Cheers Jane!!

Posted: December 2, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Surreality, Team Obama, U.S. Economy, Voter Ignorance | Tags: | 48 Comments

A nearly teary-eyed plea from FDL’s Jane Hamsher on MSNBC tops a post called The game IS rigged.   We’ve had Allan Simpson chortle with glee at the idea that the government will be shut down.  John Boehner is strutting around Capitol Hill like some kind of preening banty rooster.

And all for what?  Tax cuts for Millionaires?  All this for TAX CUTS for MILLIONAIRES?   The bill to extend tax cuts to less than $250k passed the House.  Now,  it hangs out there in the Senate like a pinata while what we are talking about are people’s lives. Where’s the extension for the unemployed among us?

“Republicans are worried about this proposal because it would expose that they are fighting for millionaires instead of the middle class,” said Schumer’s spokesman Brian Fallon in a statement to me.

Back to Jane.

Okay. So Obama won’t come out in public and say that he only wants a bill extending tax cuts for people making under $250,000 a year, he won’t threaten to veto any bill other than that, we know the House has scheduled a vote that can’t possibly pass, and the Senate doesn’t even have the support from the Democrats — let alone enough Republicans to pass it.

Uh-huh. Right.  So this is what Obama REALLY cares about.

Bulllshit.  We’re headed for extending ALL the tax cuts for 2-3 years, because that’s what Obama really wants.  The rest is just political theater designed to appease the chumps base.

Meanwhile, as entertaining as all of this is to political junkies, 2 million people are set to lose their unemployment benefits by the end of the year.  Which nobody, in the midst of their partisan game playing, seems to give a shit about.

It’s Christmas time, you bastards. People can’t feed their kids.  You continue to shovel trillions of dollars at the banks.  And all of you — Pelosi, Reid, Obama — you fail the test not only of leadership, but of basic human compassion. Of having any kind of a moral compass.

The game is rigged.  And nobody will be fooled into thinking that little treat you’re going to drop in their Christmas stocking is anything other than a lump of coal.

Yup.  Merry, Merry, all those of you making over $250k a year.  If you’re one of the long-term unemployed, well you just get that old lump of coal when the pinata falls because what happens in the beltway these days isn’t about us.  It’s about THEM.  Oh, and meanwhile, the Cat Food Commission Report is picking up steam.  Guess that’s what’s cracking on New Year’s eve!  That’s not a popper. it’s the backs of the middle class and seniors

Soylent Orange

Posted: December 2, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Democratic Politics, legislation, Surreality, Team Obama | Tags: , | 34 Comments

The next Speaker of the House appears to be full of himself and ‘it’.   Here’s a sample headline form the column The Capitolist at Politics Daily: John Boehner Calls Vote on Middle-Class-Only Tax Cut ‘Chicken Crap’.  Yup, that’s fairly succinct.

Although no Democrats have agreed with Republicans to make the Bush tax cuts permanent for everyone, 31 moderate House Democrats signed a letter this week calling for a temporary extension of the tax cuts for higher incomes while the country continues to fight its way out of recession.

“I’m tying to catch my breath so I don’t refer to this maneuver that’s going on today as chicken crap. But this is nonsense, right?” Boehner said. “The election was one month ago. We’re 23 months from the next election and the games have already started to set up the next election.”

The source of Boehner’s ire was a House vote earlier Thursday that will prevent Republicans from offering their own bill to make all of the Bush tax cuts permanent for all Americans, including the highest earners, when the full chamber considers the middle-class cuts later in the day. The House voted 213 to 203 to vote only on the middle-class tax proposal, with 32 Democrats voting with the Republicans to keep the process open.

Earlier, Rep. David Drier (R-Calif.), who offered the Republican alternative, called the Democrats’ plans to vote only on their bill “a joke.”

“I think it’s very evident that this House could, with a majority vote, ensure that we don’t increase taxes on any Americans during these very troubling, difficult economic times,” Drier said. “The fact of the matter is that any member of this House that votes in favor of the measure before us is voting for a tax increase. They are voting in favor of increasing taxes on American businesses and investors.”

No Rep. Drier, you’re voting to return tax levels for the extraordinarily rich back to the extraordinarily job-abundant and budget-balanced Clinton years.   There is absolutely no evidence that those tax cuts created jobs and there’s no evidence that not extending them to the richest will harm the economy.  This is especially true since corporate profits are attaining record levels and corporate executives are getting record bonuses while we also maintain an incredibly unacceptable unemployment rate. You’re expanding the deficit for your donor’s interests.  We’re not buying your B.S. for one moment.

So, where is our illustrious POTUS on this?  The ONE every one was waiting for? Try Dana Bash’s CNN Political ticker headline on for size:  Tax deal getting close, Democrats worried Obama may cave. Now, that’ s leadership that can!!!

Multiple congressional Democratic sources tell CNN that a compromise to extend all Bush-era tax cuts temporarily is getting close, and that there is increasing concern among Democratic lawmakers that the White House will not fight hard enough to get Democratic priorities in return.

“The goose is cooked,” said one senior Democratic source, “the question is what the larger deal is going to look like.”

Many Democrats are unhappy at the prospect of giving up on their goal of permanently extending tax cuts only for those making $250,000 and less. Sources in both parties say a deal in the works would extend all expiring Bush era tax cuts for all income levels for two or three years.

In exchange, Democrats are hoping to squeeze out of Republicans a wish list of concessions. Democratic sources say that list generally includes: A lengthy extension of unemployment benefits, without having to find offsets to pay for them; extending college tuition tax credits set to expire at the end of the year; extending the so-called “make work pay” tax credits also expiring December 31st; and the HIRE act, tax credits for businesses that hire unemployed workers.

So, it comes down to Let’s Make a Deal for middle class livelihoods by maintaining the status quo for the aristocracy.  We get the kibble, they get the banquet.

More from Politico on what’s likely to happen come January when Agent Orange actually gets the gavel. Ask not on whom the gavel falls, it falls on you.

House Republicans seem intent on blowing up the staid appropriations process when they take power in January — potentially upending the old bulls in both parties who have spent decades building their power over the federal budget.

The plans include slicing and dicing appropriations bills into dozens of smaller, bite-size pieces — making it easier to kill or slash unpopular agencies. Other proposals include statutory spending caps, weekly votes on spending cuts and other reforms to ensure spending bills aren’t sneakily passed under special rules.
On some level, their plans may create a sense of organized chaos on the House floor — picture dozens of votes on dozens of federal program cuts and likely gridlock on spending bills. And don’t forget that a lot of these efforts will die with a Democratic-led Senate and a Democrat in the White House.

Once again, it’s the worst government that corporate money buys working to make our lives miserable.

Breaking NEWS: The house just passed tax cuts for those families making up to $250,000.  The measure is expected to die in the Senate.


Clean up on Aisle 111

Posted: December 1, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Elections, legislation, Team Obama | Tags: , , | 61 Comments

The results of the ‘Slurpee Summit’ couldn’t be more clear. Republicans have no intention of cooperating with anything that the President will put forward.  Obama has two choices.  Be the Democrat he was elected to be or switch parties.  Gridlock is not on the horizon.  It’s been here and will only worsen.  Obama hasn’t even been able to get the senators from Maine to break away from their right wing colleagues on important issues in the past.  How will this improve with worse ones on their way in?  Incoming Republican Senators like Rand Paul from Kentucky and Mark Kirk from Illinois are giving interviews and they aren’t pretty.

Steven Benen’s Political Animal at The Washington Monthly analyzes a recent AP item from last night that was released about the time we started our discussion on the Slurpee Summit. Benen says this.

ALL 42 SENATE REPUBLICANS ANNOUNCE HOSTAGE PLAN…. The AP had an item late last night, noting that Senate Republicans were circulating a letter, “quietly collecting signatures” on a plan to “block action on virtually all Democratic-backed legislation unrelated to tax cuts and government spending.”

This morning, the Senate GOP leadership unveiled their letter — signed by literally all 42 members of the Republican caucus — declaring their intention to hold the chamber hostage until the tax policy debate is resolved.

“[W]e write to inform you that we will not agree to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to any legislative item until the Senate has acted to fund the government and we have prevented the tax increase that is currently awaiting all American taxpayers. With little time left in this Congressional session, legislative scheduling should be focused on these critical priorities. While there are other items that might ultimately be worthy of the Senate’s attention, we cannot agree to prioritize any matters above the critical issues of funding the government and preventing a job-killing tax hike.”

In practical terms, this means that the Senate Republican caucus will join arms and kill literally every piece of legislation in the lame-duck session — New START, funding U.S. troops, the DREAM Act, etc. — until the government is fully funded and they’re satisfied with the outcome of the debate on tax policy.

What on earth does that last sentence imply? (I bolded it.)   Already, the fall out is being felt in the discussion over DADT which Secretary Gates asked Congress to repeal.  Are the Republicans really ready to hold the military hostage over taxes to the uber-Wealthy?  It sure seems that way.

Just hours after Democrats and Republicans agreed to bargain on tax cuts, and fewer hours still after Defense Secretary Robert Gates implored Congress to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell this year, word leaked that Republicans aren’t really interested in any of it — a major repudiation of Gates’ authority.

All of this hostility began just hours after the President announced that he was ‘encouraged’ by meeting with House leaders on both sides.  It included this:

“Today we had the beginning of a new dialogue that I hope — and I’m sure most Americans hope — will help break through the noise and produce real gains,” the president said after a two-hour session that included Democratic Congressional leaders as well. “And as we all agreed, that should begin today because there’s some things we need to get done in the weeks before Congress leaves town for the holidays.”

Read the Republicans’ letter to Henry Reid here and see if you can find any hint of reality in the statement above.

David Leonhardt at the NYT believes that Democrats have been given next to no options now.

Democrats have left themselves in a tough spot on the Bush tax cuts. After delaying the issue until after the election and then being trounced in that election, they find themselves with little leverage.

If they cannot come up with a plan that can win 60 votes in the Senate, which means at least two Republican votes, Republicans can filibuster any bill. All of the tax cuts would then expire on Dec. 31. When the new Republican House majority arrives in January, it will be able to make its first order of business a retroactive tax cut — forcing President Obama and Senate Democrats to choose between a purely Republican plan and an across-the-board tax increase.

So the big question is whether Democratic leaders can come up with any compromise that centrist Democrats and a couple of Republican senators — Scott Brown, who represents liberal Massachusetts? George Voinovich of Ohio, who is retiring? — are willing to accept.

Reid responded earlier today.

“My Republican colleagues…know that the true effect of this letter is to prevent the Senate from acting on many important issues that have bipartisan support. With this letter, they have simply put in writing the political strategy that the Republicans pursued this entire Congress: Namely, obstruct, delay action on critical matters, and then blame the Democrats for not addressing the needs of American people. Very cynical, but very obvious. Very transparent.”

I’d say it’s more than that Harry.  It’s a drop dead letter if there ever was one.

The Presidential Democratic Values Apology Tour

Posted: November 30, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Catfood Commission, Surreality, Team Obama | Tags: , , , | 48 Comments

No. It didn’t take place in Saudi Arabia.  It took place on Capitol Hill.  It’s proof to me of an alternate universe there.

Ed Henry just said that it’s true that President Obama apologized for failing to be bipartisan and promised to work harder to find common ground.

There was a Republican presser with a follow up column at WAPO today by John Boehner and Mitch McConnell.  Both were a joke.  They don’t want to work with their Democratic colleagues.  They want a one term Democratic president and damn any Democrat that believes any differently after they’ve said it over and over again.

Here’s  Johnny!!  (and Closet Case Mitchie too!)

The day after the election, President Obama seemed to acknowledge that a change in course is needed when he conceded that “the overwhelming message” he heard from the voters was “we want you to focus completely on jobs and the economy.”

Despite what some Democrats in Congress have suggested, voters did not signal they wanted more cooperation on the Democrats’ big-government policies that most Americans oppose. On the contrary, they want both parties to work together on policies that will help create the conditions for private-sector job growth. They want us to stop the spending binge, cut the deficit and send a clear message on taxes and regulations so small businesses can start hiring again.

We can work together and accomplish these things, but the White House and Democratic leaders in Congress first will have to prioritize. It’s time to choose struggling middle-class families and small businesses over the demands of the liberal base. It’s time to get serious.

What isn’t clear about this?  They’ve said what they want and that’s all that they want.  There’s no sign of cooperation here unless it’s you do what we say.  Which is frankly kind’ve weird given we’ve gotten so much Republican-style policy through Capitol Hill without them.

What’s the President apologizing for?  Gee, I know you mugged me, next time I’ll be sure to carry more cash and less credit,  I’m so sorry.

The CSM seems to think that having them all in the same room is about as much bipartisanship as you’re going to get from this crew.  I see more hippy bashing in my crystal ball.

Still, despite all the talk of a fresh start, Obama acknowledged the elephant in the room – what he called “the current hyper-partisan climate.”

“There are always those who argue that the best strategy is simply to try to defeat your opposition, instead of working with them,” the president said.

He needed look no further than McConnell to see someone whose stated goal is to make sure Obama does not win a second term. And in a Washington Post opinion piece published Tuesday by McConnell and Boehner, the rhetoric seemed distinctly McConnell-esque.

The column – titled “Where we and Democrats can work together” – called on the White House and Democratic leaders to “prioritize.”

“It’s time to choose struggling middle-class families and small businesses over the demands of the liberal base,” the GOP leaders wrote. “It’s time to get serious.”

Okay, let’s just start from the assumption that it’s not just the liberal base that doesn’t want their social security and Medicare privatized or shut down.  Let’s also assume that most of us ARE concerned about jobs and not tax cuts. What exactly do they think the demands of the liberal base are?   Giving unemployed people their unemployment checks? I haven’t seen any decent demands coming out of the liberal base in forever!  No demand to shut GITMO.  No demand to get out of Afghanistan.  No demand to stop giving preferential treatment to banks.  No demand to not put American citizens on hit lists.  No demand to hold Cheney and Dubya accountable for breaking the Geneva Convention.  What frigging demands?  We can’t even protect a Woman’s  right to choose over Insurance companies’  rights to extraordinary profits!  DADT should’ve been gone by now and Pay Equity should’ve passed.  What FRIGGING demands?

Yet, if you read reports from the PBS Newshour, POTUS is “Encouraged”.  (Videos of pressers from this link)

Encouraged about what?  Giving multimillionaires tax cuts?  Implementing Allan Simpson’s plans to send seniors to homeless shelters?  Maybe, it’s their desire to tank START?

What fresh hell is this?

Notable tweets from the un-notable Ed Henry CNN on the “Slurpee summit”

edhenrycnn Ed Henry

(oldest to newest)

President striking conciliatory tone, saying he’s committed to “common ground” on taxes — a phrase Boehner used several times

Breaking news: Senior admin official tells CNN the President did tell Repubs behind closed doors he failed to reach out enough in 1st 2 yrs

Senior official tells CNN President told Repubs “he had to do better and the President is ready to do his part” in the days to work together

Senior admin official is confirming account from Republicans that Potus acknowledged “he had not reached out enough” in words of Cantor

Simpson Strikes Again

Posted: November 26, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Surreality, Team Obama, The Bonus Class, WE TOLD THEM SO | Tags: , , , , , , | 37 Comments

Alan Simpson, Co-chair of President Obama’s Catfood Commission has opened his mouth again, attacking seniors:

…because they are unhappy with his ideas for reducing the deficit by cutting Social Security benefits while reducing corporate taxes.

“I’ve never had any nastier mail or [been in a] more difficult position in my life,” Simpson told Jeremy Pelzer at the Casper Star-Tribune. “Just vicious. People I’ve known, relatives [saying], ‘You son of a bitch. How could you do this?'”

[….]

“We had the greatest generation,” Simpson said. “I think this is the greediest generation.”

Maybe you all have heard about this already–I wasn’t following the news too closely yesterday–but I just had to frontpage it. The nerve of this man! And why isn’t President Obama responding to his ugly slurs of elderly people who paid into Social Security for their entire lives? Why should we take cuts in Social Security so that rich people like Simpson can take more money for themselves?

From TPM:

The problem, Simpson explained, is the “polarized” country we live in, and the media that exemplifies it. He then to reeled off the media figures ruining America for deficit commissioners like him.

“You don’t want to listen to the right and the left — the extremes,” he said. “You don’t want to listen to Keith Olbermann and Rush Babe [Limbaugh] and Rachel Minnow [sic] or whatever that is, and Glenn Beck. They’re entertainers. They couldn’t govern their way out of a paper sack — from the right or the left. But they get paid a lot of money from you and advertisers — thirty, fifty million a year — to work you over and get you juiced up with emotion, fear, guilt, and racism. Emotion, fear, guilt, and racism.

Simpson refers to Rachel Maddow as “that.” Is that because she’s a lesbian or because she’s a woman or both?

At FDL, Jon Walker writes: Is Simpson an Obama-Appointed Bully or Sexist?

While I don’t know former Republican Senator Alan Simpson personally and can’t say definitively whether or not he is a sexist, his behavior says a lot about him. He’s repeatedly behaved and spoken in a manner completely consistent with sexists who have strong disdain for intelligent women. His schoolyard attempts at bullying women, the strange terms he uses, and his incredibly childish attempts at demeaning women who dare criticize with name calling are all trademarks of a sexist.

Walker ends with this:

I could care less about Simpson’s behavior if it weren’t for the fact that President Obama appointed him co-chair of the bipartisan President’s Deficit Commission. It’s disconcerting that Obama tolerates this sexist behavior. Why would he appoint Simpson and stay silent as Simpson used the perch Obama gave him to lash out in such a childish manner and pointedly against women?

The fact that President Obama has not yet countered any of the ugly words that have come out of Simpson’s mouth strongly suggests that Obama himself agrees with Simpson’s views. And Obama dares to call himself a Democrat?

But should Jon Walker or anyone else really be surprised? Obama is the same person who during the primaries in 2008 characterized Hillary Clinton’s experiences as First Lady as drinking tea with foreign ambassadors. He’s the same guy who suggested that Hillary’s “claws come out” if you “challenge the status quo,” and that when Hillary “is feeling down” she “periodically launches attacks.”

No one should be surprised at Obama supporting attacks on the elderly or gays either. Here at Skydancing, we can easily cite the many previous examples of President Obama’s disrespect for seniors and gays.

Alan Simpson is simply saying aloud in very crude language what the President of the United States apparently believes in his heart–if he has one.

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