Anyone who is paying the slightest bit of attention is acutely aware that the wheels of government have ground to a halt. The Republicans, who have gone all-in against every American in an attempt to cause President Obama to fail, have targeted the November elections for the near-term win. There number one goal, of course, is to make Obama a one-term president, and this is the first step. As a tactic in this strategy, they have successfully stalled virtually every bill introduced in the Senate through parliamentary maneuvering, obstruction, and delaying, as well as invoking the filibuster more than at any other time in US history. Currently 290 bills passed by the House of Representatives are languishing in the Senate and the Republicans used the threat of filibuster 113 times in 2009.
As reported by The Hill, bills being stalled in the Senate not only include health care reform and energy policy, but easily passed and necessary legislation including food safety; financial aid for the U.S. Postal Service; a job security act for wounded veterans; a Civil War battlefield preservation act; vision care for children; the naming of a federal courthouse in Iowa after former Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa); a National Historic Park named for President Jimmy Carter; a bill to improve absentee ballot voting; a bill to improve cybersecurity; and the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. As previously discussed, six Republicans even voted against the deficit commission act that they had actually co-sponsored.
Each Senator swears to this oath when they take office:
As reported by The Hill, bills being stalled in the Senate not only include health care reform and energy policy, but easily passed and necessary legislation including food safety; financial aid for the U.S. Postal Service; a job security act for wounded veterans; a Civil War battlefield preservation act; vision care for children; the naming of a federal courthouse in Iowa after former Rep. Jim Leach (R-Iowa); a National Historic Park named for President Jimmy Carter; a bill to improve absentee ballot voting; a bill to improve cybersecurity; and the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. As previously discussed, six Republicans even voted against the deficit commission act that they had actually co-sponsored.
Each Senator swears to this oath when they take office:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God."...support and defend the Constitution of the United States"; "...well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter." Clearly the Republicans are ignoring their oaths for pure partisan gain. In this game of political bloodsport, the Repubs have killed a number of their own and run moderates like Arlen Specter to the Democratic side. As Grover Norquist put it in the 1990's,
"What do these so-called moderates have in common? They're 70 years old. They're not running again. They're gonna be dead soon. So while they're annoying, within the Republican Party our problems are dying."Nice. As a result of these tactics, there is no Republican left in the middle. If any Repub is seen as being constructive, party bosses send the newspaper-wrapped fish to his office: the message is, "cooperate with Dems and you'll be primaried at home". It works. The Repubs are in line for the most part. Peter Bienart wrote a great piece around this subject last week in Time magazine describing the history of this tactic learned by the Republicans during the Clinton adminstration:
"With these acts of legislative sabotage, Republicans tapped into a deep truth about the American people: they hate political squabbling, and they take out their anger on whoever is in charge. So when the Gingrich Republicans carried out a virtual sit-down strike during Clinton's first two years, the public mood turned nasty. By 1994, trust in government was at an all-time low, which suited the Republicans fine, since their major line of attack against Clinton's health care plan was that it would empower government. Clintoncare collapsed, Democrats lost Congress, and Republicans learned the secrets of vicious-circle politics: When the parties are polarized, it's easy to keep anything from getting done. When nothing gets done, people turn against government. When you're the party out of power and the party that reviles government, you win."Sound familiar? If you don't understand history, you are doomed to repeat it. The Repubs are teaching that lesson with a vengeance. They have established a narrative based on lies and obstruction. They don't give a shit about governing. It's all about winning.
Well I don't know, carguy, I think most of the GOP has done it metaphorically speaking.....
GOP shoulda known, you can't trust a guy who will take off his pants for money.
I called the new Republican senator to congratulate him but his mailbox was full, and I'm sure it wasn't full from comments like I was going to make...
"Makes you wonder if our founding fathers, having NO radio or TV, sat around, all day, making up quotes."
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Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FL wrote: "A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody."
Thomas Paine
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It's like Paine knew the current U.S congress personally.
Actually, that's not fair. I see the Senate passed the first of probably 1 "jobs bills" this afternoon WITH republican support. Surprise, surprise, it contained "tax reductions".
Having witnessed tyranny first hand from imperialist European nations, I suspect the words meant more to them than just cool witticisms.
"I shall exert every faculty I possess in aiding to prevent the Constitution from being nullified, destroyed, or impaired; and even though I should see it fail, I will still, with a voice feeble, perhaps, but earnest as ever issued from human lips, and with extinguish, call on the people to come to its rescue."
Daniel Webster
"In my feeble voice I say, wake the fuck up."
FantasyLand
Makes you wonder if our founding fathers, having NO radio or TV, sat around, all day, making up quotes.
"It's NOT illegal if the president does it".
Richard Nixon
"How much is it gonna take to 'contain' this? $2, $3 million. We could get that. We could get that in cash."
Richard Nixon
"Government of the people, by the people, and for the people....how do we rescind that?"
Bob Haldeman
..
(Actually, I made that last one up)
Senor.......es Guillermo BLANCO.
Tostada, enchiladas, quesadilla por cerveza. Viva Tejas. Viva tacos bel grande!
Donde esta los banos???
The Thomas Paine quote is perfect for the quagmire that we are currently in with Washington.
That last quote kinda reminded me of one I saw on a Mexican ashtray...
"Que bonito es no hacer nada, y despues que no hacer nada - descansar."
How beautiful it is to do nothing, and after having done it - to rest...
To those who interpret those quotes as an excuse for deregulation, I have but one thing to reply. With a quote of course...
"A body of men holding themselves accountable to nobody ought not to be trusted by anybody."
Thomas Paine
Post Reagan Republicans have never cared about governing. All they care about is appeasing the corporations.
There is a reason the republican'ts have no solutions. They are clueless, and they know it. They wait for the powers that be to give them instruction, yet it never comes. Why? Because it is easier to rule a sick uneducated country without an effective governing body.
FACE IT. We live in a de facto Plutocracy. Our "Democracy" is the candy coated shell of our elite ruled quasi police state. 95% of the country is kept in poverty or just above. That way no one wants to complain for fear of slipping further back down the food chain.
I know, I know... All that sounds just *CA RAZY* Well, I dare ANYONE to prove me wrong. I double dog dare ya. I welcome the delusional rants from the trolling CONservatives. The soothing tone of the 'I'm OK your OK' Demoscats. Bring it on ya pansies!
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide."
John Adams
"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of Liberty."
Thomas Jefferson
"If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains set lightly upon you; and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen."
Samuel Adams
"There are more instances of the abridgement of the freedom of the people by the gradual and silent encroachment of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpation."
James Madison
Our Forefathers understood something that we have forgotten. Some say we are not at a point of revolution. Well I say that point has come and gone more times than I can count.
Take a second to read some of their quotes. These were great men, and knew what it takes to preserve our liberty. OUR liberty...
http://americanrevival.org/quotes/forefathers.htm
You know, Bill White really looked like a dork when he was a kid, but now he looks like the general on Stargate SG-1, so he just might have a chance if he gets into the proper uniform!
Latinos para Guillermo White??? Si!!!
shortstuff wrote: Damn, I despise that fool. I hated him when he was Lt. Gov. and he lived up to every (low) expectation I had of him then.
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It's hard to place the bar too low such that Perry can't get under it.
OTOH, KBH thinking that "it's MY turn" was all that was required for her to get elected GOVERNOR........you DON'T run against a fellow party incumbent unless he's embroiled in a sex scandal. What was she thinking????
I think KBH grossly overestimated her popularity and grossly underestimated the support Perry has. You gotta admit, he's a good lookin' guy. And he appeals to all those anti-federalists who support secession and everyone's right to carry a sidearm to the grocery store. (I am against the former but kinda "on the fence" for the latter)
The question.......are there enough Hispanics NOW REGISTERED to give the job to Bill White????
P.S. Watching and listening to Perry and KBH rag on each other has really been fun. I'm gonna miss that.
I was hoping that there would, at least, be a run off between Goodhair and KBH and that Medina supporter would come out for LBH in the runoff. But it looks like the Tea Baggers and their support of Medina have split the vote so bad that Goodhair has a lock on this one.
There are TWO main reasons why Omaba must not fail:
1) It would like like MY pilot crashing MY plane, regardless of his allegiance
2) Should the gridlock tactics succeed in making Obama fail, it will then become a STANDARD: Democrats will do the same to the next Republican President, etc.
Anyone ever wishing for a US President to fail is a TRAITOR to America.
They only have one aim: make Pres. Obama fail.
They were crooks back in Nixon's day and they are still blackhearted, self-centered, cruel bastards.
Not only in Washington, but in Austin also....I was literally screaming at the TV image of Gov. Goodhair today during one of his disgusting campaign ads. He is literally inciting hatred of Washington, encouraging the dim bulbs who vote for him to consider everyone in the nation's capitol to be "the enemy". Do these idiots not realize that it's not "government" that is the problem, but "ineffective and inefficient government"? Of course not. They all worship at the altar of St. Ronnie Reagan and they are trying to kill government. Any and all government.
Perry. Ugh. Now I read that he is "coasting to a win in the Republican primary".
Damn, I despise that fool. I hated him when he was Lt. Gov. and he lived up to every (low) expectation I had of him then.
Let me make it clear. There are some democrats that are as much to blame for this "gridlock" as the republicans. Obama MUST appeal to the "people" as he did in his campaign and fight to change the system from within. That's what we elected hinm to do. If he can't get that done from the White House, he needs to go back to Chicago. Unfortunately, we can't FIRE the entire legislative branch. But we CAN fire him. Nobody said this was gonna be easy. But he volunteered for this job.
What we are seeing is what we saw in the Bush era save two major differences. First, the Democrats are generally a nicer group of people that just aren't willing to fight the big fight. Secondly, they are more focused and organized. The Democrats have too many factions and some of those factions are willing to work with Republicans. Democratic leadership would never threaten to kick out a Democrat even if they were a lying scumbag like Joe Lieberman.
The caveat is not the what but the why. The Republicans are able to close ranks because they are out of ideas. The Democratic party is frequently a party separated by ideas. Competing ideas means competing against each other. It is easier to get along when you have no ideas. Listen to the Perry/Hutchinson ads. There aren't any ideas there. They just compete with each other in how emphatically they can tell Obama no. The one Hutchinson ad that says, "she has fought against every spending measure since Obama took office" is hilarious. So, your ability to say no to everything is a selling point?
Paul Krugman's article in yesterday's Chronicle was excellent. They have successfully starved the beast. Now, they don't know what to do. I hate to bring him up, but it was almost like Hitler after he accomplished everything in Mein Kampf. You could almost hear the wheels in head asking, "what now?" The same is true of the Republicans. I'll bet they didn't think they would get here. Now, they have the choice between cutting DOD or entitlements (likely both). They don't want to do it. Essentially, they are the jackasses that naysay everything but have no solutions. They need to be outed for the frauds that they are.
On the bright side, dare I say it, it looks as if the American people are waking up...yes, I really said that...polls indicate the public blames the publicans. The caveat is that they also expect el Presidente Obama to make more concessions. So it appears the alarm clock hasn't sound quite loud enough, as yet.
And yes, Obama has been "walking softly" as Teddy R said. But he's left his "big stick" in the closet. If he doesn't take it out soon it's gonna be too late.
Carguy he'd have to out a significant number of the Dems, as well, sad to say. Including Pelosi and Reid who seem to think they are the real power in Washington.
stex: I hate to admit it but I think some of the anti-Obama sentiment in Washington IS racially motivated. The rest is simply based on the fact that the republicans will "do whatever it takes" to get back in office. These people STILL have that "Watergate mentality". They are smart and don't have any rules. Look at the tactics Perry and Hutchison have been using against EACH OTHER. Fellow republicans. SOMEBODY HAS GOT TO EXPOSE THEM for what they are ON A NATIONAL STAGE.
The ONLY solution to this is for Obama to go on national TV and tell EVERBODY what the "not so loyal opposition" is doing. He started his "calling a spade a spade" at the SOTU. IF he wants another term he MUST expose these obstructionists for what they are. I know that's not the way it's been done in the past, but he's toast if he doesn't find a way to solve this problem. He MUST call in the GOP leaders and tell them if they don't get their asses in gear he WILL use the power of his office to inflict significant damage. IF a majority of the people in this country knew WHAT WE AT THE HURRUCANE KNOW, the GOP would be woumnded for a long time. Obama AND the DNC had better "lock and load" or they are gonna get run over by these bastards. It's gonna take us 8-10 years to repair the damage they did over the last decade.
I'm not sure about the revolution, Loma. There are way too many people who really don't think beyond the end of their nose. They hate Obama and feel that everything will be okay if they can just get him out of office. It almost seems that the Republican Congressfolks even feel that way. The one thing I wonder about, is what would have happened if a Dem other than Obama had been elected, like Hillary. Are we, as a country really so entrenched in racism that it could have made a difference. But then, would feminism have been the ogre in the closet ? Who knows, but I think that Hilary would have worked the "bully pulpit" in a more effective way than what we have seen so far from this administration.
After having watched the Maddow show last night on MSNBC I became quite incensed about the lack of governance in the Senate. The Republicans are playing a dangerous game at the expense of this Nation, and they will have greatly underestimated the wrath of the disenfranchised citizens this time. I shudder to think of what is in store for us when the theft of our political machinery finally sinks in and the people rise up in concerted anger. The Dark Ages are upon us once again...
Specifically the Senate. Something like 270-ish bills have been passed by house since last May...many with significant bipartisan votes...still waiting for our illustrious senators to grow the feck up. Kill the fecking filibuster!
And the bigger problem is that this anger is going to be unleashed on Repubs AND Dems, regardless of who is most responsible.