Category Archives: Teapublicans

He’s Not Known As McNasty For Nothing.

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Senator John McCain is often referred to as an independent-minded maverick and national hero.

The reality is that he’s a self-centered plutocrat who has a very distant relationship with the truth.  Indeed, when you see McNasty up close as one of his constituents, you realize the man will say and do anything to be elected and to gain power.  The most recent example is his unwarranted attack on UN Ambassador Susan Rice. Ignoring the facts, he belittled her, saying that she’s not very bright.  He unfairly blamed her for misleading Americans on the cause of the attack on the US consulate in Libya.  And he threatened to filibuster if she is nominated for the position of Secretary of State.

Why would he make such unwarranted statements about someone who has loyally and capably served her nation?  Two words:  Personal gain.

Fact is, since Mitch McConnell and the other Senate Republicans settled upon their scorched earth policy of blocking and filibustering virtually every Democratic initiative, McCain has become irrelevant.  There have been no opportunities to be the maverick and cast the decisive vote.  Indeed, few people now pay attention to him.  Not even his Arizona constituents.  He simply has little to offer.

Moreover, McCain is about to be term-limited out of his leadership role on the important Senate Armed Services Committee, a move that will make him even less important.

What to do?  What to do?

In true McNasty style, the senator decided to throw Rice under the bus in order to offer himself up as the leader of a Watergate-style select committee that would allow him to conduct a wide-ranging witch hunt into every nook and cranny of the Obama administration.  Of course, it would also allow him to, once again, sit in the limelight.

Instead of being given such power, McCain should be shown the door.

Another “Scandal” Blows Up In GOP Faces.

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Determined to find a scandal worthy of impeachment (or at the very least, a scandal that would cause great embarrassment to the Obama administration), GOP leaders first seized on Solyndra only to discover that the process for the government-backed loan first began during the Bush administration.

Frustrated, they then turned to Fast and Furious only to find that responsibility for the operation focused on the Phoenix office of the ATF.

Now GOP hopes revolve around the deaths of four diplomats in Benghazi.

Because Susan Rice stated on several talk shows that the deaths were likely due to a spontaneous attack by Muslims angry over a despicable video, the GOP sensed an opportunity.  They used Rice’s statements to “prove” that the administration lied and is now in full cover-up mode.  Senator John McNasty even has called for a full Watergate-style commission to investigate the “cover-up.”

There’s just one fly in the ointment.

Former CIA director, General David Petraeus testified before Congress that there was no attempt by the White House to mislead.  He stated that the report on which Rice based her statements, was drafted through an interagency process, not a political process.  According to Rep. Adam Schiff who sat in on the hearings, “The general was adamant there was no politicization of the process, no White House interference or political agenda; that Rice’s comments in television interviews “reflected the best intelligence at the time that could be released publicly.”

Oops!  Instead of a scandal it would seem that GOP leaders only have another layer of egg on their faces.

Can We Finally Flush The Trickle Down Theory?

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The notion that cutting taxes for the wealthy somehow creates jobs has never been proven to work.  Not once.  Never.  Ever.

In fact, there is much evidence to the contrary.

Many economists and non-partisan academic studies have pronounced it a fraud.  Not even the Reagan-era budget directors who resurrected the idea from the dust bin of history believe in it anymore.

Indeed, one need only compare job creation during the Clinton administration with that of the George W. Bush administration to see the fallacy of tax cuts as a job creating stimulus.  When Clinton raised the top marginal rate to more than 39 percent, the economy grew dramatically.  When Bush cut the top marginal rate to 35 percent, the economy began its slide over the cliff.

There’s more.

The idea failed in the early 1900s when it was known as Horse and Sparrow economics.  And contrary to the the notion that low taxes create jobs, the Eisenhower administration grew the economy when the top marginal rate was 91 percent!

Despite all of this evidence, Republicans continue to claim that tax cuts create jobs.  Why?  Because Republicans sold the soul of their party to the very wealthy and to large, multinational corporations.  They have to find some way to sell this lame idea to the poor and middle class voters.  So, like a sleazy carnival barker, they loudly proclaim that it is the miracle cure for every struggling economy.

What they fail to mention is that the real miracle will be if it ever works.

GOP Racing Toward Oblivion.

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According to Fox News Channel and conservative hate radio, President Obama only won a second term because the majority of Americans wanted free stuff and they believe Democrats will give it to them.

(In other words, they’re assigning blame to the 47 percent as described by Mitt Romney.)

In a remarkable show of cluelessness, Teapublican pundits ignore the fact that their party did everything in its power to deny minorities the right to vote; that they want to deny millions access to healthcare; that they want to balance the budget on the backs of the poor and the middle class; that they want to eliminate safety nets such as Medicare and Social Security; that they want to eliminate taxes for the rich; that they want to impose their religious values on everyone; and that they want to deny civil rights to minorities, women, gays and lesbians.

It’s a surefire winning strategy…for Democrats.

Let’s hope Teapublicans continue to pursue this strategy. Wouldn’t it be great if all future political contests were between Democrats and the Green Party?

A Victory For Truth And Fairness!

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President Obama’s re-election should give us all hope.

Yesterday, a significant majority of the American people rejected the hate and lies spewed by Teapublicans for the past two years.  Americans rejected a presidential candidate who made many promises with no specifics to back them up.  They rejected a presidential candidate who made a fortune in the US by dismantling American companies then outsourced his profits to Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Luxembourg and Switzerland.  They rejected a vice-presidential candidate who sold a plan to the House of Representatives that would balance the budget by taking money from the poor, the middle-class and the retired and giving it to the wealthy.

American voters also rejected a church-backed agenda that would deny equal rights to gays and lesbians; that would further victimize women who have been raped; that would allow employers to deny healthcare coverage for contraceptives while providing coverage for boner pills.

And American voters re-elected a president who righted our economy, signed a bill demanding equal pay for equal work, passed a bill providing healthcare insurance for tens of millions, ended the war in Iraq, ordered the capture or death of Osama bin Laden, nominated two women to the Supreme Court including the first Latina, and ended the government-sanctioned discrimination of a portion of our population by the military.

A president who is winding down the war in Afghanistan, who has emphasized alternative fuels and higher fuel efficiency standards to increase our energy independence.  A president who has prioritized the environment over the profits of multinational corporations.  A president who has done more good for the people of our nation than I have room to detail.

Despite all this, President Obama was vilified by the reckless and highly partisan Fox News Channel, attacked daily by the loudmouths on conservative hate radio, dismissed by the Republican leaders of Congress, and disrespected by millions of racist teabaggers.

President Obama has deserved far better and the majority of American voters agree.

GOP Strategy: Lie, Cheat, Steal, Suppress And Spend.

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Think I’m exaggerating?  Consider this:  For months, we’ve been bombarded with commercials from Republicans and their SuperPACS based on pants-on-fire lies, such as Romney’s latest gem that Chrysler is planning on moving the production of Jeeps to China.  Never mind that the Chrysler CEO immediately denounced the commercial as a blatant lie.  Mitt the Twit has continued to air it.

Mitt has also continued to air commercials stating that President Obama has cut $716 billion from Medicare (he hasn’t); that President Obama began his first term with an “apology tour” of the the Middle East (he didn’t); and that Mitt recommended the same steps to save the US auto industry as President Obama (he didn’t).

In the primaries, Mitt ran as a “severe conservative,” stating that he would sign a bill to end legal abortion; that he believed all abortions should be outlawed even if the pregnancies were the result of rape or incest; that he would dismantle the EPA and the Dept. of Education; that he would cut taxes for everyone, including the wealthy; and that he would spend billions on our military that the Pentagon hasn’t even requested.  Despite all of this, he claimed that he would somehow pay down the national debt.

But when it came to the first debate, he denied almost all of those statements.  He has now portrayed himself as a centrist.  As a result, we don’t know where he stands on any issue.  We don’t know his economic plan, assuming he actually has one.  What we do know is that he is a serial liar.  And despite his slogan “Believe in America,” we know that, instead of investing his millions in the US, Mitt has dodged taxes by stashing his money offshore in Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and Luxembourg.

As for Mitt’s party, we know that it has spent the past four years blocking virtually every bill and presidential nomination.  Republicans have used the filibuster hundreds of times – not just for big items, but for ordinary business, in hopes of making President Obama a one-term president.

Instead of trying to sell their plutocratic vision of America, Republicans and their billionaire supporters have spent billions attacking President Obama and other Democratic opponents.  They have also looked for new ways to suppress the vote of those who might disagree with them.  We’ve already seen the impact of their efforts in Ohio and Florida where early voting has been limited forcing people to stand in line for hours.  Of course, this has been especially true in counties with large minority populations.

Election day is almost certain to be worse.

Let’s hope that a majority of the electorate has recognized the Republican strategy and makes them pay.

Proof That Tax Breaks For The Rich Do Not Create Jobs.

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For years, economists have scoffed at the notion that tax breaks for the wealthy benefit the rest of society.  The policy failed in the early 1900s when it was known as Horse and Sparrow economics.  And it failed in the 1980s when it was called Trickle Down economics. Indeed, even the architects of Reagan’s economic policy now admit the policy is a failure.

The notion was further debunked in the 1990s when President Clinton raised taxes on the wealthy resulting in millions of new jobs.

But evidence has never stopped Teapublicans from claiming that the only way to create jobs is to cut taxes for the wealthy and multi-national corporations.  They continue to claim that tax cuts are the only incentives for the so-called “job creators.”  Of course, this year’s crop of Teapublican candidates is pursuing the same policy.  They’re counting on voters who are frustrated by the slow recovery from the enormous economic crisis they created to buy into the same old malarkey again.

Teapublicans deny that they are responsible for the crisis and that their obstructionism is responsible for the slow recovery.  They say, “Trust us.  Tax cuts will work this time.” 

Unfortunately for Teapublicans, the non-partisan Congressional Research Service created a report that, once again, found that lower marginal tax rates for the wealthy have no effect on economic growth and job creation.   So what did the Teapublican leadership do with this information?  Did it sway their opinions?  Did they modify their policy?

Certainly not.

According to a story in The New York Times, Senate Teapublicans led by Mitch McConnell persuaded the Congressional Research Service to withdraw the report.  After all, they wouldn’t want the voting public to know the truth!

Race And Politics In America.

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When Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States in a veritable landslide, many Americans believed it signified a post-racist US.  But instead of marking the end of racism, Obama’s election revealed it.

Look at what’s happened over the past four years.

Even before the election results were counted, white right-wingers questioned Obama’s citizenship and, thus, his right to be president.  They claimed that the election was stolen through voter fraud by minorities with the help of ACORN. The Southern Law Poverty Center, Homeland Security and the FBI noted a spike in the number of racist domestic terrorism groups.  Gun sales soared on baseless fears that our first black president would take away our guns.  And an all white group of Republican politicians made it their priority to block every Obama-backed bill and nomination in order to make him a one-term president.

And that was only the beginning.  The racist assault on this president was carried out in many other ways.

For example, during the 2009 State of the Union speech, a white congressman broke protocol to shout “you lie.”  White parents and politicians tried to block the president’s address to schoolchildren for fear their kids would be “indoctrinated.”

When President Obama authorized loans to US automakers, an almost entirely white group of angry citizens demonstrated with undeniably racist signs portraying our president as the Joker, calling him a communist, a socialist, a fascist and even a racist.  The focus of their wrath allegedly was that they were overtaxed, despite the fact that their taxes were the lowest in 60 years.  They called themselves the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party and threatened to “exercise their Second Amendment” rights.  They called themselves “patriots” and the President a “Kenyan.”

Backed by the billionaire Koch brothers, the Tea Party verbally assaulted President Obama’s healthcare plan (a plan originated by Republicans and signed into law by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney).  Much of the anger was directed against non-existent “death panels” and fear that illegal immigrants might be helped by the plan.

In the 2010 mid-term elections, many Tea Party members were elected to Congress, mostly from southern states that once had been part of the Confederacy.  Undeniably, race played a very large part in their elections.  Tea Party candidates won by creating fear of our “illegitimate, un-American” president and of anyone who looks like a Latino immigrant.

There have been videos of racists, including some cops, taking target practice with photos of President Obama as the target.  Racists have regularly flown the Confederate battle flag from the back of their pickups to show their hatred of our president.  There have been a host of racist bumper stickers and T-shirts attacking our president.  Republicans even ridiculed First Lady Michelle Obama’s efforts to improve the health of children through exercise and better nutrition.  Not because it’s a bad idea, but likely because she’s not white.

Leading up to November 6, race continues to play a large role in the 2012 elections.  Republicans have passed voter ID laws in order to suppress Democratic votes in minority-dominated areas.  There have been attempts to intimidate and mislead minority voters.  Republicans have tried to limit poll hours to make it more difficult for working minorities to vote.  At the same time, Republicans have resurrected anti-gay marriage propositions in states in order to excite their most highly-prejudiced base.

Throughout many parts of the nation, yard signs and campaign materials for President Obama’s re-election have been stolen or vandalized with increasing frequency.  Opponents shout racist threats and obscenities at those who display their support for the president.  A racist was admitted to a rally for Mitt Romney with a T-shirt reading “Put the White back in the White House.”  And, in the most telling example of racism, Colin Powell’s thoughtful endorsement of President Obama was ridiculed merely because they’re both of African-American heritage.

Think about that.  Should we then dismiss any Romney endorsements made by white people?

What Lessons Will Be Learned From This Election?

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If Romney and the Teapublicans win this election, it will have been demonstrated that you don’t have to offer better ideas to become president.  You can merely lie, cheat and buy your way into the White House.

If Romney wins, it will have been shown that the road to the White House begins with questioning your opponent’s citizenship and patriotism.

Future candidates will be encouraged to lie about the incumbent’s every intention and motivation.  They will see the value of encouraging their party to block every proposal the incumbent puts forward, even if their own party recommended it; to block the majority of his nominations and appointments; to blame the president for their own party’s failures; to provide few details about their plans to govern; to constantly change positions to match the audience; to use every means possible to suppress votes; and to use unregulated SuperPACs to buy the election.

Of course, there are two other lessons to be learned; that what you have said and done in the past don’t really matter; and that you can hide your money offshore without consequences.  Some people will even call you a patriot for evading taxes.

Ask yourself:  Is this what our Founding Fathers intended?  Are these the lessons you want to teach your children and grandchildren?

The Difference Between Democrats And Teapublicans.

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There are distinct differences between members of our two political parties.

Democrats believe in women’s rights, racial equality, Medicare, Social Security, healthcare, progressive tax policies, labor unions, education, veteran’s rights, appropriate military spending, the environment, clean energy, global warming, common sense gun control, responsible immigration policies, and regulations for Wall Street and multi-national corporations.

Teapublicans, on the other hand, simply believe Democrats have no right to exist.

That’s why Teapublicans feel free to inject politics into virtually every conversation, and to assume that everyone agrees with them.  When people disagree, Teapublicans call them names and threaten them.  They resort to political dirty tricks.

Teapublicans even ignore our First Amendment rights to free speech and our Constitutional right to vote.  They then pat themselves on the back and call themselves “patriots.”

You see, politics is all about “freedom” for Teapublicans.  Their freedom to do whatever they wish; to lie, bully, intimidate and to destroy anyone who gets in their way.