a career as a government employee and voted for bills that have added trillions to our national debt – yet has the gall to champion himself as a small government, fiscally conservative hero. Then there’s the total disdain he seems to have for the poor. This is a man who refused to let poor people testify at a hearing about Americans living in poverty, and levied an attack on free lunch programs in schools by trying to pass off a story he plagiarized from a book. But even beyond all of that, however, lies the contradiction in his worship of both Ayn Rand (an atheist who preached selfishness and considered religious people to be fools) and his claims of being a devout follower of Jesus Christ. How Paul Ryan can say he models his life based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, while supporting the social economic ideologies of a woman who preached the exact opposite, is a true testament to his ignorance and hypocrisy."
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Charles Koch To CBS: Dark Money? Me? Nahhhhh.
Charles Koch To CBS: Dark Money? Me? Nahhhhh.
"Charles Koch is continuing his public relations push to deflect attention away from what he does on a daily basis with regard to dark money. Watch him dodge and feint questions from CBS Correspondent Anthony Mason, particularly on whether dark money is a good thing for the electoral process."
"Charles Koch is continuing his public relations push to deflect attention away from what he does on a daily basis with regard to dark money. Watch him dodge and feint questions from CBS Correspondent Anthony Mason, particularly on whether dark money is a good thing for the electoral process."
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Why We Must End Trickle-Down Economics
http://quietmike.org/2015/10/09/why-we-must-end-trickle-down-economics/
"When Reagan took office in 1981, the wealthiest 1% of the population controlled 8% of the wealth, while the bottom 50% controlled 18%. Today, the top 1% controls 20% of the wealth and the bottom 50% only 13% of the country’s money.
This trend is continuing, and the gap between the elite rich and the rest of our struggling society is widening to a massively obscene chasm not seen since before the Great Depression. The middle class in America is looking for a candidate that will bring a fresh approach to the economic realities of the time in which we live. Harkening back to Ronald Reagan will no longer do.
The term “Trickle-Down Economics” refers to an economic theory that defined the Reagan presidency. It was such a ridiculous concept at the time that it was nicknamed “voodoo economics.” Trickle Down Economics is the theory where allowing the rich to have more economic benefits actually benefits a society as a whole. The theory postulates that upper-level income members of the society will invest that money into the general economy by spending more, investing in the creation of jobs, and so forth."
"When Reagan took office in 1981, the wealthiest 1% of the population controlled 8% of the wealth, while the bottom 50% controlled 18%. Today, the top 1% controls 20% of the wealth and the bottom 50% only 13% of the country’s money.
This trend is continuing, and the gap between the elite rich and the rest of our struggling society is widening to a massively obscene chasm not seen since before the Great Depression. The middle class in America is looking for a candidate that will bring a fresh approach to the economic realities of the time in which we live. Harkening back to Ronald Reagan will no longer do.
The term “Trickle-Down Economics” refers to an economic theory that defined the Reagan presidency. It was such a ridiculous concept at the time that it was nicknamed “voodoo economics.” Trickle Down Economics is the theory where allowing the rich to have more economic benefits actually benefits a society as a whole. The theory postulates that upper-level income members of the society will invest that money into the general economy by spending more, investing in the creation of jobs, and so forth."
Colbert Makes A Mockery Of Chaos Being Caused By House 'Freedom Caucus'
Colbert Makes A Mockery Of Chaos Being Caused By House 'Freedom Caucus'
"Finally, the absurdity of the whole situation was punctuated by listing the names that have been floated for the job, none being a current member of the House. Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and 92 year old Bob Dole were some of the choices that members of the Republican Party have suggested for the job. The details of the G.O.P. House quandary are so hilarious, there's no need to embellish the facts to create brilliant comedy, which Stephen does so well."
"Finally, the absurdity of the whole situation was punctuated by listing the names that have been floated for the job, none being a current member of the House. Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and 92 year old Bob Dole were some of the choices that members of the Republican Party have suggested for the job. The details of the G.O.P. House quandary are so hilarious, there's no need to embellish the facts to create brilliant comedy, which Stephen does so well."
North Carolina Imposes New Taxes on Car and Appliance Repairs to Fund New Tax Cuts for the Rich
http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/33151-north-carolina-imposes-new-taxes-on-car-and-appliance-repairs-to-fund-new-tax-cuts-for-the-rich
"It's estimated that by the time the new corporate tax rate comes into effect, the state will have $350 million less in revenue to spend on necessary public services like education, healthcare, roads and social services.
So how will North Carolina pay for new tax cuts that primarily benefit the rich? By raising taxes on the poor, of course. The roughly $400 million in income tax cuts will be offset by increasing the sales tax on services that are primarily used by the poor. On March 1, new sales tax rates of 6.75 percent will go into effect across North Carolina, and will largely apply to car repairs as well as installation and repair of appliances. As this op-ed from the conservative-leaning Raleigh News & Observer noted, the wealthy can afford new cars and warranties for appliances, so this tax will fall disproportionately on the poor. The author also aptly noted that North Carolina Republicans chose not to increase taxes on services the rich use, like accountants, lawyers, architects and interior designers.
The class war in North Carolina has been raging since 2010 when Republicans took over control of the state legislature for the first time since reconstruction. After Pat McCrory was elected governor in 2012, North Carolina became another experimental lab for conservative policymakers to force through a number of extreme policies. In addition to cutting taxes for the rich and raising them on the poor, the state's GOP majority has demolished public education, disenfranchised Democratic-leaning voters (that law is currently on trial), attacked women's reproductive rights (that law was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court), criminalized the disclosure the chemicals in fracking fluid, and passed numerous other pieces of draconian legislation."
"It's estimated that by the time the new corporate tax rate comes into effect, the state will have $350 million less in revenue to spend on necessary public services like education, healthcare, roads and social services.
So how will North Carolina pay for new tax cuts that primarily benefit the rich? By raising taxes on the poor, of course. The roughly $400 million in income tax cuts will be offset by increasing the sales tax on services that are primarily used by the poor. On March 1, new sales tax rates of 6.75 percent will go into effect across North Carolina, and will largely apply to car repairs as well as installation and repair of appliances. As this op-ed from the conservative-leaning Raleigh News & Observer noted, the wealthy can afford new cars and warranties for appliances, so this tax will fall disproportionately on the poor. The author also aptly noted that North Carolina Republicans chose not to increase taxes on services the rich use, like accountants, lawyers, architects and interior designers.
The class war in North Carolina has been raging since 2010 when Republicans took over control of the state legislature for the first time since reconstruction. After Pat McCrory was elected governor in 2012, North Carolina became another experimental lab for conservative policymakers to force through a number of extreme policies. In addition to cutting taxes for the rich and raising them on the poor, the state's GOP majority has demolished public education, disenfranchised Democratic-leaning voters (that law is currently on trial), attacked women's reproductive rights (that law was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court), criminalized the disclosure the chemicals in fracking fluid, and passed numerous other pieces of draconian legislation."
Republican 2016 Candidate To Seniors: I’m Cutting Your Social Security, ‘Get Over It!’
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/republican-2016-candidate-to-seniors-im-cutting-your-social-security-get-over-it-4/
"John Kasich, like the rest of his GOP comrades who live to serve the corporations and the billionaires of America, want to take away that basic dignity and security from Americans who have worked hard all their lives and sever one of our nation’s most sacred social covenants. He is also basing his ideas on the false belief that this program is in trouble and that it won’t be around much longer anyway, so it may as well be cutting now. The “get over it” remark shows just how much disregard this man shows for America’s seniors.
Of course, Kasich is lying; there’s no way the Governor of a state doesn’t know what the numbers are like"
"John Kasich, like the rest of his GOP comrades who live to serve the corporations and the billionaires of America, want to take away that basic dignity and security from Americans who have worked hard all their lives and sever one of our nation’s most sacred social covenants. He is also basing his ideas on the false belief that this program is in trouble and that it won’t be around much longer anyway, so it may as well be cutting now. The “get over it” remark shows just how much disregard this man shows for America’s seniors.
Of course, Kasich is lying; there’s no way the Governor of a state doesn’t know what the numbers are like"
5 Reasons Why Paul Ryan is One of the Most Despicable and Cowardly Members of Congress
5 Reasons Why Paul Ryan is One of the Most Despicable and Cowardly Members of Congress
"1. The seemingly proud way in which he shows off his disdain for the poor: Paul Ryan is a disciple of Ayn Rand, a woman who was basically a sociopath who believed in survival of the fittest. It’s fitting that Ryan chose her as a role model considering she was also a massive hypocrite. Ayn Rand rallied against government, despite heavily relying on government programs toward the end of her life. Just as Ayn Rand basically hated the poor, Paul Ryan shares that disdain for the poorest and weakest among us. Take for instance Ryan blocking poor people from testifying at a hearing about poverty in America, or when he attacked free school lunches by insinuating that parents who don’t make bag lunches for their children don’t care as much for them as the parents who do. Then let’s not forget that he’s someone who’s constantly pushing for major cuts to entitlement programs, frequently claiming the country can’t afford them – while also being someone who’s literally voted for trillions in spending to fund wars and bail out Wall Street."
"1. The seemingly proud way in which he shows off his disdain for the poor: Paul Ryan is a disciple of Ayn Rand, a woman who was basically a sociopath who believed in survival of the fittest. It’s fitting that Ryan chose her as a role model considering she was also a massive hypocrite. Ayn Rand rallied against government, despite heavily relying on government programs toward the end of her life. Just as Ayn Rand basically hated the poor, Paul Ryan shares that disdain for the poorest and weakest among us. Take for instance Ryan blocking poor people from testifying at a hearing about poverty in America, or when he attacked free school lunches by insinuating that parents who don’t make bag lunches for their children don’t care as much for them as the parents who do. Then let’s not forget that he’s someone who’s constantly pushing for major cuts to entitlement programs, frequently claiming the country can’t afford them – while also being someone who’s literally voted for trillions in spending to fund wars and bail out Wall Street."
Kasich Tells Social Security Recipients To 'Get Over' Potential Cuts In Benefits
Kasich Tells Social Security Recipients To 'Get Over' Potential Cuts In Benefits
"The reduction in benefits Kasich is referring to is the actuarial projection for how long Social Security can pay 100 percent of promised benefits before running short. No one "has" to get over anything. Congress needs to get up off its butt and fix the cap for Social Security to be more realistic in today's dollars.
Don't be fooled by Kasich's faux populism. He's just like the rest of them, except he's more skilled in how to sell you that sh*t sandwich sitting on the counter."
"The reduction in benefits Kasich is referring to is the actuarial projection for how long Social Security can pay 100 percent of promised benefits before running short. No one "has" to get over anything. Congress needs to get up off its butt and fix the cap for Social Security to be more realistic in today's dollars.
Don't be fooled by Kasich's faux populism. He's just like the rest of them, except he's more skilled in how to sell you that sh*t sandwich sitting on the counter."
Tea Party: We Will Wreck Economy Unless Next Speaker Agrees To Slash Social Security & Medicare
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/tea-party-we-will-wreck-economy-unless-next-speaker-agrees-to-slash-social-security-medicare/
"McCarthy realized that, even if he could get the votes needed without capitulating to demands that will effectively destroy America as we know it, he would still need to deal with the Freedom Caucus. Even someone as extreme as McCarthy realizes that he needs to step up his game on that front if he wants the Freedom Caucus to take him seriously. He needs to be ready to criminalize poverty, institute the death penalty for same-sex marriage, destroy women’s health, defund the public school system, and destroy our infrastructure to even begin to be someone these 40 extremists will deal with. No one wants that responsibility, even someone who is widely considered too stupid to become Speaker"
"McCarthy realized that, even if he could get the votes needed without capitulating to demands that will effectively destroy America as we know it, he would still need to deal with the Freedom Caucus. Even someone as extreme as McCarthy realizes that he needs to step up his game on that front if he wants the Freedom Caucus to take him seriously. He needs to be ready to criminalize poverty, institute the death penalty for same-sex marriage, destroy women’s health, defund the public school system, and destroy our infrastructure to even begin to be someone these 40 extremists will deal with. No one wants that responsibility, even someone who is widely considered too stupid to become Speaker"
It’s Official: Drug Testing Welfare Applicants FAILS by Costing More Than Twice What It Saves @alternet
It’s Official: Drug Testing Welfare Applicants FAILS by Costing More Than Twice What It Saves @alternet
"If there were no other costs associated with implementing this legislation, meaning if they paid for the cost of the actual drug test items only, the program cost more than double what it saved.
However, the costs are far more than just the drug test items. The state does not take into account the cost of staff to conduct the testing, the paperwork, the cost to notify the people or any of the other external costs of looking into people’s urine for evil traces of drugs.
What the Tennessee program, and all the other states with similar programs exhibit is the ill-conceived and half-cocked plans of the state wreaking havoc on the tax-payer."
"If there were no other costs associated with implementing this legislation, meaning if they paid for the cost of the actual drug test items only, the program cost more than double what it saved.
However, the costs are far more than just the drug test items. The state does not take into account the cost of staff to conduct the testing, the paperwork, the cost to notify the people or any of the other external costs of looking into people’s urine for evil traces of drugs.
What the Tennessee program, and all the other states with similar programs exhibit is the ill-conceived and half-cocked plans of the state wreaking havoc on the tax-payer."
Boehner and McCarthy Reap What They Sowed
http://www.thenation.com/article/boehner-and-mccarthy-reap-what-they-sowed/
"Since Boehner came to power in 2011, his leadership team has encouraged the far right in its crusade against government, governing, and compromise. They’ve fostered the extremists’ delusions that they can do things they simply can’t, with a Democrat in the White House—repeal Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood, hold the debt ceiling hostage to force huge budget cuts.
Boehner and McCarthy (and before him Eric Cantor, who was defeated by a far-right primary challenger last year) can do the math: time and again they turned to Democrats to pass measures to keep the government open and avoid disaster, but only after they tried and failed to mollify the far right. This only encouraged the “Freedom Caucus” members in their delusions of power—and enraged them that they were being kept from wielding it."
"Since Boehner came to power in 2011, his leadership team has encouraged the far right in its crusade against government, governing, and compromise. They’ve fostered the extremists’ delusions that they can do things they simply can’t, with a Democrat in the White House—repeal Obamacare, defund Planned Parenthood, hold the debt ceiling hostage to force huge budget cuts.
Boehner and McCarthy (and before him Eric Cantor, who was defeated by a far-right primary challenger last year) can do the math: time and again they turned to Democrats to pass measures to keep the government open and avoid disaster, but only after they tried and failed to mollify the far right. This only encouraged the “Freedom Caucus” members in their delusions of power—and enraged them that they were being kept from wielding it."
Walker Adds Another Kangaroo To Wisconsin Supreme Court
Walker Adds Another Kangaroo To Wisconsin Supreme Court
"This is a blatantly political move to give Bradley the advantage in next year's elections by giving her the incumbent status. The only reasons for her meteoric rise over the past three years is that she has all the right right wing credentials - Federalist, John Bircher, and obedient puppet - and that Walker has to still kowtow to the special interests to get money to pay off his massive debts."
"This is a blatantly political move to give Bradley the advantage in next year's elections by giving her the incumbent status. The only reasons for her meteoric rise over the past three years is that she has all the right right wing credentials - Federalist, John Bircher, and obedient puppet - and that Walker has to still kowtow to the special interests to get money to pay off his massive debts."
Krugman: Our Silly Media Allow Politicians to Get Away With Most Absurd Lies @alternet
Krugman: Our Silly Media Allow Politicians to Get Away With Most Absurd Lies @alternet
"The media needs to stop giving politicians milking and pretending to care about issues a free pass"
"The media needs to stop giving politicians milking and pretending to care about issues a free pass"
The GOP is ungovernable: What happens when one major party is dysfunctional to the core
The GOP is ungovernable: What happens when one major party is dysfunctional to the core
"the “prove we could govern” test has been a colossal failure for the GOP."
"the “prove we could govern” test has been a colossal failure for the GOP."
The Republican suicide ballad: The party that can’t govern, and the country that hates its guts
The Republican suicide ballad: The party that can’t govern, and the country that hates its guts
"They appealed almost exclusively to their angriest, most zealous and most overtly racist base voters, a loud but relatively small minority of the general population"
"They appealed almost exclusively to their angriest, most zealous and most overtly racist base voters, a loud but relatively small minority of the general population"
Beltway media 'shocked' by implosion of GOP, the perpetual hostage taker of the U.S. government
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/09/1429896/-Beltway-media-shocked-by-implosion-of-GOP-the-perpetual-hostage-taker-of-the-U-S-government
"The GOP hasn't just gerrymandered its way out of the presidency, it's gerrymandered its way out of governance and the Beltway media has continually missed the story of just how extreme Republicans have become. Think about this, there's 435 seats in the House and some 30-40 GOP members of the secretive GOP "Freedom Caucus" (i.e. the crazy caucus) are demanding absolutism on their agenda. At best, that means lawmakers representing approximately nine percent of the population are demanding that lawmakers representing the other 90-plus percent of Americans bend to their will—on immigration, on abortion, on government funding priorities."
"The GOP hasn't just gerrymandered its way out of the presidency, it's gerrymandered its way out of governance and the Beltway media has continually missed the story of just how extreme Republicans have become. Think about this, there's 435 seats in the House and some 30-40 GOP members of the secretive GOP "Freedom Caucus" (i.e. the crazy caucus) are demanding absolutism on their agenda. At best, that means lawmakers representing approximately nine percent of the population are demanding that lawmakers representing the other 90-plus percent of Americans bend to their will—on immigration, on abortion, on government funding priorities."
The GOP Congress is a raging dumpster fire with no end in sight
The GOP Congress is a raging dumpster fire with no end in sight
"it could be a shuttered government and a new global recession. As McCarthy reminded us, this Congress is capable of anything, with the notable exception of competent governance."
"it could be a shuttered government and a new global recession. As McCarthy reminded us, this Congress is capable of anything, with the notable exception of competent governance."
Reminder: Paul Ryan is a wild-eyed, right-wing nut. He’s acceptable to the insane caucus because he is one of them
Reminder: Paul Ryan is a wild-eyed, right-wing nut. He’s acceptable to the insane caucus because he is one of them
"Ryan justifies taking food from babies, pills from seniors, and money out of your wallet to give to rich people by simply assuming that if you’re not of the elite, it’s because you’re a lazy, no-good waste of space."
"Ryan justifies taking food from babies, pills from seniors, and money out of your wallet to give to rich people by simply assuming that if you’re not of the elite, it’s because you’re a lazy, no-good waste of space."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)