This & That!

-The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on whether the Voting Rights Act of 1965, considered by many one of the most important pieces of legislation in our history, remains constitutional.  Arguments centered around Rule 5 of the law, which requires certain districts, primarily in the south, that have historically demonstrated a penchant toward voter discrimination, to clear any changes in their voting laws with the federal government.  The five conservative justices on the bench expressed serious doubt that the VRA remains constitutional some 50 years after its enactment into law.  Chief Justice Roberts asked: “Is it the government’s submission that the citizens of the South are more racist than the citizens of the North?”  Justice Scalia, who has a history of being a bit of an ass, stated that the Voting rights Act was a “perpetuation of racial entitlement.”  Those in the chamber said Scalia’s comment brought gasps from the audience; which is exactly what the justice was looking for.  The essence of the conservative member’s comments was that the law had run its course and was no longer needed in our more inclusive society.  Apparently these justices were living in an alternate universe during the November elections.  Several states, yes, mostly in the south, manipulated voter id laws, reduced early voting hours and engaged in any number of questionable practices to restrict voter turnout and make it difficult if not impossible for certain members of our society to vote.  Their blatant disregard for the law targeted voting districts that were populated by primarily black and Hispanic voters.  Racism and discrimination are alive and well in this country.  Scalia’s racist comment is proof enough that the law should stand.

-While the Supreme Court was hearing arguments as to the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act; across the street at the Capitol a ceremony was taking place honoring one of the key personalities responsible for that very law. The president along with congressional leaders unveiled a statue of Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her seat on a bus ignited a movement that changed the nation.  You can’t help but appreciate the irony of these two events occurring at the same time.

-Republicans are literally laughing out loud at the message coming from Democrats that the impending sequestration cuts do serious damage to our economy.  Republicans say the 2.5% cuts on a $3.6 trillion dollar budget will have little economic consequence.  They say the Democrats Chicken Little “Sky is Falling” rhetoric is ridiculous.  We’ll see if they are still laughing when their constituents start losing jobs.  Remember, these are the same guys who rejected State department requests for $300 million for beefing up embassy security.  They said we didn’t have the money, and they were unwilling to add to the debt by borrowing the funds.  But when the Benghazi Consulate was attacked and four Americans died they were incredulous; pointing fingers of blame at everyone but themselves.  When you cut the size of government there ARE consequences.

-President Obama, Harry Reid, Speaker Boehner and other congressional leaders will meet tomorrow to discuss the sequester.  TOMORROW…the day the cuts go into effect.  To what end?  And why are they meeting tomorrow?  To what end?  Why couldn’t this meeting have taken place months ago?  This meeting is little more than a photo-op for political purposes.  Given the timing…it is an insult to our intelligence.                    

           

Bi-partisan Incompetence

It is hard to view what is going on in Washington these days without becoming overwhelmed by the historic level of incompetence.

The Senate finally confirmed Chuck Hagel’s nomination for Secretary of Defense.  What amounted to a historic seven week filibuster ended with a 58-41 vote largely along party lines.  Republicans grudgingly approved cloture allowing the confirmation vote to occur but not before 18 of members of their party voted to continue debate.  To what end?  To smear the president’s nominee and to hopefully dig up some scandalous dirt on what the president was doing when terrorists attacked the US consulate in Benghazi.  What does Hagel’s confirmation have to do with Benghazi?  Nothing!  Does this all sound convoluted?  Absolutely!  Never before in American history had a minority party used the filibuster to block a presidential cabinet nominee.  But, as John McCain readily admitted, Republicans held up Hagels’ confirmation as pay back for some of his attacks against George W. Bush and the Iraq war some eight years ago.  In summary…John McCain, Lindsay Graham and Ted Cruze led a seven week filibuster to block a presidential cabinet appointment…on a grudge.

We wrote yesterday of how CPAC had decided to NOT invite New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to speak at their annual convention.  The rebuke stemming from Christie’s praise of the president’s handling of the devastation brought on by Hurricane Sandy and his criticism of John Boehner and the Republican caucus for holding up the federal aid to his state for political reasons.  CPAC issued a statement confirming that these were the reasons for the snub and advised that if the governor were to get more in line with CPAC’s true conservative agenda he might receive the honor of being invited back next year.  Christie is a Republican governor in a blue state with a 74% approval rating.  The Republican Party has an approval rating in the 20’s.  So to be clear…the party with an approval rating in the 20’s is snubbing a member of their own party who has an approval rating in the 70’s!  Brilliant!

The NRA continues to do everything in its power to derail ANY attempts to impose stricter gun control laws.  Republicans, fearing a primary challenge from the far right, continue to bow in deference to the NRA and parrot the NRA talking points.  National polls show that voters favor stricter gun control laws by a wide margin.  New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s gun control PAC pours $2.5 million into a Illinois Democratic primary race to fill the seat of Jesse Jackson Jr.  Bloomberg’s candidate, Robin Kelly, defeats NRA candidate Debbie Halvorson by 30 points.  Bloomberg vows to continue to use his vast fortune to defeat pro-gun candidates.  Republicans ignore the handwriting on the wall and continue to parrot NRA talking points.

The much ballyhooed sequestration cuts go into effect this Friday.  This bi-partisan, self imposed reckless piece of legislation, proposed by the White House, will have a devastating effect on millions of Americans not o mention our national security.  The pentagon has announced the furlough of 750,000 employees.   Those are real jobs.  The Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has said that he is unable to task a carrier group into the Persian Gulf due to lack of funds.  The US typically maintains two carrier groups in the area because about one fifth of the world’s oil supply flows through the gulf.  It is hard to imagine the richest country in the world being unable to conduct security operations due to partisan malfeasance.  The congress and the White House have had two years to craft a compromise that would avert these drastic cuts.  As the deadline loomed congress went on a 10 day recess and the president went on a campaign type tour.  The parties are not talking to each other…nothing is getting done.  Three days and counting!

Over the course of the next few months congress and the White House will have to deal with a number of deadlines that will impact the economy.  First we have the much discussed sequestration cuts.  Then there is the debate over raising the debt ceiling followed by the continuing resolution to keep the government funded and running.  Each of these deadlines will generate rancorous partisan debates about the manner in which we spend our tax dollars.  In each of these upcoming debates the president will hold a winning card that will swing the dialogue in his favor…entitlement reform.  Entitlement reform is a topic that the president knows must be addressed at some point in time.  Given our aging population, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid cannot continue on in their current path.  This is not a matter of politics; it is a matter of math.  The current course is simply unsustainable.  The president can demonstrate the leadership that we are all looking for by coming out with a specific proposal to reform these necessary social programs.  He has hinted that he would consider some form of entitlement reform but he won’t get specific.  He says that he is waiting on Republicans to show their hand.  This strategy is ineffective and simply bad for the country.  It is not the type of leadership that the people are looking for.  The president is in his second term; unburdened by the prospect of another election.  He knows that entitlement reform is inevitable.  So why not show leadership and offer a plan that reforms these programs on his terms.  If the president plays that card he will be able to get his way on sequestration, debt ceiling, continuing resolution, tax reform or any other financial reform agenda he wishes to propose.  The president holds the winning card in his hands.  Thus far he has been inexplicably unwilling to play it.                          

       

Not On The "A" List

On March 14^th members of the Republican Party will come together at the Conservative Political Action Conference.  According to its website, CPAC is an annual event designed “to rally conservatives, share strategies and promulgate and crystallize the best of the conservative thought in America.”

The list of those invited to speak mirrors the “A” list of the party leadership: Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Ted Cruze, Jeb Bush, Rick Santorum and Sarah Palin among others.  Former governor and Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, has accepted an invitation and will make his first formal address since conceding the presidential election to Barak Obama.  If you are anyone of consequence in the Republican Party…you’re there.

Accept New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. 

CPAC has decided that Christie is not worthy of an invitation to the grand ball.  His fatal flaw... speaking the truth.

Christie’s first mistake was in accepting the president’s assistance in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.  Christie toured the devastation with the president, shook his hand in solidarity and then had the nerve to praise the president’s efforts to bring federal assistance to those in need.  He committed these grievous acts during the last week of the hotly contested presidential campaign.  Some Republicans (those living in an alternate universe) went so far as to blame Christie's actions as the single root cause of Mitt Romney's soul crushing defeat.

As if this weren’t bad enough, Christie had the nerve to criticize the NRA for running a pro-gun ad using the president’s daughters to make a political point.

Finally, to add insult to injury, he had the audacity to call out Speaker Boehner and the Republican caucus for delaying the Hurricane Sandy relief aid for six weeks for political purposes.

Chris Christie is an outspoken Republican governor in a blue state.  He has cut government spending and lowered taxes.  He has secured the state’s once financially unstable pension fund.  He has taken on the public employee unions and won.  He has forged a historic compromise agreement with the powerful teaches union and put in place a program that rewards teachers and students alike.  He is bombastic, rude and suffers no fools. And he has a 74% approval rating among both Republicans and Democrats.

He is the only Republican among the “A” list mentioned above that actually practices the conservative principles that he preaches.

And if the 2016 presidential election were held today, he is the only Republican that would have a realistic snowball’s chance in hell of defeating Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden.

So why is Christie being snubbed by CPAC?  He is snubbed because he dares to seek compromise to get things done. 

Today’s Republican Party is about hate, fear and retribution.  If you are a Republican who dares to consider compromising with your more liberal opponents you are labeled a RINO (Republican in Name Only) and subject to facing a primary challenge from the right.  If you want to get along in the Republican Party you have to toe the right wing radical line…even if it means being defeated at the polls.  You don’t think of compromise when you hear the names Palin, Santorum, Cruze, Paul and Ryan.

If Republicans want to focus on ideological rhetoric, hatred and fear mongering; if they want to continue to down their current path to irrelevance; then they should heed the words of their “A” list presenters.

But if they want to actually win elections and get things done, they might want to listen to the guy who has.

               

Who Do You Trust?

There are five days remaining before the controversial sequestration cuts take effect.  If you believe Democrats these cuts mark the beginning of a financial Armageddon.  If you believe Republicans these cuts are much ado about nothing.

Democrats say that the cuts will have a massive affect on our economy and our national security.  Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta says that 750,000 defense department employees have been notified that they will be furloughed.  Secretary of Education Arne Duncan says that tens of thousands of teachers have already been handed their pink slips.  Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says that $1 billion in cuts his department in expected to implement will force the closing of 100 smaller air traffic control towers and layoffs of air traffic controllers.  Travelers can expect massive delays.  Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said that her agency will be forced to furlough 50,000 security screeners, creating long lines at security checkpoints.   Teachers, firefighters, research, financial aid; the list goes on and on.  Democrats say that they will consider additional spending cuts but only if they are balanced with increased revenues by way of closing tax loopholes on the rich.

Republicans say that Democrats are just engaging in scare tactics.  They call it fear mongering at its best.  Republicans say that the cuts are insignificant, representing a measly 3 cents/$1.00 cut on a bloated federal government that has doubled in size over the past decade.  Senator Tom Coburn said: “The very idea that we can’t cut 3 cents/dollar out of a federal government that has doubled in size over the past decade is ridiculous.”Many Republicans say the $1.2 trillion in cuts aren’t big enough.  Senator Rand Paul believes that we need at least $4 trillion in spending cuts to avoid another downgrade in our credit rating.  Republicans say that any discussion of revenue increases is a non-starter.  They say the president got his revenue increase when congress agreed to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire for the richest Americans. 

So who do you believe?

Politicians and pundits in our local area are divided as to the effect that these cuts will have on our local economy.  But local economists and industry leaders have a pretty clear idea of the effect these cuts will have on our little tri-state area. 

-30,000 lost private sector jobs

-1000 lost teaching jobs including those who specialize in teaching children with disabilities.

-48,000 defense department employees furloughed

-4,600 students lose Head Start early education services

-$92.8 million in primary and secondary education funding

-$625,000 for vaccination leaving roughly 8,000 children without vaccines

Cutting three cents out of every federal dollar may not sound like much when you live in the Washington bubble.  But here in the real world those cuts can have a devastating effect.

The ridiculous part is that this meat axe approach to governing was suppose to be stop gap so horrific that it would force the two partisan sides to come together.  Now that the “sequester” appears to be a reality many in Washington see it as a great first step to shrinking the size of government.

There are better and more effective ways to do this.  There is a reasonable compromise that reduces long term debt while using short term investments to boost economic growth.  A compromise that avoids harsh layoffs emboldens consumer confidence and encourages economic growth.  But it is a compromise that requires strong leadership and a willingness to make the hard choices; neither of which exist in Washington.

Our guess is that the March 1^st deadline will pass without a deal being reached.  Needless cuts will go into effect that will ruin lives.  The stock market will react negatively and retirement funds that are counted on for survival will take a beating.  Jobs will be lost and consumer confidence, already jittery at best, will erode.  A double dip recession will be a very real possibility.

But in Washington it will just be a measly 3 cents on the dollar.    

          

  

Obama Keeping His Promise

The sequestration spending cuts go into effect one week from today.  From all appearances it seems likely that the self imposed March 1^st deadline will pass without a bi-partisan debt reduction agreement.   

Republicans blame the president for the gridlock.  They argue that the president is being unreasonable in demanding the closing of tax loopholes that favor the rich be a part of any plan to reduce the debt.  They say that they already gave the president his due by agreeing to a $600 billion dollar tax increase for the top one percent wage earners.  They say that having addressed the presidents need for increased revenue it is time for the president to give on spending cuts.  Republicans say that rather than negotiate with them in good faith on the details the president has chosen to barnstorm the country on a never ending partisan political campaign.

Here’s the truth.

The president put spending cuts on the table when he and Boehner reached an agreement on what has been referred to “Grand Bargain.”  But Boehner could not get his caucus to agree so the deal died.  The president has said that those cuts are still on the table.  He has said that he will agree to cuts in entitlements and social programs; cuts that will not be looked upon favorably by his base.  Just yesterday he reiterated this very fact to a group of liberal activists.  Needless to say they were not particularly pleased.

But the president has said that he will not agree to these additional cuts unless they are balanced with the closing of tax loopholes that favor the rich.  He said that fixing our nation’s fiscal problems would not be done on the backs of the middle class and the poor. The voters agreed, and returned him to Washington for a second term.

The president is not waging a never ending political campaign.  What he is doing is following up on the promises he made in the last campaign; a campaign that he won.

The president ran on the proposition that he would raise taxes on the top one percent and close tax loopholes that enabled large corporations and the very rich to benefit in ways not available to the middle class.  He said that while we needed to increase revenues we also needed to cut expenses.  While forcing Republicans to agree to the $600 billion tax increase on the rich he implemented over $2 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade; the bulk of which come out of health care and defense spending.  Now he is pushing for additional revenues by closing loopholes and offering in return additional spending cuts in the way entitlement benefits are calculated; a substantive change favored by Republicans.

The president is offering a balanced approach to debt and deficit reduction.  It is an approach that according every reputable national poll is widely favored by the people.  It is the approach that won the president a substantive victory last November.

Republicans have yet to come to grips with the fact that we just had a national election and the president won…BIG!  They are living in the Washington bubble; tone deaf to the will of the electorate. They continue to wheel out the same old partisan rhetoric that they have been preaching for years.  The people have listened to their austerity approach and they have rejected it.  They want a balanced approach where everybody has skin in the game.  And they are unwilling to give on social programs until they are satisfied that the very rich have are paying their fair share.

Elections matter.  The president is making that point very clear.

         

When Ideology Meets Reality

In politics it is often better to say nothing; because when you open your mouth you always run the risk of inserting your foot into the vacuum.

Just ask Joe Biden.  The master of the malapropos did it again yesterday when he basically encouraged citizens to buy a shot gun and, if threatened, fire it blindly into the night.  We love Joe!  And we know what Joe was trying to convey.  But sometimes the whole foot in mouth thing gets in Joe’s way.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for Speaker Boehner.

We all know that if the Republican Party stands for anything it is small government and less spending.  They have been playing that tune for as long as anyone can remember.  It is their belief that the only way to reduce the debt and deficit is to cut government spending and encourage growth by reducing taxes.   Any thought of increasing revenue is a non-starter.  They are so entrenched in this ideology that in 2012 when the ten Republicans vying for the Republican Party’s nomination for the presidency were asked if they would agree to one dollar in increase taxes for every ten dollars in spending cuts; they all said “No.”    

Now comes a series of across the board spending cuts know as the “sequester.”  The “sequester” is a series of harsh cuts that were thought to be so drastic as to force congress to reach a debt/deficit reduction deal rather than allow these cuts to occur.  Congress, by means of a bi-partisan vote, passed the bill which was signed into law by the president.

On March 1^st the “sequester spending cuts” totaling $1.1 trillion dollars over the next decade will go into effect.  $85 billion will occur this year.  Along with taking a bite out of the government’ check book they will reduce the size and scope of the federal government.

You would think that this would be seen as a great victory for Republicans…right?  Big spending cuts…less money being doled out for the takers…smaller government…what could be better?

But it is easy to talk about austerity in general terms.  It is a whole different ballgame when the realities of slashing the size and scope of government rear their ugly head. 

The defense department has said that these cuts would be disastrous to the military and would jeopardize our national security.  Yesterday the DOD announced that they had informed 750,000 defense department employees that they would be furloughed without pay if the sequester cuts are allowed to go into effect.

Suddenly Republicans aren’t so adamant about their desire to cut the size and scope of government.  It’s ok to cut social programs like unemployment, food stamps, Planned Parenthood and heating oil subsidies…things the “takers, slackers and the 47%” depend upon; but when you start messing around with those multi-billion dollar defense appropriations Republicans start singing a different tune.

That brings us to speaker Boehner and his foot/mouth problem.

Yesterday, the speaker penned an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal.  He railed against the sequester cuts saying that while we need to bring spending under control the “sequester” was not the way to go about it.  He placed blame for the “sequester” at the feet of the president; ignoring the fact that all of the Republican leadership…including the Speaker himself…voted for the sequester cuts.  Here we have the Speaker of the House arguing AGAINST spending cuts that he approved because, according to him, they were the president’s idea. 

You know you party is in trouble when your party leader is arguing against your own ideology…because your party’s opponent supported your ideology.  Does that make any sense? 

Boehner’s op-ed unleashed a hair-on-fire reaction from his radical base.  They love these spending cuts and are perfectly happy to see them go into effect.  They are stunned by Boehner’s piece.  Even Rush Limbaugh was at a loss for words saying that he had “no explanation” for Boehner’s betrayal.

What we have here is a perfect case of what happens when strict ideology meets reality.  Reducing government spending and cutting taxes may sound like a swell idea.  But when you reduce government’s spending you necessitate the elimination of hundreds of thousands of government jobs.  Government workers spend their paychecks and that money that helps the economy. 

They also vote. 

Moderates like Boehner get that, and they are scrambling to push the blame onto the president.  But they are countered by far right members of their own caucus who want to see the sequester cuts enacted… and more.  If the sequester goes into effect it is the Republicans and their limited government ideology that will take the blame.

Somewhere Nancy Pelosi is smiling.

         

           

     

Shoot The Messenger!

Ever since the November elections, we have heard Republicans give a lot of lip service to “re-branding” their party.  If they are truly serious about becoming more “inclusive” they might want to take a hard look at the primary conveyors of their message…Rush Limbaugh and FOXNEWS.

Since Rush Limbaugh began spewing his racist, homophobic, misogynistic, anti- immigrant rhetoric on behalf of the radical right wing of the Republican Party, Republicans have lost the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections.

Since FOXNEWS began airing its factually challenged unfair and unbalanced support of the conservative movement, Republicans have lost the popular vote in four of the last five presidential elections.

Limbaugh and FOXNEWS target white men; an ever decreasing demographic that is becoming increasingly irrelevant on the political stage.  Their common message stems from a deep ideological disagreement with the president’s policies that borders on fanaticism.  It is stoked by fear and a genuine hatred of this president as a man. Their misguided attacks on a president who is extremely well like personally and whose policies maintain high approval ratings; borders on insanity.   While their message may be focused on an ever dwindling demographic, their incendiary hate speech has brought widespread condemnation from all races, creeds and sexual orientations. 

Limbaugh and FOX are doing a grave disservice to a once proud Republican Party.  Their hate speech and willingness to play loose with the truth has degraded not only their own credibility as media outlets, but that of the party they claim to support.