American In Name Only

Raw Story: In an appearance on “Up with Steve Kornacki” on Saturday morning, Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen (TN) said that after their repeated attempts to interfere with the functioning of the U.S. government, members of the tea party have shown themselves to be the real “domestic enemies” of the American people.

“If we look ahead to the immediate future, these next few months,” Kornacki asked Cohen, “these two new deadlines that are now sort of on the calendar, do you think things will play out differently in the next round of budget negotiations, in the next round, when it comes to funding the government? Do you think the Republicans will have a different posture this time?”

“You know, you’d think they would,” said Cohen. “If a child puts its finger on a burner, they’re not likely to go to that burner again, but I’m not sure if some of these people don’t like the heat. They seemed to enjoy shutting down the government, they reveled in it. They got a lot of energy out of it.”

“A lot of those members are rabid,” he said of the House Republican conference. “They’re sophomoric in terms of Congress. They’ve never worked in politics before,” but “they think they’re some kind of guerrillas there to strike a blow for freedom. I think they’ll try to pull this off again.”

As U.S. Representatives, Cohen said, “We take an oath to support the country against all enemies foreign and domestic, and these are the domestic enemies.” 

Here's the deal... In this country we make and/or change policy through elections and legislation.  Laws. You don't get to impeach, shut down, default, or destroy the government just because you lost the election and can't deal with it.  Anybody who doesn't get that really doesn't understand what it means to be an American and probably doesn't belong here.

Concern Troll

Raw Story:  CNN Crossfire host S.E. Cupp pushed back at criticism of the National Football League’s Washington franchise on Friday by insinuating it was a distraction from other issues facing Native American communities.

“Native Americans have real problems,” Cupp told Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). “Poverty, domestic abuse, high suicide rates.”

So it's ok to heap a little cheap racism on them as well?  Idiotic argument from the dumbest conservative on TV.   Thanks though for the fake concern for minorities and the disadvantaged.  But better yet you stop constantly advocating policies that push them under the bus in favor of your transnational billionaire masters.

National Debt Hustlers

history is a bitch

Various Republicans on TV today: America lost because Obamacare is killing jobs and adding 1.5 trillion to the deficit.  And we have to get our spending problem under control because the deficit/debt is killing us.


Nobody should ever let any Republican complain about the deficit or the national debt without immediately punching them in their metaphorical mouth.  They don't give a rip about that stuff.  In fact our problems in this regard are almost entirely their doing.  The historical record is devastatingly clear.

They We're Planning It All Along

WASHINGTON — Democrats have seized on video of Rep. Chris Van Hollen angrily confronting Republicans on the House floor over changes to the chamber’s rules as proof Republicans purposefully pushed the nation into a government shutdown and crisis over extending the nation’s debt limit.

The Republicans’ decision to alter an obscure procedural rule has enraged Democrats and given them evidence that Republicans have purposefully throw the government into chaos with a shutdown.

Normally, any member of the House can force a vote on legislation which the Senate and House are unable to agree on. Although it is a rarely used mechanism, House Republicans were taking no chances in the days leading up to the shutdown.

Republican leaders were nervous about the possibility that the Senate’s clean spending extension bill would pass the chamber on the strength of Democratic votes — or worse, that it would fail, taking it off the table permanently as a solution.

That concern appears to have driven the decision to change the rules to allow only Majority Leader Eric Cantor to force a vote on the Senate plan.

Look, in this country if you want to change policy you win elections and then you pass laws.  You legislate.  If you don't understand that, you don't belong here.  It's dangerous to have you here.  It's destructive and expensive (this one apparently cost 24 billion just to start).  If that's you, you need to change your philosophy on this very important matter, or you need to get the fuck out of the country. 

One Heartbeat Away From The Presidency

TPM: Former Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin accused President Barack Obama on Monday of coming dangerously close to "impeachable offenses."

Right, well, she's an idiot.  Everybody knows that.  The scary part is the Republican party vaulted her right to the top just because she's a MILF. 

March To The Sea

Think Progress:  Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) offered a curious analogy this weekend, comparing the impending default to the American Revolution. 

Actually, it's more like the civil war.  And once again his side is trying to destroy the United States.  

Southern conservatives already betrayed the country once.  The confederacy lost.  Trying to re-fight that war by shutting down the government and destroying the full faith and credit of the United States is simply not acceptable.

There's never a General Sherman around when you need one. 

Traitors

Raw Story:  Tahoma High School in Maple Valley, WA suspended two 16-year-old boys for wearing Confederate flags to school. According to Seattle’s KIRO Channel 7, school officials said the boys were wearing the secessionist flags in protest of a classmate’s choice to wear a rainbow flag in celebration of LGBT Pride month.

One of the two students — known only a “Grady” — told KOMO that he was just wearing the rebel flag to honor his southern heritage.

Which is of course mostly.. slavery.

Today however conservatives fly the confederate flag to symbolize their opposition pretty much all the American ideals, equality, multiculturalism, tolerance, upward mobility due process, devotion to the constitution, and democracy.  They're hostile to all of it.

So we're actually grateful when they chose to wear the symbol of their betrayals, the celebration of their treason, their hatred of the United States on their sleeve (or chest).  That way we can know who they are. 

Deport The Republicans

Politico: A reality is beginning to dawn on — and eat away at — many House Republicans: They aren’t at all sure of their party's strategy to re-open government and lift the debt ceiling.

After forcing leadership to pick a fight it didn’t want to pick, sitting through hours of meetings with lots of internal hand-wringing and failing to force Democrats to negotiate, the path to avoid a prolonged government shutdown and the first debt default in American history is completely uncertain.

Attention Republicans:  Rather than burning down the country, why don't you do us all a favor and leave.  Just get the hell out.  Move to Somalia.  You'll love it.  No government, lots of guns, no regulation, no taxes. 

Of course they don't have any sewage treatment either, so go there and wallow is shit for a while.  Let's see what that does for your worldview. Hey, send a postcard when you get there (actually sorry, you won't be able to do that.  They don't have a postal service).

Destruction

WASHINGTON -- With the government shutdown in its fifth day, many Republicans have conceded the fight is no longer about Obamacare. Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) added his name to the list on Saturday, saying the matter now boils down to "pride."

Proverbs 16:18: Pride goeth before destruction.

And destruction is where we're heading with the GOP shutting down the government and causing us to default on our debt.  Look, we can't have people in our government who will threaten our future, our standard of living, our families - over pride, or holding out for billionaire "healthcare" executives or whatever.  We just can't have it.  These people have to got to respect the electoral process and work within our democratic system to change policy by majority rule.  Anything else is just political terrorism.

Honestly, what's going on here as much as anything else, is the Republicans are seeing things getting better and they don't like it.  Once again Democratic public policy is improving things.  The economy is improving, the housing market is improving, the job market is improving, and Obamacare is about to start working. And politically speaking, that's very bad for them.  So rather than allow things to continue on as they are they figure they don't have much to lose by burning it all down.

Boehner Threatens To Shoot The Hostage

TPM: Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) insisted Sunday on ABC's "This Week" that he won't bring up a "clean" debt limit increase under any circumstances, warning that the U.S. will default on its debt unless President Barack Obama agrees to make policy concessions.

(credit to Huffingtonpost for that title)  Attention America, you're the hostage.  Your 401k is the hostage.  Your ability to borrow money for a car, or a house, or a business is the hostage.  The value of your dollars is the hostage. Your standard of living is the hostage.  Your future is the hostage.  And the Republicans have just threatened all of it.  Whatever you do America, whatever ends up happening, don't ever forget this.  

Shooters

Daily Kos:  Is there some damn law that says congressional Republicans have to be assholes? Is "not being a gigantic prick to anyone you meet" one of the now-countless things that will get you kicked out of the party? Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX, because of course he is), come on down. Show the little people how being a grandstanding self-important ass is done.

In an astounding confrontation that took place yesterday at the World War II Memorial in DC, a Tea Party congressman from Texas appeared to blame the Park Service for denying veterans access to the facility — and then made a Park Ranger apologize for the shutdown. "How do you look at them and ... deny them access?" Rep. Randy Neugebauer asked the unidentified Ranger in an incredible exchange that was caught on camera by NBC Washington.

So they shut down the government, then run down to yell at the park ranger because the government is shut down.  We suppose that's rather like shooting somebody in the back and then berating them for bleeding on the carpet. 

Immigration

Raw Story: Although they’re unlikely to win the legislative fight to kill the Affordable Care Act, Republicans have already succeeded in keeping millions of Americans from getting health insurance.

A New York Times analysis of census data found that two-thirds of the poor black people and single mothers and more than half the low-wage workers who don’t have insurance coverage have been left out of the vast expansion of Medicaid because they live in states controlled by Republicans.

So we would definitely recommend that if you're looking for affordable heath care you leave these states that are controlled by Republicans.

It's already the case that the states that are controlled by Republicans are the welfare states.  That is to say that due to inferior economic activity and a general lack of competitiveness they take more from the federal coffers than they contribute.  A steady flow of workers and families out of these states will no doubt exacerbate that situation.  But it can't be helped.