When Republicans were handed control of congress last November they promised a new era of effective government. The dysfunction and gridlock that held the nation hostage was to be replaced with a new found spirit of co-operation and a resolve to get things done.
If the past few weeks are any indication…Republicans may have been handed the keys to the car but they have yet to learn how to drive. Last Friday served as glaring proof that they have yet to master the controls.
Republicans managed to avoid a politically devastating partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security but only after suffering through a humiliating defeat earlier in the day.
During the previous weeks there had been a heated debate within the Party about passing a DHS funding bill that excluded any monies for the president’s executive orders on immigration reform. Moderates in the caucus wanted to pass a clean funding bill and have the debate on immigration reform another day. Hardliners wanted nothing to do with the president’s executive orders and were willing to shut down the DHS rather than give the president what he wanted. The clock was ticking.
As the midnight deadline approached on Friday it became apparent that there was no solving the impasse. The Speaker floated the idea of passing a clean temporary bill that would fund the DHS for three weeks while buying his caucus more time to reach a consensus.
He thought he had the votes.
Speaker Boehner allowed the bill to come to the floor…only to see it fail. 52 Republicans crossed party lines to defeat the bill and in the process embarrass the Speaker.
Speaker Boehner and Republican leadership scrambled to find a palpable alternative before the midnight deadline. With the help of House Democrats a one week extension was passed and sent to the president for his signature. The bill was signed with ten minutes to spare. 55 Republicans voted against the Speaker.
House Democrats said they agreed with the short term extension because the Speaker had promised a vote on a clean bill next week. The Speaker’s office denied that any such promise was made.
This marks the third time this year that the Republican majority had to pull a bill because of internal conflicts within the Party. The question must be asked…if Republicans cannot agree among themselves how do they expect to reach an accord with Democrats.
And why the last minute skirmish over such an important funding resolution? The February 28th funding deadline was no secret. Like Christmas, everyone knew the date. So why all the last minute frenzy?
Why does this “new era of effective government” look more like a bunch of harried procrastinators on Christmas Eve?
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Friday, February 27, 2015
It's CPAC Weekend! Get Your Popcorn Ready!
If you are like me…a person who believes that the dysfunction of our government is exceeded only by the inanity of the discourse offered by those who run it; then this weekend is for you.
For this is CPAC weekend. CPAC…the Conservative Political Action Conference…where the movers and shakers of the conservative movement come together to poke, prod, schmooze and choose their future leaders. Where presidential wannabes spout bat crazy stuff to woo a brain dead base; hopeful that the requisite inflammatory rhetoric of today will be forgotten by more thoughtful voters in the future. The comedic value of this extravaganza is off the charts.
Priority one among those taking the rostrum…bash presumptive Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. After all when you don’t anything resembling a substantive policy thought in your repertoire what else are you going to do?
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is there. He is currently leading in the polls. Walker would have us believe that his stint as governor qualifies him for the presidency. When asked how serving as governor qualifies him for making foreign policy decisions like fighting ISIS; Walker said: “If I can take on a 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.” Let’s think about that. Taking on a bunch of angry elementary school teachers bearing signs and Starbucks versus a bunch of armed fanatical extremists who lop off people’s heads to make a point. I can certainly see the similarities.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is in attendance. He accused Hillary of being on the payroll of foreign nations. When asked by host Sean Hannity to describe Hillary with the first word that pops into his head, Cruz said: “Washington.” After Hannity, doing his best Bill Clinton impression, asked a young “chick” in the audience to meet him backstage; he asked Cruz his one word response to “Bill Clinton.” Cruz said:” youth outreach.” Funny! That’s two words.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christy is in the house. He deflected his state’s poor economic performance by telling a questioner that “Sometimes It’s ok to tell people to sit down and shut up.”
Mogul Donald Trump rolled in. He says that he is very seriously considering a run at the White House in 2016. Seriously! He said he has even put his “Apprentice” TV shtick on hold while he contemplates his decision. In case you forgot…he said the same thing in 2012. Production for the “Apprentice” doesn’t start until May. Look for Trump to bow out then…just like he did two years ago.
Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina addressed the crowd. She challenged Clinton to “name an accomplishment.” And she drew large applause when she said that Clinton: “doesn’t know the meaning of leadership.” Fiorina is best known for running Hewlett Packard into the ground before taking a $20 million dollar buy out to hit the road.
Sarah Palin is there. Enough said.
The big speech at this year’s CPAC soirée will be delivered this afternoon by Jeb Bush. But trouble is already brewing. Evidently a movement is afoot by those who see Jeb as “too squishy” a conservative represent the interests of the base. Rumor has it that a large number of the base intend to walk out of the hall when Jeb begins his remarks. To counteract said rumor, pro-Bush forces are busing in Bush supporters to arrive early and fill the seats; thus avoiding the embarrassing videos of Jeb addressing an empty room.
CPAC! It’s going to be a show. Get your popcorn ready!
For this is CPAC weekend. CPAC…the Conservative Political Action Conference…where the movers and shakers of the conservative movement come together to poke, prod, schmooze and choose their future leaders. Where presidential wannabes spout bat crazy stuff to woo a brain dead base; hopeful that the requisite inflammatory rhetoric of today will be forgotten by more thoughtful voters in the future. The comedic value of this extravaganza is off the charts.
Priority one among those taking the rostrum…bash presumptive Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. After all when you don’t anything resembling a substantive policy thought in your repertoire what else are you going to do?
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is there. He is currently leading in the polls. Walker would have us believe that his stint as governor qualifies him for the presidency. When asked how serving as governor qualifies him for making foreign policy decisions like fighting ISIS; Walker said: “If I can take on a 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.” Let’s think about that. Taking on a bunch of angry elementary school teachers bearing signs and Starbucks versus a bunch of armed fanatical extremists who lop off people’s heads to make a point. I can certainly see the similarities.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz is in attendance. He accused Hillary of being on the payroll of foreign nations. When asked by host Sean Hannity to describe Hillary with the first word that pops into his head, Cruz said: “Washington.” After Hannity, doing his best Bill Clinton impression, asked a young “chick” in the audience to meet him backstage; he asked Cruz his one word response to “Bill Clinton.” Cruz said:” youth outreach.” Funny! That’s two words.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christy is in the house. He deflected his state’s poor economic performance by telling a questioner that “Sometimes It’s ok to tell people to sit down and shut up.”
Mogul Donald Trump rolled in. He says that he is very seriously considering a run at the White House in 2016. Seriously! He said he has even put his “Apprentice” TV shtick on hold while he contemplates his decision. In case you forgot…he said the same thing in 2012. Production for the “Apprentice” doesn’t start until May. Look for Trump to bow out then…just like he did two years ago.
Former HP CEO Carly Fiorina addressed the crowd. She challenged Clinton to “name an accomplishment.” And she drew large applause when she said that Clinton: “doesn’t know the meaning of leadership.” Fiorina is best known for running Hewlett Packard into the ground before taking a $20 million dollar buy out to hit the road.
Sarah Palin is there. Enough said.
The big speech at this year’s CPAC soirée will be delivered this afternoon by Jeb Bush. But trouble is already brewing. Evidently a movement is afoot by those who see Jeb as “too squishy” a conservative represent the interests of the base. Rumor has it that a large number of the base intend to walk out of the hall when Jeb begins his remarks. To counteract said rumor, pro-Bush forces are busing in Bush supporters to arrive early and fill the seats; thus avoiding the embarrassing videos of Jeb addressing an empty room.
CPAC! It’s going to be a show. Get your popcorn ready!
Thursday, February 26, 2015
"No one is watching them for the actual truth."
FOXNEWS host Bill O’Reilly is taking a lot of heat lately for allegedly embellishing his reporting experience during the Falklands War.
According to Mother Jones reporter David Corn, O’Reilly wasn’t within a thousand miles of the shooting. Apparently the military authorities refused to allow correspondents covering the conflict anywhere near the action on the Falkland Islands. Reporters were kept on the mainland and fed canned narrative and pool photos of the daily skirmishes. The New York Times has corroborated the Mother Jones’ account.
Since Mother Jones broke the story O’Reilly has come under fire from other news organizations claiming that he has similarly embellished his reporting in other instances.
FOXNEWS is standing steadfastly behind O’Reilly; issuing a full throated statement of support.
O’Reilly is livid. Lashing out as only the bombastic O’ Reilly can, the cable news giant not only defended his reporting, he literally threatened both Corn and the New York Times reporter for doing their jobs. “If you continue with this I will come after you with everything I’ve got. You can consider that a threat.”
There are any number of ways that a reputable news anchor might respond to such allegations. He might own up to the mistake as Brian Williams recently did; and offer up an apology. Or he might issue a rebuttal offering factual proof of the accuracy of his claims.
But O’Reilly is not a reputable news anchor. He is an entertainer who has spent the better part of his career using misstatements and falsehoods to shred the reputation of those with whom he disagrees. Now he finds himself at the receiving end of the criticism…and he doesn’t like it.
I for one am surprised at all the hub bub over the unveiling of O’Reilly’s half-truths. There is nothing to see here. For as Jon Stewart recently said about FOXNEWS…
“No one’s watching them for the actual truth.”
According to Mother Jones reporter David Corn, O’Reilly wasn’t within a thousand miles of the shooting. Apparently the military authorities refused to allow correspondents covering the conflict anywhere near the action on the Falkland Islands. Reporters were kept on the mainland and fed canned narrative and pool photos of the daily skirmishes. The New York Times has corroborated the Mother Jones’ account.
Since Mother Jones broke the story O’Reilly has come under fire from other news organizations claiming that he has similarly embellished his reporting in other instances.
FOXNEWS is standing steadfastly behind O’Reilly; issuing a full throated statement of support.
O’Reilly is livid. Lashing out as only the bombastic O’ Reilly can, the cable news giant not only defended his reporting, he literally threatened both Corn and the New York Times reporter for doing their jobs. “If you continue with this I will come after you with everything I’ve got. You can consider that a threat.”
There are any number of ways that a reputable news anchor might respond to such allegations. He might own up to the mistake as Brian Williams recently did; and offer up an apology. Or he might issue a rebuttal offering factual proof of the accuracy of his claims.
But O’Reilly is not a reputable news anchor. He is an entertainer who has spent the better part of his career using misstatements and falsehoods to shred the reputation of those with whom he disagrees. Now he finds himself at the receiving end of the criticism…and he doesn’t like it.
I for one am surprised at all the hub bub over the unveiling of O’Reilly’s half-truths. There is nothing to see here. For as Jon Stewart recently said about FOXNEWS…
“No one’s watching them for the actual truth.”
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
"It ain't over till its over"
It’s a lot harder to govern than it is to obstruct. That is what the newly crowned Republican majority is quickly learning.
Republicans figured that with their sweeping congressional victory in November and a lame duck president in the White House they would have smooth sailing on their journey to dismantle the president’s agenda. Yesterday they ran into troubled waters.
The day started with the president vetoing the bill authorizing the construction of the Keystone pipeline. Conservatives had been pushing for the pipeline since the early days of the Obama administration, but the bill could never get past Senate Democrats. As soon as voters handed Republicans the keys to congress Keystone was one of the first bills to reach the floor. The president had promised to veto any bill authorizing construction until the environmental studies had been completed and assessed. Republicans passed the bill anyway; daring the president to veto a project that would allegedly produce 42,000 temporary construction jobs. The president didn’t blink and quickly threw it back into their laps. Score one for the president.
Things got even worse for conservatives when Mitch McConnell announced that he was throwing Speaker Boehner under the bus on the funding of the Department of Homeland Security. The initial plan was to pass a bill that funded the DHS except for those provisions that implemented the president’s initiatives on immigration reform. The idea was to send the bill to the White House and let the president decide between two bad choices: pass the bill and torpedo his immigration reform efforts or veto the bill and shut down the DHS. But McConnell realized that Republicans would take the brunt of the blame either way and wisely decided to pull the plug. McConnell announced that the Senate would pass two bills: a clean bill to fund the DHS and a separate bill on the president’s immigration initiatives. That puts the burden squarely on the shoulders of Boehner and House Republicans. They can join the Senate and keep the country safe or they can be the dysfunctional gaggle that put partisan politics ahead of national security. Obama leads 2-0.
Add the news that later in the day Republicans conceded to the president on internet neutrality and you have a 3-0 shutout.
This president may be a lame duck but there is little doubt that he intends to go down swinging.
Republicans figured that with their sweeping congressional victory in November and a lame duck president in the White House they would have smooth sailing on their journey to dismantle the president’s agenda. Yesterday they ran into troubled waters.
The day started with the president vetoing the bill authorizing the construction of the Keystone pipeline. Conservatives had been pushing for the pipeline since the early days of the Obama administration, but the bill could never get past Senate Democrats. As soon as voters handed Republicans the keys to congress Keystone was one of the first bills to reach the floor. The president had promised to veto any bill authorizing construction until the environmental studies had been completed and assessed. Republicans passed the bill anyway; daring the president to veto a project that would allegedly produce 42,000 temporary construction jobs. The president didn’t blink and quickly threw it back into their laps. Score one for the president.
Things got even worse for conservatives when Mitch McConnell announced that he was throwing Speaker Boehner under the bus on the funding of the Department of Homeland Security. The initial plan was to pass a bill that funded the DHS except for those provisions that implemented the president’s initiatives on immigration reform. The idea was to send the bill to the White House and let the president decide between two bad choices: pass the bill and torpedo his immigration reform efforts or veto the bill and shut down the DHS. But McConnell realized that Republicans would take the brunt of the blame either way and wisely decided to pull the plug. McConnell announced that the Senate would pass two bills: a clean bill to fund the DHS and a separate bill on the president’s immigration initiatives. That puts the burden squarely on the shoulders of Boehner and House Republicans. They can join the Senate and keep the country safe or they can be the dysfunctional gaggle that put partisan politics ahead of national security. Obama leads 2-0.
Add the news that later in the day Republicans conceded to the president on internet neutrality and you have a 3-0 shutout.
This president may be a lame duck but there is little doubt that he intends to go down swinging.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
T-4 and counting!
The civil war within the Republican Party continues. This time it is the nation’s security that is being held hostage.
Republicans are squabbling over the funding of the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS is responsible for securing the nation’s borders. It is also responsible for implementing the president’s hated executive orders on immigration reform.
Securing the borders…good.
Implementing the president’s executive orders…bad.
Moderate Republicans want to pass a clean DHS funding bill with no strings attached. But the conservative base wants to stick it to the president by blocking his immigration efforts.
What to do…what to do?
The brilliant policy makers in the House decide to craft a bill that would fund the DHS but omit any funding for the president’s immigration reform effort. Never mind that the president would never sign a bill that does not include funding for one of his key initiatives. That’s “ok” say Republican political gurus. “Let the president be the one who shuts down DHS.” After all…politics trumps national security…right?
The House passes the bill.
The bill moves to the Senate. Majority Leader McConnell…who has promised that there will be no shutdown of government services…can’t marshal the votes to pass the bill.
The bill fails.
T-4 days until the DHS runs out of money. T-4 days until 30,000 DHS workers will be furloughed and 200,000 “essential personnel” will be required to report to work without paychecks.
57% of Americans polled say that if the DHS shuts down in will be the Republican’s fault.
Well done.
T-4 and counting!
Republicans are squabbling over the funding of the Department of Homeland Security. The DHS is responsible for securing the nation’s borders. It is also responsible for implementing the president’s hated executive orders on immigration reform.
Securing the borders…good.
Implementing the president’s executive orders…bad.
Moderate Republicans want to pass a clean DHS funding bill with no strings attached. But the conservative base wants to stick it to the president by blocking his immigration efforts.
What to do…what to do?
The brilliant policy makers in the House decide to craft a bill that would fund the DHS but omit any funding for the president’s immigration reform effort. Never mind that the president would never sign a bill that does not include funding for one of his key initiatives. That’s “ok” say Republican political gurus. “Let the president be the one who shuts down DHS.” After all…politics trumps national security…right?
The House passes the bill.
The bill moves to the Senate. Majority Leader McConnell…who has promised that there will be no shutdown of government services…can’t marshal the votes to pass the bill.
The bill fails.
T-4 days until the DHS runs out of money. T-4 days until 30,000 DHS workers will be furloughed and 200,000 “essential personnel” will be required to report to work without paychecks.
57% of Americans polled say that if the DHS shuts down in will be the Republican’s fault.
Well done.
T-4 and counting!
Friday, February 20, 2015
I Just Had To Write This
I wasn’t planning to write two blog posts today but I just could not let Rudy Giuliani’s embarrassing statement’s go without a comment.
“America’s Mayor” has dominated the past two news cycles thanks to his disparaging comments about the president’s patriotism. I won’t dignify his words by quoting them here. Suffice it to say they were silly and without merit at best and racist if taken at their worst.
This is just another case of a desperate Giuliani doing whatever he can to hang onto a little piece of the national spotlight. Giuliani is yesterday’s news and he’ll do or say almost anything to remain relevant. That usually includes dropping some reference to his 9/11 experience into whatever illogical point he is trying to make. This time he somehow managed to weave a reference to the friends that he had lost on 9/11 into his questioning of the president’s love of country?
As Joe Biden once famously said: “Rudy Giuliani is probably the most underqualified man since George Bush to run for the presidency. His entire campaign is a noun, a verb and 9/11. That’s all he ever talks about.”
If you take 9/11 out of the discussion he is a man of little political substance. If you are looking for comparisons among Republicans think Sarah Palin and Herman Cain…with apologies to Palin and Cain.
I do not know how one measures the degree of a person’s patriotism and love of country. Apparently in Rudy’s world the level of one’s patriotism is measured in correlation to one’s proximity to Ground Zero.
Giuliani may have been a great mayor and an astute politician back in the day. But anyone who has spent the past decade using the tragic death of 3,000 Americans as a political prop is not much of a human being.
The only thing more offensive than Giuliani’s comments about the president is the lack of courage displayed by his fellow Republicans in not calling him out.
“America’s Mayor” has dominated the past two news cycles thanks to his disparaging comments about the president’s patriotism. I won’t dignify his words by quoting them here. Suffice it to say they were silly and without merit at best and racist if taken at their worst.
This is just another case of a desperate Giuliani doing whatever he can to hang onto a little piece of the national spotlight. Giuliani is yesterday’s news and he’ll do or say almost anything to remain relevant. That usually includes dropping some reference to his 9/11 experience into whatever illogical point he is trying to make. This time he somehow managed to weave a reference to the friends that he had lost on 9/11 into his questioning of the president’s love of country?
As Joe Biden once famously said: “Rudy Giuliani is probably the most underqualified man since George Bush to run for the presidency. His entire campaign is a noun, a verb and 9/11. That’s all he ever talks about.”
If you take 9/11 out of the discussion he is a man of little political substance. If you are looking for comparisons among Republicans think Sarah Palin and Herman Cain…with apologies to Palin and Cain.
I do not know how one measures the degree of a person’s patriotism and love of country. Apparently in Rudy’s world the level of one’s patriotism is measured in correlation to one’s proximity to Ground Zero.
Giuliani may have been a great mayor and an astute politician back in the day. But anyone who has spent the past decade using the tragic death of 3,000 Americans as a political prop is not much of a human being.
The only thing more offensive than Giuliani’s comments about the president is the lack of courage displayed by his fellow Republicans in not calling him out.
US Led War Against ISIS Is A Terrible Mistake
Congress returns to the Hill next week and one of the first things on its agenda will be a debate over the use of military force against ISIS. The president has asked congress to pass a resolution that would formally grant him the authority to use military force (AUMA) against ISIS. Congress is willing. The devil is in the details.
The drumbeat for war against ISIS is growing louder. Incensed by the graphic videos of beheadings and burnings the American people seem ready to re-engage. Recent polling shows a shift in the country’s attitude toward the use of military force with 57% of a once war weary nation now in favor putting boots on the ground. The president, who has consistently said that a military solution does not exist; seems to be changing his mind.
I believe that an American led military assault against ISIS would be a disaster. Here’s why.
The territorial boundaries that currently exist in the Middle East were drawn by colonial occupiers. Colonialism is dead but the subjugation of the masses prevalent in those days continues. Those in power rule with a strong oppressive hand; taking what they will while leaving little for the masses. Those who object are often dealt with in the harshest of terms. Divisions occur. Tribe against tribe…Sunni against Shia. The ruling class may change but oppression and the hatred remains the same.
In many instances the brutal rulers are backed by the United States. Sometimes US support comes in the form of payoffs by the billions. Sometimes support means simply looking the other way. The reasons may be varied but the results are the same. Tribe may hate tribe…Sunni may hate Shia…but they all find common ground in their hatred of The Great Satan...the most powerful colonial occupier in history. The United States support of Israel only serves to add fuel to their hatred.
The Arab Spring signaled a revolt by the masses against their oppressive rulers. It also signaled a revolt against the infidels that allowed the oppressors to remain in power. As the unrest gained momentum a host of militant sects entered the battle. ISIS is the most well organized, well-funded, of these militant groups. They are not the first…and they most certainly will not be the last.
The US cannot play a central role in the war against ISIS. There is no hope of a meaningful permanent solution if the battle is between the Arab world and the colonial infidel…the supporter of tyrants…the protector of the Zionist state. The US can broker deals between Arab nations…send in trainers and forward air support if necessary. But the war against ISIS must be led by the Arab states within the region. Only then is there any hope of victory.
The US has a long history of costly mistakes in the region. Iraq and Afghanistan were destroyed…to what end. The Taliban and Al Qaeda were vanquished…only to have the beast that is ISIS rise up in their place. ISIS can be defeated. But another militant sect will take its place unless a diplomatic solution can be found.
If US policymakers decide to take a central role once again they will drag the country down a long and costly path with no good ending.
If they bring colonialism back to the Middle East…they will own it for a very, very long time.
The drumbeat for war against ISIS is growing louder. Incensed by the graphic videos of beheadings and burnings the American people seem ready to re-engage. Recent polling shows a shift in the country’s attitude toward the use of military force with 57% of a once war weary nation now in favor putting boots on the ground. The president, who has consistently said that a military solution does not exist; seems to be changing his mind.
I believe that an American led military assault against ISIS would be a disaster. Here’s why.
The territorial boundaries that currently exist in the Middle East were drawn by colonial occupiers. Colonialism is dead but the subjugation of the masses prevalent in those days continues. Those in power rule with a strong oppressive hand; taking what they will while leaving little for the masses. Those who object are often dealt with in the harshest of terms. Divisions occur. Tribe against tribe…Sunni against Shia. The ruling class may change but oppression and the hatred remains the same.
In many instances the brutal rulers are backed by the United States. Sometimes US support comes in the form of payoffs by the billions. Sometimes support means simply looking the other way. The reasons may be varied but the results are the same. Tribe may hate tribe…Sunni may hate Shia…but they all find common ground in their hatred of The Great Satan...the most powerful colonial occupier in history. The United States support of Israel only serves to add fuel to their hatred.
The Arab Spring signaled a revolt by the masses against their oppressive rulers. It also signaled a revolt against the infidels that allowed the oppressors to remain in power. As the unrest gained momentum a host of militant sects entered the battle. ISIS is the most well organized, well-funded, of these militant groups. They are not the first…and they most certainly will not be the last.
The US cannot play a central role in the war against ISIS. There is no hope of a meaningful permanent solution if the battle is between the Arab world and the colonial infidel…the supporter of tyrants…the protector of the Zionist state. The US can broker deals between Arab nations…send in trainers and forward air support if necessary. But the war against ISIS must be led by the Arab states within the region. Only then is there any hope of victory.
The US has a long history of costly mistakes in the region. Iraq and Afghanistan were destroyed…to what end. The Taliban and Al Qaeda were vanquished…only to have the beast that is ISIS rise up in their place. ISIS can be defeated. But another militant sect will take its place unless a diplomatic solution can be found.
If US policymakers decide to take a central role once again they will drag the country down a long and costly path with no good ending.
If they bring colonialism back to the Middle East…they will own it for a very, very long time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)