Exposing 5 of the Biggest Lies Republicans Tell About the Economy
"Republicans are literally advocating for the exact same types of economic policies we saw passed during George W. Bush’s presidency that led to historic income inequality and the worst economic crash since the Great Depression. It makes absolutely no sense. Despite the overwhelming evidence that Republican economic policies do nothing but favor the rich, they continue to insist that these same top-down policies are the only way to “save the American dream.” Meanwhile, it’s these types of policies that are killing it."
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Bill Gates: The Private Sector Is Inept @alternet
Bill Gates: The Private Sector Is Inept @alternet
"It turns out he thinks the private sector is too selfish and inept to tackle the dire climate change situation, and relying on it would be courting disaster."
"It turns out he thinks the private sector is too selfish and inept to tackle the dire climate change situation, and relying on it would be courting disaster."
Amid Flood of Dark Money, Groups Make Simple Request of FEC: 'Do Your Job'
Amid Flood of Dark Money, Groups Make Simple Request of FEC: 'Do Your Job'
"While super PACs—which can solicit unlimited donations and have thus far raised $211 million in this election cycle—are ostensibly independent from the candidates and campaigns they support, watchdogs say the reality tells a much different story."
"While super PACs—which can solicit unlimited donations and have thus far raised $211 million in this election cycle—are ostensibly independent from the candidates and campaigns they support, watchdogs say the reality tells a much different story."
GOP and the Rise of Anti-Knowledge
https://consortiumnews.com/2015/10/29/gop-and-the-rise-of-anti-knowledge/
"Fifty years ago, if a person did not know who the prime minister of Great Britain was, what the conflict in Vietnam was about, or the barest rudiments of how a nuclear reaction worked, he would shrug his shoulders and move on. And if he didn’t bother to know those things, he was in all likelihood politically apathetic and confined his passionate arguing to topics like sports or the attributes of the opposite sex.
There were exceptions, like the Birchers’ theory that fluoridation was a monstrous communist conspiracy, but they were mostly confined to the fringes. Certainly, political candidates with national aspirations steered clear of such balderdash.
At present, however, a person can be blissfully ignorant of how to locate Kenya on a map, but know to a metaphysical certitude that Barack Obama was born there, because he learned it from Fox News. Likewise, he can be unable to differentiate a species from a phylum but be confident from viewing the 700 Club that evolution is “politically correct” hooey and that the earth is 6,000 years old.
And he may never have read the Constitution and have no clue about the Commerce Clause, but believe with an angry righteousness that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.
This brings us inevitably to celebrity presidential candidate Ben Carson. The man is anti-knowledge incarnated, a walking compendium of every imbecility ever uttered during the last three decades. Obamacare is worse than chattel slavery. Women who have abortions are like slave owners. If Jews had firearms they could have stopped the Holocaust (author’s note: they obtained at least some weapons during the Warsaw Ghetto rising, and no, it didn’t). Victims of a mass shooting in Oregon enabled their own deaths by their behavior. And so on, ad nauseam." (Reposted)
"Fifty years ago, if a person did not know who the prime minister of Great Britain was, what the conflict in Vietnam was about, or the barest rudiments of how a nuclear reaction worked, he would shrug his shoulders and move on. And if he didn’t bother to know those things, he was in all likelihood politically apathetic and confined his passionate arguing to topics like sports or the attributes of the opposite sex.
There were exceptions, like the Birchers’ theory that fluoridation was a monstrous communist conspiracy, but they were mostly confined to the fringes. Certainly, political candidates with national aspirations steered clear of such balderdash.
At present, however, a person can be blissfully ignorant of how to locate Kenya on a map, but know to a metaphysical certitude that Barack Obama was born there, because he learned it from Fox News. Likewise, he can be unable to differentiate a species from a phylum but be confident from viewing the 700 Club that evolution is “politically correct” hooey and that the earth is 6,000 years old.
And he may never have read the Constitution and have no clue about the Commerce Clause, but believe with an angry righteousness that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.
This brings us inevitably to celebrity presidential candidate Ben Carson. The man is anti-knowledge incarnated, a walking compendium of every imbecility ever uttered during the last three decades. Obamacare is worse than chattel slavery. Women who have abortions are like slave owners. If Jews had firearms they could have stopped the Holocaust (author’s note: they obtained at least some weapons during the Warsaw Ghetto rising, and no, it didn’t). Victims of a mass shooting in Oregon enabled their own deaths by their behavior. And so on, ad nauseam." (Reposted)
Kochs Go After Wisconsin Republicans Who Still Have A Conscience
Kochs Go After Wisconsin Republicans Who Still Have A Conscience
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive."
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive."
Marco Rubio Is Blocking His Own Judicial Nominee
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marco-rubio-judicial-nominee_563123d7e4b00aa54a4c69ed
"Rubio is withholding his so-called "blue slip" from the Judiciary Committee to prevent Florida district judge nominee Mary Flores from advancing. The committee won't let any nominee move forward until it has blue slips -- they're literally blue pieces of paper that reflect a senator's support -- from both of a nominee's home-state senators. Florida's other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, turned in his blue slip eight months ago. But nothing from Rubio.
The weird part is that Rubio supports Flores. He and Nelson recommended her to President Barack Obama, and the president formally nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in February. She's now been waiting for a hearing for 242 days, but can't move without Rubio's sign-off. She would fill a seat that's been empty for 532 days, and that court is so overloaded with work that it's considered a judicial emergency."
"Rubio is withholding his so-called "blue slip" from the Judiciary Committee to prevent Florida district judge nominee Mary Flores from advancing. The committee won't let any nominee move forward until it has blue slips -- they're literally blue pieces of paper that reflect a senator's support -- from both of a nominee's home-state senators. Florida's other senator, Democrat Bill Nelson, turned in his blue slip eight months ago. But nothing from Rubio.
The weird part is that Rubio supports Flores. He and Nelson recommended her to President Barack Obama, and the president formally nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in February. She's now been waiting for a hearing for 242 days, but can't move without Rubio's sign-off. She would fill a seat that's been empty for 532 days, and that court is so overloaded with work that it's considered a judicial emergency."
Dennis Hastert’s Felony Plea: Another Milestone for GOP’s Dismal Record
http://ringoffireradio.com/2015/10/28/dennis-hasterts-felony-plea-another-milestone-for-gops-dismal-recor/
"The guilty plea involves Hastert lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about agreeing to pay someone $3.5 million to hide his past misconduct. The past misconduct mainly involves sexual misbehavior in which he sexually abused a student when he was a wrestling coach and teacher at Yorkville High School.
Add one more notch to Republican corruption and criminality."
"The guilty plea involves Hastert lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) about agreeing to pay someone $3.5 million to hide his past misconduct. The past misconduct mainly involves sexual misbehavior in which he sexually abused a student when he was a wrestling coach and teacher at Yorkville High School.
Add one more notch to Republican corruption and criminality."
The Return Of The Hastert Rule -- And What It Means For The Rest Of Us
The Return Of The Hastert Rule -- And What It Means For The Rest Of Us
"under the Hastert Rule, the most right-wing members of the House have just taken control of the House of Representatives."
"under the Hastert Rule, the most right-wing members of the House have just taken control of the House of Representatives."
Staffing Up For Corruption
Staffing Up For Corruption
"We can thank the Supreme Court for this. Its malevolent Citizens United decision produced an insidious platinum class of mega-donors and corporate super PACs, each pumping $500,000, $5 million, $50 million — or even more — into campaigns. These elites aren’t silent donors. They’re boisterous, very special interests playing in this court-created political money game for their own gain. Having paid to play, they feel entitled to tell candidates what to say and do, what to support and oppose. A Jeb Bush insider confirms that mega-donors bluntly tell the candidate: “I just invested in you. Now I need to have my say; you need to answer to me.” Thus, campaigns are hiring donor maintenance managers as personal concierges to meet every need and whim of these special ones. This subservience institutionalizes the plutocratic corruption of our democratic elections, allowing a handful of uber-rich interests to buy positions of overbearing influence directly inside campaigns."
"We can thank the Supreme Court for this. Its malevolent Citizens United decision produced an insidious platinum class of mega-donors and corporate super PACs, each pumping $500,000, $5 million, $50 million — or even more — into campaigns. These elites aren’t silent donors. They’re boisterous, very special interests playing in this court-created political money game for their own gain. Having paid to play, they feel entitled to tell candidates what to say and do, what to support and oppose. A Jeb Bush insider confirms that mega-donors bluntly tell the candidate: “I just invested in you. Now I need to have my say; you need to answer to me.” Thus, campaigns are hiring donor maintenance managers as personal concierges to meet every need and whim of these special ones. This subservience institutionalizes the plutocratic corruption of our democratic elections, allowing a handful of uber-rich interests to buy positions of overbearing influence directly inside campaigns."
Bush Admin. Secretly Warned Republicans To Sell Stocks A Week Before 08′ Crash
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/bush-admin-secretly-warned-republicans-to-sell-stocks-a-week-before-08-crash/
"The crooks on Wall Street ended up engineering a colossal transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy, setting up the absurd level of income inequality that is strangling our middle class and the funneling of political power to the oligarchs who dominate modern American politics."
"The crooks on Wall Street ended up engineering a colossal transfer of wealth from the middle class to the wealthy, setting up the absurd level of income inequality that is strangling our middle class and the funneling of political power to the oligarchs who dominate modern American politics."
Sun-Sentinel To Rubio: If You Don't Like The Job, Senator, Resign
Sun-Sentinel To Rubio: If You Don't Like The Job, Senator, Resign
"You are paid $174,000 per year to represent us, to fight for us, to solve our problems. Plus you take a $10,000 federal subsidy — declined by some in the Senate — to participate in one of the Obamacare health plans, though you are a big critic of Obamacare.
You are ripping us off, senator."
"You are paid $174,000 per year to represent us, to fight for us, to solve our problems. Plus you take a $10,000 federal subsidy — declined by some in the Senate — to participate in one of the Obamacare health plans, though you are a big critic of Obamacare.
You are ripping us off, senator."
The Republican Study Committee wants to ratchet austerity up well past the sequester
The Republican Study Committee wants to ratchet austerity up well past the sequester
"The fiscal drag resulting from the sequester relented a little in the past two years, as the result of a compromise reached between the House and Senate budget committees. But this compromise only rolled back sequester cuts for two years. For fiscal year 2016, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that not extending this compromise and instead returning to 2011 BCA spending targets could cost as many as 800,000 jobs as these cuts drag on aggregate demand.
One would think that loosening this coming fiscal drag would be a high priority for policymakers. Instead, the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a bloc of conservatives in Congress, has made replaying the 2011 debt ceiling crisis a top priority."
"The fiscal drag resulting from the sequester relented a little in the past two years, as the result of a compromise reached between the House and Senate budget committees. But this compromise only rolled back sequester cuts for two years. For fiscal year 2016, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that not extending this compromise and instead returning to 2011 BCA spending targets could cost as many as 800,000 jobs as these cuts drag on aggregate demand.
One would think that loosening this coming fiscal drag would be a high priority for policymakers. Instead, the Republican Study Committee (RSC), a bloc of conservatives in Congress, has made replaying the 2011 debt ceiling crisis a top priority."
Paul Wellstone’s Ordinary Life and Extraordinary Legacy
Paul Wellstone’s Ordinary Life and Extraordinary Legacy
"Shortly before his death, Wellstone explained why he was in the Senate: “I don't represent the big oil companies, the big pharmaceuticals, or the big insurance industry. They already have great representation in Washington. It's the rest of the people that need representation"."
"Shortly before his death, Wellstone explained why he was in the Senate: “I don't represent the big oil companies, the big pharmaceuticals, or the big insurance industry. They already have great representation in Washington. It's the rest of the people that need representation"."
Bernie Sanders Drops A Major Truth Bomb About Republicans On ‘The View’ (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/26/bernie-sanders-drops-a-major-truth-bomb-about-republicans-on-the-view-video/
"Those who don’t follow conservatives closely can have an outdated view of what the Republican Party represents – and completely miss the extremist, hateful messages the party has tangled itself in nowadays.
It’s important that we don’t mistake the current Republican Party for the conservative views that existed during Eisenhower’s day, and Sanders wants to make sure that every American has their eyes and ears open. The new GOP doesn’t have the majority of Americans’ interests in mind, and having these people in charge would be detrimental to our country."
"Those who don’t follow conservatives closely can have an outdated view of what the Republican Party represents – and completely miss the extremist, hateful messages the party has tangled itself in nowadays.
It’s important that we don’t mistake the current Republican Party for the conservative views that existed during Eisenhower’s day, and Sanders wants to make sure that every American has their eyes and ears open. The new GOP doesn’t have the majority of Americans’ interests in mind, and having these people in charge would be detrimental to our country."
Why Conservative Lawmakers Are Deeply Threatened by Women Comfortable With Their Sexuality @alternet
Why Conservative Lawmakers Are Deeply Threatened by Women Comfortable With Their Sexuality @alternet
"It is conservative men, drunk on power, calling women sluts and then rolling up their sleeves and knocking us back into place. It is conservative men letting us know that they own our bodies and reproductive capacity, which according to the Bible have been theirs since the Iron Age."
"It is conservative men, drunk on power, calling women sluts and then rolling up their sleeves and knocking us back into place. It is conservative men letting us know that they own our bodies and reproductive capacity, which according to the Bible have been theirs since the Iron Age."
Nonprofits that spent millions backing Southern candidates accused of breaking campaign finance laws
http://www.southernstudies.org/2015/10/nonprofits-that-spent-millions-backing-southern-ca.html
"If the groups are found to have violated the law, the potential penalties from the IRS include revoking their 501c4 status, imposing taxes on them, and treating them as taxable corporations or 527 political organizations, which are required to disclose their donors.
But the chance of enforcement by the IRS is slim. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the agency has "all but [quit] its regulation of politically active nonprofits" after coming under fire from conservative groups whose applications for nonprofit status were delayed in the approval process. In addition, Congress has made significant cuts to the IRS budget, and fewer employees are investigating nonprofits."
"If the groups are found to have violated the law, the potential penalties from the IRS include revoking their 501c4 status, imposing taxes on them, and treating them as taxable corporations or 527 political organizations, which are required to disclose their donors.
But the chance of enforcement by the IRS is slim. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the agency has "all but [quit] its regulation of politically active nonprofits" after coming under fire from conservative groups whose applications for nonprofit status were delayed in the approval process. In addition, Congress has made significant cuts to the IRS budget, and fewer employees are investigating nonprofits."
She's supported the white supremacist group that inspired Dylann Roof, and she's up for re-election.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/26/1440029/-A-member-of-the-same-white-supremacist-group-as-Dylann-Roof-is-up-for-re-election
"An affiliate of the same white supremacist group that inspired Dylann Roof is up for reelection on Tuesday.
Mississippi State Senator Lydia Chassaniol was a confirmed member of a racist hate organization called the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) as recently as 2009. While she has refused to confirm or deny her membership more recently, she has not ever publicly disavowed or apologized for her active role in the organization.
If the Council of Conservative Citizens sounds familiar, it's probably because of Dylann Roof, the man who killed nine black people in a South Carolina church earlier this summer. The manifesto he wrote attempting to justify his crimes credited CCC for his anti-black views.
There is nothing subtle or inferential about it: The Council of Conservative Citizen is an explicit white supremacist group."
"An affiliate of the same white supremacist group that inspired Dylann Roof is up for reelection on Tuesday.
Mississippi State Senator Lydia Chassaniol was a confirmed member of a racist hate organization called the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) as recently as 2009. While she has refused to confirm or deny her membership more recently, she has not ever publicly disavowed or apologized for her active role in the organization.
If the Council of Conservative Citizens sounds familiar, it's probably because of Dylann Roof, the man who killed nine black people in a South Carolina church earlier this summer. The manifesto he wrote attempting to justify his crimes credited CCC for his anti-black views.
There is nothing subtle or inferential about it: The Council of Conservative Citizen is an explicit white supremacist group."
Koch Brothers Panic As Support For Their “Tea Party” Drops To Historic Low
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/koch-brothers-panic-as-support-for-their-tea-party-drops-to-historic-low/
"Following the midterm elections 2010, a “grassroots” movement suddenly sprouted up in direct opposition to every aspect of the Democratic agenda. Known as the “Tea Party” in a shameless attempt to associate the movement with the ideals of the American Revolution, the movement was actually a product of the Koch Brothers and other hyper-conservative free-market fascists who poured millions of dollars into shadowy groups. Since then, their political brinkmanship has given us the legislative terrorists in the “House Freedom Caucus” and are responsible for the 2013 shutdown and the perpetual gridlock that has come to define Congress."
"Following the midterm elections 2010, a “grassroots” movement suddenly sprouted up in direct opposition to every aspect of the Democratic agenda. Known as the “Tea Party” in a shameless attempt to associate the movement with the ideals of the American Revolution, the movement was actually a product of the Koch Brothers and other hyper-conservative free-market fascists who poured millions of dollars into shadowy groups. Since then, their political brinkmanship has given us the legislative terrorists in the “House Freedom Caucus” and are responsible for the 2013 shutdown and the perpetual gridlock that has come to define Congress."
Lazy Reporters Don't Think To Check Paul Ryan's Budget Math
Lazy Reporters Don't Think To Check Paul Ryan's Budget Math
"In addition to wanting to privatize both Social Security and Medicare, Ryan has indicated that he essentially wants to shut down the federal government in the sense of taking all of the money for the non-military portion of the budget."
"In addition to wanting to privatize both Social Security and Medicare, Ryan has indicated that he essentially wants to shut down the federal government in the sense of taking all of the money for the non-military portion of the budget."
Ben Carson Pretends He Doesn't Really Want To End Medicare
Ben Carson Pretends He Doesn't Really Want To End Medicare
"It's pretty bad when even a host on Fox isn't buying the B.S. you're shoveling. Wallace pushed and pushed Carson on where the money would come from for his program, and Carson either doesn't even understand what his own health care proposal would do, or he's just lying through his teeth."
"It's pretty bad when even a host on Fox isn't buying the B.S. you're shoveling. Wallace pushed and pushed Carson on where the money would come from for his program, and Carson either doesn't even understand what his own health care proposal would do, or he's just lying through his teeth."
The Tea Party is on life support: New poll shows it’s less popular than ever
The Tea Party is on life support: New poll shows it’s less popular than ever
"the Tea Party’s favorability nationally has dropped nearly in half from a November 2010 high of 32 percent to a five year low of 17 percent."
"the Tea Party’s favorability nationally has dropped nearly in half from a November 2010 high of 32 percent to a five year low of 17 percent."
A Statewide Attack on Public Health and the Environment Is Underway in North Carolina @alternet
A Statewide Attack on Public Health and the Environment Is Underway in North Carolina @alternet
"The measure was shepherded through the Senate by Sen. Trudy Wade, a Greensboro Republican and veterinarian who was first elected in 2012. The N.C. League of Conservation Voters has given her a lifetime environmental score of 0. Among the top contributors to her campaign are the real estate industry, special trade contractors and the trucking industry, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics."
"The measure was shepherded through the Senate by Sen. Trudy Wade, a Greensboro Republican and veterinarian who was first elected in 2012. The N.C. League of Conservation Voters has given her a lifetime environmental score of 0. Among the top contributors to her campaign are the real estate industry, special trade contractors and the trucking industry, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics."
Sanders Slams Republicans For ‘Amnesia’ Over Wrecking The Economy
Sanders Slams Republicans For ‘Amnesia’ Over Wrecking The Economy
"He also bashed Citizens United, a controversial Supreme Court decision that allows the wealthiest to donate unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns.
“Republicans said you can’t win a campaign… unless you go to the millionaires and billionaires and you beg for money,” Sanders said"
"He also bashed Citizens United, a controversial Supreme Court decision that allows the wealthiest to donate unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns.
“Republicans said you can’t win a campaign… unless you go to the millionaires and billionaires and you beg for money,” Sanders said"
Club for Growth and Koch Industries shown to be key financial backers of Freedom Caucus candidates
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/24/1437517/-Club-for-Growth-and-Koch-Industries-shown-to-be-key-financial-backers-of-Freedom-Caucus-candidates
"Koch Industries and the conservative Club for Growth (CFG) are now watching the "Freedom Caucus" (i.e. the House crazies) they made possible drive the Republican party into the ground."
"Koch Industries and the conservative Club for Growth (CFG) are now watching the "Freedom Caucus" (i.e. the House crazies) they made possible drive the Republican party into the ground."
Friday, October 30, 2015
Paul Ryan's Chairmen Do End Run On 9/11 Responders
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paul-ryan-committee-chairmen-9-11-responders_56334e28e4b0c66bae5bf417
"Two of House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) newly empowered committee chairmen took immediate advantage Thursday of the freshly elected leader's pledge to give power back to committees -- and may have handed him a 9/11-related publicity disaster.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, both announced measures to temporarily extend the expiring 9/11 health and compensation programs.
In the process, they appear to have ignored permanent 9/11 legislation that was already proposed and sponsored by a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and a majority of more than 240 members in the House.
That bill is universally backed by 9/11 responders and advocates, and they were furious the two chairmen decided to ignore a measure that already has enough support to pass."
"Two of House Speaker Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) newly empowered committee chairmen took immediate advantage Thursday of the freshly elected leader's pledge to give power back to committees -- and may have handed him a 9/11-related publicity disaster.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), the head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, both announced measures to temporarily extend the expiring 9/11 health and compensation programs.
In the process, they appear to have ignored permanent 9/11 legislation that was already proposed and sponsored by a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate and a majority of more than 240 members in the House.
That bill is universally backed by 9/11 responders and advocates, and they were furious the two chairmen decided to ignore a measure that already has enough support to pass."
Preempting Democracy: What's Not Being Voted on This November Is Sinister
Preempting Democracy: What's Not Being Voted on This November Is Sinister
"State preemption has reached an infamous status. People are outraged by state legislatures’ claim of unilateral authority to prohibit local governments from raising the minimum wage, curbing fossil fuel extraction or otherwise increasing state protections for workers, the environment and even tenants. It’s an accelerating issue; state preemption bills are broadening. For example, in Michigan and elsewhere the preemption of local minimum wage hikes is being expanded to include all law making that regulates employer-employee relations. And now, in the past few months, local citizens’ very right to vote on the issues has been caught in the crosshairs.
Those whom are spearheading this wave of state preemption—often linked to the equally infamous American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—are escalating their tactics."
"State preemption has reached an infamous status. People are outraged by state legislatures’ claim of unilateral authority to prohibit local governments from raising the minimum wage, curbing fossil fuel extraction or otherwise increasing state protections for workers, the environment and even tenants. It’s an accelerating issue; state preemption bills are broadening. For example, in Michigan and elsewhere the preemption of local minimum wage hikes is being expanded to include all law making that regulates employer-employee relations. And now, in the past few months, local citizens’ very right to vote on the issues has been caught in the crosshairs.
Those whom are spearheading this wave of state preemption—often linked to the equally infamous American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)—are escalating their tactics."
Charles Koch’s Frankenstein Problem: He Created the Tea Party Monster — and Now He’s Horrified With the Results @alternet
Charles Koch’s Frankenstein Problem: He Created the Tea Party Monster — and Now He’s Horrified With the Results @alternet
"The Koch brothers, whether they know it or not, got exactly what they paid for. If the tone of our politics has sunk to Cro-Magnon levels, it’s because the process has been flooded with money and propaganda and rabid right-wingers who’ve coarsened the discourse and made compromise impossible."
"The Koch brothers, whether they know it or not, got exactly what they paid for. If the tone of our politics has sunk to Cro-Magnon levels, it’s because the process has been flooded with money and propaganda and rabid right-wingers who’ve coarsened the discourse and made compromise impossible."
The GOPers Don't Even Bother To Hide The Non-Profit Abuse Now
The GOPers Don't Even Bother To Hide The Non-Profit Abuse Now
"One of the rules about these so-called "social welfare" organizations -- 501(c)(4) nonprofits -- is that they are limited to spending 50 percent or less on overt political activities. If they violate that rule, they're supposed to be disqualified.
The real IRS scandal here is that they are not. In this case, it's so blatant and over the top that watchdog groups are now filing suit over it.
Carolina Rising had one donor and spent all $4.7 million on mostly one candidate: Thom Tillis. The ads that money purchased weren't even subtle."
"One of the rules about these so-called "social welfare" organizations -- 501(c)(4) nonprofits -- is that they are limited to spending 50 percent or less on overt political activities. If they violate that rule, they're supposed to be disqualified.
The real IRS scandal here is that they are not. In this case, it's so blatant and over the top that watchdog groups are now filing suit over it.
Carolina Rising had one donor and spent all $4.7 million on mostly one candidate: Thom Tillis. The ads that money purchased weren't even subtle."
10 Taxpayer Handouts to the Super Rich That Will Make Your Blood Boil
http://usuncut.com/class-war/10-corporate-welfare-programs-that-will-make-your-blood-boil/
"The combined cost of these 10 corporate welfare programs is $1.539 trillion per year. The three main programs needy families depend upon — Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ($17.3 billion), food stamps ($74 billion), and the Earned Income Tax Credit ($67.2 billion) — cost just $158.5 billion in total. This means we spend ten times as much on corporate welfare and handouts to the top 1 percent than we do on welfare for working families struggling to make ends meet."
"The combined cost of these 10 corporate welfare programs is $1.539 trillion per year. The three main programs needy families depend upon — Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ($17.3 billion), food stamps ($74 billion), and the Earned Income Tax Credit ($67.2 billion) — cost just $158.5 billion in total. This means we spend ten times as much on corporate welfare and handouts to the top 1 percent than we do on welfare for working families struggling to make ends meet."
Jim Hightower: How Much 'Free Speech' Can You Buy?
Jim Hightower: How Much 'Free Speech' Can You Buy?
"Sure enough, in the first six months of this presidential election cycle, more than half of the record-setting $300 million given to the various candidates came from only 358 mega-rich families and the corporations they control. The top 158 of them totaled $176 million in political spending, meaning that, on average, each one of them bought more than a million dollars' worth of "free" speech.
Nearly all of their money is backing Republican presidential hopefuls who promise: (1) to cut taxes on the rich; (2) cut regulations that protect us from corporate pollution and other abuses of the common good; and (3) to cut Social Security, food stamps and other safety-net programs that we un-rich people need. The great majority of Americans adamantly oppose all of those cuts — but none of us has a million bucks to buy an equivalent amount of political "free" speech."
"Sure enough, in the first six months of this presidential election cycle, more than half of the record-setting $300 million given to the various candidates came from only 358 mega-rich families and the corporations they control. The top 158 of them totaled $176 million in political spending, meaning that, on average, each one of them bought more than a million dollars' worth of "free" speech.
Nearly all of their money is backing Republican presidential hopefuls who promise: (1) to cut taxes on the rich; (2) cut regulations that protect us from corporate pollution and other abuses of the common good; and (3) to cut Social Security, food stamps and other safety-net programs that we un-rich people need. The great majority of Americans adamantly oppose all of those cuts — but none of us has a million bucks to buy an equivalent amount of political "free" speech."
Kochs Hit the Airwaves in Support of WI Corruption Measures
Kochs Hit the Airwaves in Support of WI Corruption Measures
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive.
David Koch's Americans for Prosperity is up with ads targeting constituents of GOP Senators Rob Cowles of Green Bay, Luther Olsen of Ripon, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, and Jerry Petrowski of Marathon, who have expressed reservations about the measures. The ads portray the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB) as a cold war-era agency "silencing free speech" and "raiding conservative's (sic) homes." AFP Wisconsin's director Eric Bott also said the group would be mobilizing its activists this week. AFP is the only group registered to lobby in favor of dismantling the GAB.
Wisconsin Club for Growth also launched a robocall campaign on Tuesday, with a recording of the Club's director Eric O'Keefe urging the wavering senators' constituents to demand the senators vote "yes" on the bill."
"The Koch-backed measures to eviscerate Wisconsin's limits on money in elections and neuter the state's election watchdog hit a stumbling block in the state senate this week, with a handful of Republican senators expressing concern that the measures go too far.
So the Kochs are going on the offensive.
David Koch's Americans for Prosperity is up with ads targeting constituents of GOP Senators Rob Cowles of Green Bay, Luther Olsen of Ripon, Sheila Harsdorf of River Falls, and Jerry Petrowski of Marathon, who have expressed reservations about the measures. The ads portray the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB) as a cold war-era agency "silencing free speech" and "raiding conservative's (sic) homes." AFP Wisconsin's director Eric Bott also said the group would be mobilizing its activists this week. AFP is the only group registered to lobby in favor of dismantling the GAB.
Wisconsin Club for Growth also launched a robocall campaign on Tuesday, with a recording of the Club's director Eric O'Keefe urging the wavering senators' constituents to demand the senators vote "yes" on the bill."
Paul Ryan Is a Hypocrite, Charlatan and Right-Wing Extremist @alternet
Paul Ryan Is a Hypocrite, Charlatan and Right-Wing Extremist @alternet
"Let's start with Ryan's outrageous hypocrisy. Ryan worships at the altar of novelist Ayn Rand, the philosopher of you're-on-your-own selfishness, whose books have been required reading for his Congressional staffers. Like Rand, he consistently demonizes people who improve their lives with the help of government. Ryan seems to be unaware of how much his own family and his own financial success has been influenced by "big government."
Despite Ryan's persistent attacks on government spending, his family's construction business has been anchored in building roads on government contracts. Despite his worship of private-sector entrepreneurs, he's spent his entire career as a government employee. Despite being a crusader against anti-poverty programs, Ryan is a millionaire who made his money the old-fashioned way: bymarrying a woman who inherited a fortune."
"Let's start with Ryan's outrageous hypocrisy. Ryan worships at the altar of novelist Ayn Rand, the philosopher of you're-on-your-own selfishness, whose books have been required reading for his Congressional staffers. Like Rand, he consistently demonizes people who improve their lives with the help of government. Ryan seems to be unaware of how much his own family and his own financial success has been influenced by "big government."
Despite Ryan's persistent attacks on government spending, his family's construction business has been anchored in building roads on government contracts. Despite his worship of private-sector entrepreneurs, he's spent his entire career as a government employee. Despite being a crusader against anti-poverty programs, Ryan is a millionaire who made his money the old-fashioned way: bymarrying a woman who inherited a fortune."
Jeb! Bush has a plan for America seniors, sort of, and it isn't pretty
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/27/1440952/-Jeb-Bush-has-a-plan-for-America-seniors-sort-of-and-it-isn-t-pretty
"If you were waiting breathlessly for policy details on Social Security and Medicare from Jeb! Bush (beyond his endorsement of his brother's disastrous Social Security privatization scheme, or how much he wants to "phase out" Medicare) here you go. While it's pretty weak on actual specifics, Jeb! has released his plan to "Preserve, Protect and Reform Medicare and Social Security." In other words, how he'll privatize Social Security and phase out Medicare under the usual Republican guise of "protecting" them."
"If you were waiting breathlessly for policy details on Social Security and Medicare from Jeb! Bush (beyond his endorsement of his brother's disastrous Social Security privatization scheme, or how much he wants to "phase out" Medicare) here you go. While it's pretty weak on actual specifics, Jeb! has released his plan to "Preserve, Protect and Reform Medicare and Social Security." In other words, how he'll privatize Social Security and phase out Medicare under the usual Republican guise of "protecting" them."
Ted Cruz Embraces Fringe Monetary Policy That Went Out Of Style In The 1930s
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/10/29/3717416/ted-cruz-gold-standard-debate/
"At Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called for returning to a policy idea that died in 1933 and has gone unmourned ever since."
"At Wednesday night’s GOP presidential debate, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called for returning to a policy idea that died in 1933 and has gone unmourned ever since."
Ben Carson’s Deadly Lies Put Profits Over People
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/10/ben-carsons-deadly-lies-put-profits-over-people/
“The claims made by the con artists, who see the conservative movement as a source of elderly and naive marks to target, are far from harmless,” the report noted, adding “It’s not just that they drain money out of people, but that they often claim that nutritional supplements can cure cancer and Alzheimer’s. That Carson would lend his good name as a neurosurgeon to such claims is so awful that the word ‘unethical’ doesn’t begin to encompass it"."
“The claims made by the con artists, who see the conservative movement as a source of elderly and naive marks to target, are far from harmless,” the report noted, adding “It’s not just that they drain money out of people, but that they often claim that nutritional supplements can cure cancer and Alzheimer’s. That Carson would lend his good name as a neurosurgeon to such claims is so awful that the word ‘unethical’ doesn’t begin to encompass it"."
Liar Fiorina Gets Defensive When Questioned About Her Bad Information
http://ringoffireradio.com/2015/10/30/liar-fiorina-gets-defensive-when-questioned-about-her-bad-informatio/
"On Thursday, Fiorina was questioned about her failure to present the truth during Wednesday night’s debate by CNN host Alisyn Camerota. When confronted, Fiorina became agitated and appeared to turn hostile."
"On Thursday, Fiorina was questioned about her failure to present the truth during Wednesday night’s debate by CNN host Alisyn Camerota. When confronted, Fiorina became agitated and appeared to turn hostile."
CNN Confronts Carly Fiorina On Her Factless Claims
CNN Confronts Carly Fiorina On Her Factless Claims
"the point of the primary is to see who can tell the best lies with the most sincere expression on their face."
"the point of the primary is to see who can tell the best lies with the most sincere expression on their face."
Campaign Bombshell: Ben Carson Did Have Relationship With Mannatech
Campaign Bombshell: Ben Carson Did Have Relationship With Mannatech
"On Wednesday night's CNBC Debate, Ben Carson basically called Carl Quintanilla, the CNBC moderator a liar because he quizzed him on his relationship with Mannatech, a company that's been sued for false advertising. Carson shouted from the heavens that he had NO relationship with them and that CNBC was using propaganda against him."
"On Wednesday night's CNBC Debate, Ben Carson basically called Carl Quintanilla, the CNBC moderator a liar because he quizzed him on his relationship with Mannatech, a company that's been sued for false advertising. Carson shouted from the heavens that he had NO relationship with them and that CNBC was using propaganda against him."
Thursday, October 29, 2015
GOP and the Rise of Anti-Knowledge
https://consortiumnews.com/2015/10/29/gop-and-the-rise-of-anti-knowledge/
"Fifty years ago, if a person did not know who the prime minister of Great Britain was, what the conflict in Vietnam was about, or the barest rudiments of how a nuclear reaction worked, he would shrug his shoulders and move on. And if he didn’t bother to know those things, he was in all likelihood politically apathetic and confined his passionate arguing to topics like sports or the attributes of the opposite sex.
There were exceptions, like the Birchers’ theory that fluoridation was a monstrous communist conspiracy, but they were mostly confined to the fringes. Certainly, political candidates with national aspirations steered clear of such balderdash.
At present, however, a person can be blissfully ignorant of how to locate Kenya on a map, but know to a metaphysical certitude that Barack Obama was born there, because he learned it from Fox News. Likewise, he can be unable to differentiate a species from a phylum but be confident from viewing the 700 Club that evolution is “politically correct” hooey and that the earth is 6,000 years old.
And he may never have read the Constitution and have no clue about the Commerce Clause, but believe with an angry righteousness that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.
This brings us inevitably to celebrity presidential candidate Ben Carson. The man is anti-knowledge incarnated, a walking compendium of every imbecility ever uttered during the last three decades. Obamacare is worse than chattel slavery. Women who have abortions are like slave owners. If Jews had firearms they could have stopped the Holocaust (author’s note: they obtained at least some weapons during the Warsaw Ghetto rising, and no, it didn’t). Victims of a mass shooting in Oregon enabled their own deaths by their behavior. And so on, ad nauseam."
"Fifty years ago, if a person did not know who the prime minister of Great Britain was, what the conflict in Vietnam was about, or the barest rudiments of how a nuclear reaction worked, he would shrug his shoulders and move on. And if he didn’t bother to know those things, he was in all likelihood politically apathetic and confined his passionate arguing to topics like sports or the attributes of the opposite sex.
There were exceptions, like the Birchers’ theory that fluoridation was a monstrous communist conspiracy, but they were mostly confined to the fringes. Certainly, political candidates with national aspirations steered clear of such balderdash.
At present, however, a person can be blissfully ignorant of how to locate Kenya on a map, but know to a metaphysical certitude that Barack Obama was born there, because he learned it from Fox News. Likewise, he can be unable to differentiate a species from a phylum but be confident from viewing the 700 Club that evolution is “politically correct” hooey and that the earth is 6,000 years old.
And he may never have read the Constitution and have no clue about the Commerce Clause, but believe with an angry righteousness that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.
This brings us inevitably to celebrity presidential candidate Ben Carson. The man is anti-knowledge incarnated, a walking compendium of every imbecility ever uttered during the last three decades. Obamacare is worse than chattel slavery. Women who have abortions are like slave owners. If Jews had firearms they could have stopped the Holocaust (author’s note: they obtained at least some weapons during the Warsaw Ghetto rising, and no, it didn’t). Victims of a mass shooting in Oregon enabled their own deaths by their behavior. And so on, ad nauseam."
8 Lies, Distortions and Misrepresentations From the Third GOP Debate | Alternet
8 Lies, Distortions and Misrepresentations From the Third GOP Debate | Alternet
"Both debates took place in an alternate reality, where facts are made up on the spot and history doesn't matter."
"Both debates took place in an alternate reality, where facts are made up on the spot and history doesn't matter."
Ben Carson’s Biggest Moment of the Third Debate Came During His Biggest Lie of the Evening
Ben Carson’s Biggest Moment of the Third Debate Came During His Biggest Lie of the Evening
"It’s more typical rhetoric from Republicans. They say all sorts of nonsense, then attack the media or claim bias whenever their lies are called out. This plays right into the hands of the typical conservative voter who’s been indoctrinated to believe that any news source that’s not approved by the GOP is “part of the liberal media” that’s out to get Republicans. It’s a classic tactic used by conspiracy theorists."
"It’s more typical rhetoric from Republicans. They say all sorts of nonsense, then attack the media or claim bias whenever their lies are called out. This plays right into the hands of the typical conservative voter who’s been indoctrinated to believe that any news source that’s not approved by the GOP is “part of the liberal media” that’s out to get Republicans. It’s a classic tactic used by conspiracy theorists."
CNN Host Puts Carly Fiorina On BLAST After Repeated Lies During The Debate (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/29/cnn-host-puts-carly-fiorina-on-blast-after-repeated-lies-during-the-debate-video/
"It’s very unfortunate that Republicans are immune to facts, because proper recollection of events, facts and figures could really do them some good every now and then. One of the most immune to facts seems to be Republican presidential candidate and failed former HP head, Carly Fiorina.
If it wasn’t bad enough that she lied during the last debate about Planned Parenthood, now Fiorina has decided to provide more hyperbolic rhetoric to try and boost her failing poll numbers. Either that, or she’s generously trying to boost the pay of fact checkers everywhere."
"It’s very unfortunate that Republicans are immune to facts, because proper recollection of events, facts and figures could really do them some good every now and then. One of the most immune to facts seems to be Republican presidential candidate and failed former HP head, Carly Fiorina.
If it wasn’t bad enough that she lied during the last debate about Planned Parenthood, now Fiorina has decided to provide more hyperbolic rhetoric to try and boost her failing poll numbers. Either that, or she’s generously trying to boost the pay of fact checkers everywhere."
The CNBC Republican Debate: Bring In the Clowns
The CNBC Republican Debate: Bring In the Clowns
"these candidates are selling fantasies. They reject arithmetic and confound logic. They can’t admit that a flat tax – a tax that lowers top rates – by definition gives a massive tax break to the wealthy. They can’t admit that a 10 percent or 15 percent flat tax raises trillions less in revenue. Like incoming House Speaker Paul Ryan, they can’t admit that their pledge to cut taxes, balance the budget and expand the military will require literally gutting the domestic functions of the federal government – from education to disease control.
And somehow, at a time when the rich capture ever more of the wealth, when the profit share of GDP is near record highs and the income share near record lows, they argue that cutting taxes on the rich and accountability on the corporations will magically generate growth."
"these candidates are selling fantasies. They reject arithmetic and confound logic. They can’t admit that a flat tax – a tax that lowers top rates – by definition gives a massive tax break to the wealthy. They can’t admit that a 10 percent or 15 percent flat tax raises trillions less in revenue. Like incoming House Speaker Paul Ryan, they can’t admit that their pledge to cut taxes, balance the budget and expand the military will require literally gutting the domestic functions of the federal government – from education to disease control.
And somehow, at a time when the rich capture ever more of the wealth, when the profit share of GDP is near record highs and the income share near record lows, they argue that cutting taxes on the rich and accountability on the corporations will magically generate growth."
BEYOND Bad Math: Carson’s Tax Scam Raises Taxes For Poor, Cuts Taxes For Rich (VIDEO)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/29/ben-carson-flat-tax-scheme-raise-taxes-on-poor-cut-taxes-for-rich-video/
"Carson’s flat tax scheme doesn’t look anything like “tithing.” In fact it looks just like every other GOP plan to take from the poor and give to the rich."
"Carson’s flat tax scheme doesn’t look anything like “tithing.” In fact it looks just like every other GOP plan to take from the poor and give to the rich."
Third GOP Debate Perfectly Displays How Unfit Republicans Are to Lead This Country
Third GOP Debate Perfectly Displays How Unfit Republicans Are to Lead This Country
"what this debate ultimately did was prove once again how out of touch the Republican party has become. This is a group of people who seem more concerned with becoming the darling of the conservative media than actually offering rational plans to help most Americans. It was just another debate filled with petty attacks, worn out rhetoric and many of the same failed recycled ideas Republicans have been pushing for the last 30+ years, and they should be ashamed if they truly consider themselves “deadly serious” candidates."
"what this debate ultimately did was prove once again how out of touch the Republican party has become. This is a group of people who seem more concerned with becoming the darling of the conservative media than actually offering rational plans to help most Americans. It was just another debate filled with petty attacks, worn out rhetoric and many of the same failed recycled ideas Republicans have been pushing for the last 30+ years, and they should be ashamed if they truly consider themselves “deadly serious” candidates."
Everything The GOP Candidates Said About Equal Pay During The Debate Is BS—And Then Some
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/29/everything-the-gop-candidates-said-about-equal-pay-during-the-debate-is-bs-and-then-some/
"Here are the facts, folks. Say whatever you want to attack President Obama, the very first bill he signed as president was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, so don’t even try and pretend like he hasn’t done anything for women and families.
Republicans? What were they doing? Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz all voted against cloture to bring the Paycheck Fairness Act to the Senate floor for an up or down vote. Get this: Rubio even had the gall, on the Senate floor, to say “I just think we’re wasting time” while the Senate was discussing these equal pay bills. But hell, at least he knew what paycheck fairness was. Jeb can’t consider himself so lucky.
Christie is worse. As governor, he vetoed two bills that would have helped with equal pay for equal work. The first one would have required transparency for salaries for all government contractors. The other was a state version of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Again, both were vetoed."
"Here are the facts, folks. Say whatever you want to attack President Obama, the very first bill he signed as president was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, so don’t even try and pretend like he hasn’t done anything for women and families.
Republicans? What were they doing? Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz all voted against cloture to bring the Paycheck Fairness Act to the Senate floor for an up or down vote. Get this: Rubio even had the gall, on the Senate floor, to say “I just think we’re wasting time” while the Senate was discussing these equal pay bills. But hell, at least he knew what paycheck fairness was. Jeb can’t consider himself so lucky.
Christie is worse. As governor, he vetoed two bills that would have helped with equal pay for equal work. The first one would have required transparency for salaries for all government contractors. The other was a state version of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Again, both were vetoed."
Marco Rubio's blatant lie about his personal finances should worry you
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/29/1442388/-Marco-Rubio-s-blatant-lie-about-his-personal-finances-should-worry-you
"There are two issues here. One is the substance of the question: Rubio and his "scandal plagued"-doesn't-begin-to-describe-it friend, former Rep. David Rivera, only last summer sold the house which had at one point been in foreclosure. That is a fact, not a "discredited attack." And so on. The financial problems and mismanagement detailed in the question were accurate, so make of his personal finances what you will.
But whatever you make of Rubio's personal finances, pay attention to his lying. Because he didn't flinch, he didn't equivocate. He seemed sincere and a little wounded as he dismissed that list of true facts as "a litany of discredited attacks from Democrats and my political opponents" and said he wouldn't address them because it would "waste 60 seconds." Sincere, wounded ... and lying.
Maybe you don't have a problem with a presidential candidate having faced foreclosure on the second house he co-owned with another scandal-plagued politician. Maybe you don't have a problem with any of Rubio's financial missteps, with the fact that the guy is clearly a terrible manager of his own money. But the lying should be a problem nonetheless."
"There are two issues here. One is the substance of the question: Rubio and his "scandal plagued"-doesn't-begin-to-describe-it friend, former Rep. David Rivera, only last summer sold the house which had at one point been in foreclosure. That is a fact, not a "discredited attack." And so on. The financial problems and mismanagement detailed in the question were accurate, so make of his personal finances what you will.
But whatever you make of Rubio's personal finances, pay attention to his lying. Because he didn't flinch, he didn't equivocate. He seemed sincere and a little wounded as he dismissed that list of true facts as "a litany of discredited attacks from Democrats and my political opponents" and said he wouldn't address them because it would "waste 60 seconds." Sincere, wounded ... and lying.
Maybe you don't have a problem with a presidential candidate having faced foreclosure on the second house he co-owned with another scandal-plagued politician. Maybe you don't have a problem with any of Rubio's financial missteps, with the fact that the guy is clearly a terrible manager of his own money. But the lying should be a problem nonetheless."
Ben Carson’s Plan for Health Care is a Comically Bad Version of Socialized Medicine (Video)
Ben Carson’s Plan for Health Care is a Comically Bad Version of Socialized Medicine (Video)
"What Carson is essentially advocating for is socialized health care just a really bad version of it. What he wants to do is set up what he calls “health savings accounts” that are established the moment someone is born. The way he wants to accomplish this is by taking the money Americans are currently paying for health insurance and putting it into these HSAs established by the government. That, ladies and gentlemen, is socialized health care. But the idiotic part of his plan is that he doesn’t want these HSAs to cover catastrophic health care. For those situations he wants people to purchase their own care at what he thinks will be a heavily discounted rate considering the bulk of their health care would be provided via these HSA accounts. So, in other words, he wants Americans to pay money into a government account to cover part of their health care while still having to purchase catastrophic coverage through a private insurance company. That’s just stupid. And his plan does nothing to address those who can’t afford to pay into these accounts. But why even have the gap in coverage? If you’re going to go all-in with a form of socialized health care (which is Ben Carson’s plan) then go all in. Don’t half-ass it by not covering catastrophic occurrences. This is all about semantics. Either the government is raising taxes on Americans to cover socialized medicine (eliminating the need to pay private insurance companies monthly) or you’re creating these HSA’s that people pay into with the money they would normally pay to private insurance companies. Either way, it’s money Americans are handing over to the government to pay for health insurance. That is socialized health care. It’s just that Carson’s plan doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. While covering day-to-day health care needs is great, it’s the catastrophic events in someone’s life that tend to leave millions in mountains of debt. And don’t believe for a moment that these “catastrophic-only” policies would be cheap, either. If there’s one thing insurance companies prove time and time again, it’s that they’re going to get their money and try to screw over their policies holders whenever they can."
"What Carson is essentially advocating for is socialized health care just a really bad version of it. What he wants to do is set up what he calls “health savings accounts” that are established the moment someone is born. The way he wants to accomplish this is by taking the money Americans are currently paying for health insurance and putting it into these HSAs established by the government. That, ladies and gentlemen, is socialized health care. But the idiotic part of his plan is that he doesn’t want these HSAs to cover catastrophic health care. For those situations he wants people to purchase their own care at what he thinks will be a heavily discounted rate considering the bulk of their health care would be provided via these HSA accounts. So, in other words, he wants Americans to pay money into a government account to cover part of their health care while still having to purchase catastrophic coverage through a private insurance company. That’s just stupid. And his plan does nothing to address those who can’t afford to pay into these accounts. But why even have the gap in coverage? If you’re going to go all-in with a form of socialized health care (which is Ben Carson’s plan) then go all in. Don’t half-ass it by not covering catastrophic occurrences. This is all about semantics. Either the government is raising taxes on Americans to cover socialized medicine (eliminating the need to pay private insurance companies monthly) or you’re creating these HSA’s that people pay into with the money they would normally pay to private insurance companies. Either way, it’s money Americans are handing over to the government to pay for health insurance. That is socialized health care. It’s just that Carson’s plan doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. While covering day-to-day health care needs is great, it’s the catastrophic events in someone’s life that tend to leave millions in mountains of debt. And don’t believe for a moment that these “catastrophic-only” policies would be cheap, either. If there’s one thing insurance companies prove time and time again, it’s that they’re going to get their money and try to screw over their policies holders whenever they can."
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Welcome to the Wholly Owned Koch Subsidiary Formerly Known as Wisconsin @alternet
Welcome to the Wholly Owned Koch Subsidiary Formerly Known as Wisconsin @alternet
"The same group of GOP leaders who attempted to gut the state's open records law over the 4th of July weekend are now calling for secrecy in campaign spending and for dismantling the two major avenues for investigating political corruption."
"The same group of GOP leaders who attempted to gut the state's open records law over the 4th of July weekend are now calling for secrecy in campaign spending and for dismantling the two major avenues for investigating political corruption."
Sam Brownback is a harbinger of national doom: Bleeding Kansas’ scary lesson for America
Sam Brownback is a harbinger of national doom: Bleeding Kansas’ scary lesson for America
"Most humiliating of all for Brownback? In this heavily Republican state, Barack Obama is outpolling him by double digits, with 28 percent of Kansas residents pronouncing themselves “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the president’s job performance.
One cannot overstate just how badly Brownback and his pet Republican far-right legislature have wrecked Kansas in just a few years. The governor came into office in early 2011 promising to turn the state into a “real live experiment” for trickle-down economics that involved cutting tax rates to goose economic growth, which would fill the state’s coffers with so much revenue that Kansans would be literally swimming through seas of cash to get to Jayhawks basketball games. In other words, the usual supply-side plans that conservatives cling to no matter how many times they have crashed and burned at the national level.
To the surprise of absolutely no one who lived through the 1980s under Reagan or the 2000s under George W. Bush, Brownback’s economic plans have not worked out. This year the state found itself with a budget deficit of somewhere around $600 million. It has an annual job-growth rate almost four percentage points below the nationwide average. In June, after an exceptionally long legislative, Brownback signed a bitterly fought-over budget that requires the state to slash education funding and raid its highway fund in order to bring it into balance. Enjoy your potholes, Kansas!"
"Most humiliating of all for Brownback? In this heavily Republican state, Barack Obama is outpolling him by double digits, with 28 percent of Kansas residents pronouncing themselves “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with the president’s job performance.
One cannot overstate just how badly Brownback and his pet Republican far-right legislature have wrecked Kansas in just a few years. The governor came into office in early 2011 promising to turn the state into a “real live experiment” for trickle-down economics that involved cutting tax rates to goose economic growth, which would fill the state’s coffers with so much revenue that Kansans would be literally swimming through seas of cash to get to Jayhawks basketball games. In other words, the usual supply-side plans that conservatives cling to no matter how many times they have crashed and burned at the national level.
To the surprise of absolutely no one who lived through the 1980s under Reagan or the 2000s under George W. Bush, Brownback’s economic plans have not worked out. This year the state found itself with a budget deficit of somewhere around $600 million. It has an annual job-growth rate almost four percentage points below the nationwide average. In June, after an exceptionally long legislative, Brownback signed a bitterly fought-over budget that requires the state to slash education funding and raid its highway fund in order to bring it into balance. Enjoy your potholes, Kansas!"
Red States Spent $2 Billion Rejecting Medicare Expansion
Red States Spent $2 Billion Rejecting Medicare Expansion
"If there's one thing you can count on from Republicans, it's that their governing principles always include finding new ways to kick poor people in their teeth as they did here: Red States Spent $2 Billion in 2015 to Screw the Poor"
"If there's one thing you can count on from Republicans, it's that their governing principles always include finding new ways to kick poor people in their teeth as they did here: Red States Spent $2 Billion in 2015 to Screw the Poor"
The Numbers Are In: After $15 Minimum Wage, Seattle’s Restaurants Are BOOMING
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/the-numbers-are-in-after-15-minimum-wage-seattles-restaurants-are-booming/
"Conservatives are using small businesses as a talking point on why the minimum wage should not be raised to $15. Luckily, in enlightened Seattle, where the increase has already passed, the truth can dispel this factless rhetoric. Restaurant owners in the state, who originally feared that the wage hike would hurt their business are now strongly convinced that it made only a positive impact. This makes sense, as now more people have the money to eat!"
"Conservatives are using small businesses as a talking point on why the minimum wage should not be raised to $15. Luckily, in enlightened Seattle, where the increase has already passed, the truth can dispel this factless rhetoric. Restaurant owners in the state, who originally feared that the wage hike would hurt their business are now strongly convinced that it made only a positive impact. This makes sense, as now more people have the money to eat!"
Obama Exposes How Republican Dysfunction Is Literally Destroying Our Beautiful Country
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/10/24/president-obama-exposes-republican-dysfunction-literally-destroying-beautiful-country.html
"The Republican refusal to pass legislation that doesn’t fit their narrow ideology of benefits for the wealthy and corporations is literally destroying the physical beauty of the country. Many Republicans don’t believe in public lands. They want to sell our preserved natural beauty to the energy industry and corporations.
When the epidemic of Republican dysfunction is mentioned, it is often talked about concerning the Congressional majority’s inability to solve a crisis, but the Republican ideology itself is dysfunction. The closing of the Land and Water Conservation Fund demonstrates their out of step priorities that put corporate profit over the common good."
"The Republican refusal to pass legislation that doesn’t fit their narrow ideology of benefits for the wealthy and corporations is literally destroying the physical beauty of the country. Many Republicans don’t believe in public lands. They want to sell our preserved natural beauty to the energy industry and corporations.
When the epidemic of Republican dysfunction is mentioned, it is often talked about concerning the Congressional majority’s inability to solve a crisis, but the Republican ideology itself is dysfunction. The closing of the Land and Water Conservation Fund demonstrates their out of step priorities that put corporate profit over the common good."
California law shows how wrong Republican opposition to paid family leave is
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/23/1437781/-California-law-shows-how-wrong-Republican-opposition-to-paid-family-leave-is
"An analysis for the U.S. Labor Department led by Columbia Business School professor Ann Bartel last year examined dozens of studies on family leave. It concluded that while California’s policy prompted mothers and fathers to take more time, it didn’t harm workplace productivity, profitability, retention or morale."
"An analysis for the U.S. Labor Department led by Columbia Business School professor Ann Bartel last year examined dozens of studies on family leave. It concluded that while California’s policy prompted mothers and fathers to take more time, it didn’t harm workplace productivity, profitability, retention or morale."
Exxon's damaging denial on climate change
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/editorials/la-ed-exxon-climate-change-20151015-story.html
"According to reports in the Los Angeles Times and elsewhere, the oil company's scientists concluded in the 1970s, '80s and '90s that climate change was real, would transform the Earth's landscape and was driven by human activity — especially the burning of fossil fuels.
As the debate over climate change began in earnest, however, Exxon didn't use its wealth of scientific findings to issue an alarm to the world, or even to add a supportive, attention-grabbing voice to those of the climatologists who were trying to convince policymakers and the public. Instead, company officials publicly cast doubt on the very existence of global warming, arguing that the science was just too murky to draw a conclusion.
Meanwhile, the company was using that supposedly murky science to sketch out plans to take advantage of global warming by expanding drilling operations in Arctic seas, where there would be reduced ice and longer drilling seasons, and to adapt its activities on the region's land, where the permafrost would certainly thaw and soften."
"According to reports in the Los Angeles Times and elsewhere, the oil company's scientists concluded in the 1970s, '80s and '90s that climate change was real, would transform the Earth's landscape and was driven by human activity — especially the burning of fossil fuels.
As the debate over climate change began in earnest, however, Exxon didn't use its wealth of scientific findings to issue an alarm to the world, or even to add a supportive, attention-grabbing voice to those of the climatologists who were trying to convince policymakers and the public. Instead, company officials publicly cast doubt on the very existence of global warming, arguing that the science was just too murky to draw a conclusion.
Meanwhile, the company was using that supposedly murky science to sketch out plans to take advantage of global warming by expanding drilling operations in Arctic seas, where there would be reduced ice and longer drilling seasons, and to adapt its activities on the region's land, where the permafrost would certainly thaw and soften."
How Exxon went from leader to skeptic on climate change research
http://graphics.latimes.com/exxon-research/
"In 2007, the company, for the first time since the early 1980s, publicly conceded that climate change was occurring and that it was in large part the result of the burning of fossil fuels."
"In 2007, the company, for the first time since the early 1980s, publicly conceded that climate change was occurring and that it was in large part the result of the burning of fossil fuels."
These Bipartisan Security Experts Say Climate Change Is A National Security Threat
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/10/23/3715200/bipartisan-security-experts-climate-change-threat/
"The statement released Thursday directly references a a 2014 Pentagon report released by the U.S. Department of Defense calling climate change a “threat multiplier.” The Partnership for a Secure America, which published the ad, said that the DoD is concerned that the effects of climate change could “prevent access to their workforce, degrade the security of installations, impede training and readiness, and impair force capacity.
Security threats associated with climate change are already being observed in a number of areas of the world. Climate change is considered a contributing factor to the wars in Syria, and climate-related crop failures and droughts in the Middle East and African Sahel are contributing to migration pressures.
Even back in 2013, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, answered the question about what the greatest security threat the region faces with two familiar words: climate change."
"The statement released Thursday directly references a a 2014 Pentagon report released by the U.S. Department of Defense calling climate change a “threat multiplier.” The Partnership for a Secure America, which published the ad, said that the DoD is concerned that the effects of climate change could “prevent access to their workforce, degrade the security of installations, impede training and readiness, and impair force capacity.
Security threats associated with climate change are already being observed in a number of areas of the world. Climate change is considered a contributing factor to the wars in Syria, and climate-related crop failures and droughts in the Middle East and African Sahel are contributing to migration pressures.
Even back in 2013, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, answered the question about what the greatest security threat the region faces with two familiar words: climate change."
Kentucky Is Obamacare’s Undeniable Success Story. This Man Is Trying To Burn It All Down.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/09/14/3698831/matt-bevin-kentucky-eliminate-health-care/
"The nation’s most unlikely Obamacare success story — a state system that has provided more than 500,000 Kentuckians with affordable health insurance — might well be ransacked by a Tea Party candidate named Matt Bevin."
"The nation’s most unlikely Obamacare success story — a state system that has provided more than 500,000 Kentuckians with affordable health insurance — might well be ransacked by a Tea Party candidate named Matt Bevin."
PERRspectives: Jeb's Friends Claim Dubya 'Inherited' 9/11 and Recession
PERRspectives: Jeb's Friends Claim Dubya 'Inherited' 9/11 and Recession
"During the entire month of August, President Bush was on vacation at his ranch in Texas -- which tied with one of Richard Nixon's as the longest vacation ever taken by a president. CIA Director George Tenet has said he didn't speak to Bush once that month, describing the president as being "on leave." Bush did not hold a Principals' meeting on terrorism until September 4, 2001, having downgraded the meetings to a deputies' meeting, which then-counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke has repeatedly said slowed down anti-Bin Laden efforts "enormously, by months."
That's a far cry from the image of the President Bush, Republicans were so fond of telling Americans, who "kept us safe."
"During the entire month of August, President Bush was on vacation at his ranch in Texas -- which tied with one of Richard Nixon's as the longest vacation ever taken by a president. CIA Director George Tenet has said he didn't speak to Bush once that month, describing the president as being "on leave." Bush did not hold a Principals' meeting on terrorism until September 4, 2001, having downgraded the meetings to a deputies' meeting, which then-counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke has repeatedly said slowed down anti-Bin Laden efforts "enormously, by months."
That's a far cry from the image of the President Bush, Republicans were so fond of telling Americans, who "kept us safe."
William Rivers Pitt | An Ample Presence of Corpses: The Legacy of George W. Bush
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/33338-an-ample-presence-of-corpses-the-legacy-of-george-w-bush
"thanks to Bush and Blair chumming it up a year before the war to decide how they were going to lie to the world about the invasion.
None of this is new news, in the main. The Downing Street Memos, classified British intelligence documents that were leaked, described how in July of 2002 "intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" of invasion, and that Bush had made up his mind to go to war even though "the case was thin." This newly revealed Powell memo, however, reveals the decision to attack Iraq had come together many months before, with Tony Blair as an early willing accomplice.
Besides which, no WMD were ever found in Iraq. No connections to 9/11 or al Qaeda were ever established in Iraq. The "We're bringing democracy" canard fell apart before it began, ink-stained fingers notwithstanding. As I said more than 12 years ago, the invasion and occupation of Iraq was a smash-and-grab robbery writ large, an act of theft and first-degree murder that has unleashed an ocean of blood. It will take ten generations to recover from what was done, and only if we're lucky.
So here is a modest proposal, based upon this new Powell-memo documentation as well as the barrels of evidence already in hand: Arrest the perps. Slap Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and every other soul-vacant Bush administration vampire who participated in handcuffs. Put them on trial for war crimes. Make no mistake: This happened because they wanted to gut the Treasury in order to "prove" that government doesn't work; they wanted to give that money to their friends; they wanted to win elections; they wanted to establish a permanent military foothold over the oil sands of Iraq and they wanted to create enough chaos in the Middle East to ensure that the gravy train for the "defense" industry would roll unchecked for years to come.
They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams ... but if what they did does not constitute a blizzard of crimes, then the word "crime" has no meaning."
"thanks to Bush and Blair chumming it up a year before the war to decide how they were going to lie to the world about the invasion.
None of this is new news, in the main. The Downing Street Memos, classified British intelligence documents that were leaked, described how in July of 2002 "intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" of invasion, and that Bush had made up his mind to go to war even though "the case was thin." This newly revealed Powell memo, however, reveals the decision to attack Iraq had come together many months before, with Tony Blair as an early willing accomplice.
Besides which, no WMD were ever found in Iraq. No connections to 9/11 or al Qaeda were ever established in Iraq. The "We're bringing democracy" canard fell apart before it began, ink-stained fingers notwithstanding. As I said more than 12 years ago, the invasion and occupation of Iraq was a smash-and-grab robbery writ large, an act of theft and first-degree murder that has unleashed an ocean of blood. It will take ten generations to recover from what was done, and only if we're lucky.
So here is a modest proposal, based upon this new Powell-memo documentation as well as the barrels of evidence already in hand: Arrest the perps. Slap Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and every other soul-vacant Bush administration vampire who participated in handcuffs. Put them on trial for war crimes. Make no mistake: This happened because they wanted to gut the Treasury in order to "prove" that government doesn't work; they wanted to give that money to their friends; they wanted to win elections; they wanted to establish a permanent military foothold over the oil sands of Iraq and they wanted to create enough chaos in the Middle East to ensure that the gravy train for the "defense" industry would roll unchecked for years to come.
They succeeded beyond their wildest dreams ... but if what they did does not constitute a blizzard of crimes, then the word "crime" has no meaning."
Hypocrisy Alert: Speaker Vos and Rep. Craig Use Private Email, Too
Hypocrisy Alert: Speaker Vos and Rep. Craig Use Private Email, Too
"Wisconsin Republicans have been caught in the spin cycle with their latest attack on the state's independent, nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB), which oversees elections and ethics."
"Wisconsin Republicans have been caught in the spin cycle with their latest attack on the state's independent, nonpartisan Government Accountability Board (GAB), which oversees elections and ethics."
Koch Brothers’ Plot To Privatize Education Has Already Stolen $3.7 Billion From Taxpayers
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/koch-brothers-plot-to-privatize-education-has-already-stolen-3-7-billion-from-taxpayers/
"Billions of our tax dollars are being wasted on this Republican crusade to destroy public education"
"Billions of our tax dollars are being wasted on this Republican crusade to destroy public education"
Voters in WI Want Money Out of Politics; Politicians Don't Care
Voters in WI Want Money Out of Politics; Politicians Don't Care
"Sixty one communities in Wisconsin, including some in the most conservative pockets of the state, have passed referendums expressing opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United and declaring money is not speech. Poll after poll has shown that both Republican and Democratic voters want less money in elections and stronger donor disclosure laws.Wisconsin politicians, though, are opening the floodgates to an unlimited flow of secret money.
Where states like Montana have recently strengthened donor disclosure laws, Wisconsin is moving the opposite direction, and this week is likely to enact legislation making the Dairy State one of the worst in the country in terms of campaign finance transparency.
"These bills make it easier to hide pay to play politics," said Democratic Rep. Lisa Subeck.
One bill, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, will allow groups like Americans for Prosperity to spend unlimited amounts in state elections, and keep the source of those funds hidden from the public, even if the groups expressly call for the election or defeat of candidates.
It will allow politicians to work hand-in-glove with secretly-funded "issue ad" groups that spend millions on elections, creating a situation where politicians will know where their support comes from, but the press and public will not. It will also allow corporations to give unlimited amounts to political parties and campaign committees, and eliminates the requirement that disclosed contributors name their employer.
Another bill will neuter the state's elections agency, and a third will make it difficult for prosecutors to investigate political corruption."
"Sixty one communities in Wisconsin, including some in the most conservative pockets of the state, have passed referendums expressing opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United and declaring money is not speech. Poll after poll has shown that both Republican and Democratic voters want less money in elections and stronger donor disclosure laws.Wisconsin politicians, though, are opening the floodgates to an unlimited flow of secret money.
Where states like Montana have recently strengthened donor disclosure laws, Wisconsin is moving the opposite direction, and this week is likely to enact legislation making the Dairy State one of the worst in the country in terms of campaign finance transparency.
"These bills make it easier to hide pay to play politics," said Democratic Rep. Lisa Subeck.
One bill, sponsored by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, will allow groups like Americans for Prosperity to spend unlimited amounts in state elections, and keep the source of those funds hidden from the public, even if the groups expressly call for the election or defeat of candidates.
It will allow politicians to work hand-in-glove with secretly-funded "issue ad" groups that spend millions on elections, creating a situation where politicians will know where their support comes from, but the press and public will not. It will also allow corporations to give unlimited amounts to political parties and campaign committees, and eliminates the requirement that disclosed contributors name their employer.
Another bill will neuter the state's elections agency, and a third will make it difficult for prosecutors to investigate political corruption."
8 Disgusting Things To Remind You Just Who Right-Wing Soon-To-Be Speaker Paul Ryan Really Is (IMAGES)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/21/8-disgusting-things-to-remind-you-just-how-right-wing-soon-to-be-speaker-paul-ryan-really-is-images/
"Paul Ryan loves to talk about debt and deficits. If the quote above is any indication, he hates having debt. But he blew the deficit when he voted for W’s tax cuts to the rich. And guess what, the trickle-down… didn’t. Because it NEVER DOES!"
"Paul Ryan loves to talk about debt and deficits. If the quote above is any indication, he hates having debt. But he blew the deficit when he voted for W’s tax cuts to the rich. And guess what, the trickle-down… didn’t. Because it NEVER DOES!"
Paul Ryan is too far left? The media lunacy beyond Fox News which lets the right get wackier and more extreme
Paul Ryan is too far left? The media lunacy beyond Fox News which lets the right get wackier and more extreme
"Let’s start with Ryan’s outrageous hypocrisy. Ryan worships at the altar of novelist Ayn Rand, the philosopher of you’re-on-your-own selfishness, whose books have been required reading for his Congressional staffers. Like Rand, he consistently demonizes people who improve their lives with the help of government. Ryan seems to be unaware of how much his own family and his own financial success has been influenced by “big government.”
Despite Ryan’s persistent attacks on government spending, his family’s construction business has been anchored in building roads on government contracts. Despite his worship of private-sector entrepreneurs, he’s spent his entire career as a government employee. Despite being a crusader against anti-poverty programs, Ryan is a millionaire who made his money the old-fashioned way: by marrying a woman who inherited a fortune."
"Let’s start with Ryan’s outrageous hypocrisy. Ryan worships at the altar of novelist Ayn Rand, the philosopher of you’re-on-your-own selfishness, whose books have been required reading for his Congressional staffers. Like Rand, he consistently demonizes people who improve their lives with the help of government. Ryan seems to be unaware of how much his own family and his own financial success has been influenced by “big government.”
Despite Ryan’s persistent attacks on government spending, his family’s construction business has been anchored in building roads on government contracts. Despite his worship of private-sector entrepreneurs, he’s spent his entire career as a government employee. Despite being a crusader against anti-poverty programs, Ryan is a millionaire who made his money the old-fashioned way: by marrying a woman who inherited a fortune."
See If You Can Guess What Grade Level This Professional Analysis Gives To A Trump Speech (INFOGRAPHIC)
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/22/see-if-you-can-guess-what-grade-level-this-professional-analysis-gives-to-a-trump-speech-infographic/
"Trump does well appealing to the uneducated base of modern Republican dimwits, because he speaks to them as just that. By using short, simple sentences, crass insults and a very basic vocabulary, Donald Trump is speaking to the neo-con dunce in the language of a fourth grader."
"Trump does well appealing to the uneducated base of modern Republican dimwits, because he speaks to them as just that. By using short, simple sentences, crass insults and a very basic vocabulary, Donald Trump is speaking to the neo-con dunce in the language of a fourth grader."
Jeb Bush Needs to Be Held Accountable for His PNAC Role in Urging Iraq War
Jeb Bush Needs to Be Held Accountable for His PNAC Role in Urging Iraq War
"Jeb Bush was signatory to the formation of PNAC and has endorsed almost all of its principles (even after its formal dissolution) up to and including his current presidential campaign. That means that Jeb holds part of the collective responsibility for creating the false frame that "justified" the Iraq War - and for focusing on conventional military force expansion at the expense of taking heed of terrorism threats from non-nation states.
In short, Jeb needs to defend his brother because otherwise his culpability as a supporter of the PNAC principles would call his personal advocacy of the Iraq War and of the cover story of "weapons of mass destruction" for the war into a present-day campaign issue. Because Jeb was governor of Florida from 1999-2007, he was not directly involved in the Iraq War, but he was a full-fledged member of the neocon PNAC club that became the nucleus of Bush-era military policy."
"Jeb Bush was signatory to the formation of PNAC and has endorsed almost all of its principles (even after its formal dissolution) up to and including his current presidential campaign. That means that Jeb holds part of the collective responsibility for creating the false frame that "justified" the Iraq War - and for focusing on conventional military force expansion at the expense of taking heed of terrorism threats from non-nation states.
In short, Jeb needs to defend his brother because otherwise his culpability as a supporter of the PNAC principles would call his personal advocacy of the Iraq War and of the cover story of "weapons of mass destruction" for the war into a present-day campaign issue. Because Jeb was governor of Florida from 1999-2007, he was not directly involved in the Iraq War, but he was a full-fledged member of the neocon PNAC club that became the nucleus of Bush-era military policy."
Paul Ryan's 'Family Values' Are That Only Elite Families Have Value @alternet
Paul Ryan's 'Family Values' Are That Only Elite Families Have Value @alternet
"this whole incident is a reminder that what is wrong with Ryan’s libertarian-inflected conservatism goes far deeper than mere hypocrisy. In fact, I’d argue that Ryan isn’t really a hypocrite at all, but that this move to preserve his family time is a perfect distillation of the Ayn Rand-constructed worldview he has, where all the goodies are reserved for the elite and the rest of us can go hang. And by “goodies,” I don’t just mean NFL tickets and first class plane tickets every weekend. Increasingly, the Republican worldview is one where even basic things like love, connection, and other basic human needs are being reclassified as privileges that should only be available to the wealthy."
"this whole incident is a reminder that what is wrong with Ryan’s libertarian-inflected conservatism goes far deeper than mere hypocrisy. In fact, I’d argue that Ryan isn’t really a hypocrite at all, but that this move to preserve his family time is a perfect distillation of the Ayn Rand-constructed worldview he has, where all the goodies are reserved for the elite and the rest of us can go hang. And by “goodies,” I don’t just mean NFL tickets and first class plane tickets every weekend. Increasingly, the Republican worldview is one where even basic things like love, connection, and other basic human needs are being reclassified as privileges that should only be available to the wealthy."
Paul Ryan Wants To Preserve His Work/Family Balance While Making It Harder For Poor Parents
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/10/21/3714503/paul-ryan-speaker-work-family/
"while Ryan seeks to preserve his own balance between his work and his family, he’s pushed policies that would make doing so more difficult for others, particularly poor parents."
"while Ryan seeks to preserve his own balance between his work and his family, he’s pushed policies that would make doing so more difficult for others, particularly poor parents."
Paul Ryan is an arrogant clown drunk on years of flatterers lying about how smart he is
Paul Ryan is an arrogant clown drunk on years of flatterers lying about how smart he is
"Ryan is a major fan of the works of Ayn Rand who has said that we are “living in an Ayn Rand novel” and that now, more than ever, we need Rand to explain to us “the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism.” Of course he imagines that he’s a Galtian superhero, the kind of man who deserves to have the unquestioning obedience of his underlings and the opportunity to spend his weekends relaxing on a boat while the lesser people have to toil away working overtime.
Alas, the problem for Paul Ryan is that everyone who subscribes to Randian philosophy thinks the same way: That they, by dint of their self-appointed status as smarter and better than everyone else, should also be the masters of the universe.
That’s the problem with Ayn Rand’s worldview. In order to be John Galt, you need the hordes of nameless plebes to lord your alleged superiority over. But the Republican party is made up of self-appointed John Galts. When everyone in your party believes they’re meant to be giving orders, not taking them, it’s really hard to have basic discussions, much less organize effectively to get anything done.
The Galt vs. Galt tension exploded almost immediately after Ryan’s egocentric list of demands was rolled out. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, who leads the Tea Party Caucus, asked, “Is he serious?”
Rep. Raul Labrador also called out Ryan for being arrogant enough to want to change the House rules, saying that if the rules are “good enough for [Thomas] Jefferson, it’s got to be good enough for Paul Ryan.” The Freedom Caucus isn’t having it, either."
"Ryan is a major fan of the works of Ayn Rand who has said that we are “living in an Ayn Rand novel” and that now, more than ever, we need Rand to explain to us “the morality of capitalism, the morality of individualism.” Of course he imagines that he’s a Galtian superhero, the kind of man who deserves to have the unquestioning obedience of his underlings and the opportunity to spend his weekends relaxing on a boat while the lesser people have to toil away working overtime.
Alas, the problem for Paul Ryan is that everyone who subscribes to Randian philosophy thinks the same way: That they, by dint of their self-appointed status as smarter and better than everyone else, should also be the masters of the universe.
That’s the problem with Ayn Rand’s worldview. In order to be John Galt, you need the hordes of nameless plebes to lord your alleged superiority over. But the Republican party is made up of self-appointed John Galts. When everyone in your party believes they’re meant to be giving orders, not taking them, it’s really hard to have basic discussions, much less organize effectively to get anything done.
The Galt vs. Galt tension exploded almost immediately after Ryan’s egocentric list of demands was rolled out. Rep. Tim Huelskamp, who leads the Tea Party Caucus, asked, “Is he serious?”
Rep. Raul Labrador also called out Ryan for being arrogant enough to want to change the House rules, saying that if the rules are “good enough for [Thomas] Jefferson, it’s got to be good enough for Paul Ryan.” The Freedom Caucus isn’t having it, either."
The War for Voting Rights
The War for Voting Rights
"It’s no secret why Republicans would rather prevent some people from voting. While they run up big margins in midterm elections with low turnout, Republicans have won the national popular vote just once in the past six presidential elections. Moreover, instead of answering to the American public, Republican candidates are increasingly beholden to the privileged few who fund their campaigns. In the 2016 election cycle, nearly half of the contributions to presidential candidates so far have come from just 158 families. As the New York Times reports, “They are overwhelmingly white, rich, older and male.” They are also overwhelmingly backing Republicans, of course, thereby “serving as a kind of financial check on demographic forces that have been nudging the electorate toward support for the Democratic Party and its economic policies.” It’s a strategy of delay, of buying time, of staving off the inevitable.
But change is coming whether Republican politicians and their billionaire backers like it or not. They have disgraced our democracy with their voter suppression strategy, but they are not powerful enough to stop it. They will eventually have to reckon with a country that is more diverse, more compassionate and more progressive. The Alabama vision will not prevail."
"It’s no secret why Republicans would rather prevent some people from voting. While they run up big margins in midterm elections with low turnout, Republicans have won the national popular vote just once in the past six presidential elections. Moreover, instead of answering to the American public, Republican candidates are increasingly beholden to the privileged few who fund their campaigns. In the 2016 election cycle, nearly half of the contributions to presidential candidates so far have come from just 158 families. As the New York Times reports, “They are overwhelmingly white, rich, older and male.” They are also overwhelmingly backing Republicans, of course, thereby “serving as a kind of financial check on demographic forces that have been nudging the electorate toward support for the Democratic Party and its economic policies.” It’s a strategy of delay, of buying time, of staving off the inevitable.
But change is coming whether Republican politicians and their billionaire backers like it or not. They have disgraced our democracy with their voter suppression strategy, but they are not powerful enough to stop it. They will eventually have to reckon with a country that is more diverse, more compassionate and more progressive. The Alabama vision will not prevail."
Exxon's Climate Cover-Up
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/33311-exxon-s-climate-cover-up
"Even though the company claims that it accepts climate science today, it's still supporting climate denial as a member of climate denying groups like ALEC. That's because Exxon knows - and has known known for almost 40 years - that the basis of its business model is a threat to humanity. And so the company lied and blew a whole lot of smoke to make the science seem less clear than it is, in order to protect its bottom line.
Fortunately, our legal system has dealt with this sort of corporate deception and corruption before.
In 1999, the Department of Justice (DOJ) decided to investigate and prosecute Big Tobacco for violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. For nearly 50 years, the tobacco industry had promoted phony science and created deceptive labels to make cigarettes attractive and to make them appear "safe" - if not outright "healthy." Twenty-one years ago, tobacco executives were still testifying that nicotine wasn't addictive.
But in 2006, when US District Judge Gladys Kessler finally ruled on the case, she wrote, "In short, defendants have marketed and sold their lethal product with zeal, with deception, with a single-minded focus on their financial success, and without regard for the human tragedy or social costs that success exacted."
And that's exactly what Exxon and the other oil companies have been doing for nearly 40 years.
And that's why Sharon Eubanks, the former US Department of Justice attorney who prosecuted and won the racketeering case against Big Tobacco - is calling for the Department of Justice to look into whether Exxon violated the RICO Act."
"Even though the company claims that it accepts climate science today, it's still supporting climate denial as a member of climate denying groups like ALEC. That's because Exxon knows - and has known known for almost 40 years - that the basis of its business model is a threat to humanity. And so the company lied and blew a whole lot of smoke to make the science seem less clear than it is, in order to protect its bottom line.
Fortunately, our legal system has dealt with this sort of corporate deception and corruption before.
In 1999, the Department of Justice (DOJ) decided to investigate and prosecute Big Tobacco for violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. For nearly 50 years, the tobacco industry had promoted phony science and created deceptive labels to make cigarettes attractive and to make them appear "safe" - if not outright "healthy." Twenty-one years ago, tobacco executives were still testifying that nicotine wasn't addictive.
But in 2006, when US District Judge Gladys Kessler finally ruled on the case, she wrote, "In short, defendants have marketed and sold their lethal product with zeal, with deception, with a single-minded focus on their financial success, and without regard for the human tragedy or social costs that success exacted."
And that's exactly what Exxon and the other oil companies have been doing for nearly 40 years.
And that's why Sharon Eubanks, the former US Department of Justice attorney who prosecuted and won the racketeering case against Big Tobacco - is calling for the Department of Justice to look into whether Exxon violated the RICO Act."
Exxon's Climate Lie: 'No Corporation Has Ever Done Anything This Big or Bad'
Exxon's Climate Lie: 'No Corporation Has Ever Done Anything This Big or Bad'
"They helped organise campaigns designed to instil doubt, borrowing tactics and personnel from the tobacco industry’s similar fight. They funded “institutes” devoted to outright climate denial. And at the highest levels they did all they could to spread their lies."
"They helped organise campaigns designed to instil doubt, borrowing tactics and personnel from the tobacco industry’s similar fight. They funded “institutes” devoted to outright climate denial. And at the highest levels they did all they could to spread their lies."
Sanders Joins Call for DOJ Investigation into Exxon's Climate Coverup
Sanders Joins Call for DOJ Investigation into Exxon's Climate Coverup
"Exxon may have known about climate change and the role of fossil fuels in exacerbating global warming as far back as 1977 and spent millions of dollars funding a misinformation campaign to cast doubt on scientific information as it emerged to the public."
"Exxon may have known about climate change and the role of fossil fuels in exacerbating global warming as far back as 1977 and spent millions of dollars funding a misinformation campaign to cast doubt on scientific information as it emerged to the public."
Sanders wants DOJ Exxon probe, Whitehouse renews call for RICO investigation over climate fraud
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/21/1436553/-Sanders-wants-DOJ-Exxon-probe-Whitehouse-renews-call-for-RICO-investigation-over-climate-fraud
"anyone who thinks Exxon or the Journal or the host of Koch-paid shills who have been smearing scientists and ridiculing the truth are going to stop their campaign of lies because of the latest exposé of their evil shenanigans should know better. Big Tobacco didn't stop lying when it was first exposed."
"anyone who thinks Exxon or the Journal or the host of Koch-paid shills who have been smearing scientists and ridiculing the truth are going to stop their campaign of lies because of the latest exposé of their evil shenanigans should know better. Big Tobacco didn't stop lying when it was first exposed."
Exxon Knew Everything There Was to Know About Climate Change by the Mid-1980s—and Denied It
http://www.thenation.com/article/exxon-knew-everything-there-was-to-know-about-climate-change-by-the-mid-1980s-and-denied-it/
"as early as the late 1970s, Exxon scientists were briefing top executives that climate change was real, dangerous, and caused by their product."
"as early as the late 1970s, Exxon scientists were briefing top executives that climate change was real, dangerous, and caused by their product."
Bernie Sanders Calls For Federal Investigation Of Exxon
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/10/20/3714390/bernie-sanders-investigate-exxon-climate-denial/
"ExxonMobil conducted research as far back as 1977 affirming that climate change is caused by carbon emissions from fossil fuels. At the same time, the oil giant gave millions of dollars to politicians and organizations that promote climate science denial, and spent millions more lobbying to prevent regulations to limit carbon emissions.
Sanders, like many, compared the allegations against ExxonMobil to the DOJ’s massive and successful lawsuit against the tobacco industry. That action found that a number of big tobacco companies engaged in racketeering by conspiring to hide the harmful impacts of smoking from the public."
"ExxonMobil conducted research as far back as 1977 affirming that climate change is caused by carbon emissions from fossil fuels. At the same time, the oil giant gave millions of dollars to politicians and organizations that promote climate science denial, and spent millions more lobbying to prevent regulations to limit carbon emissions.
Sanders, like many, compared the allegations against ExxonMobil to the DOJ’s massive and successful lawsuit against the tobacco industry. That action found that a number of big tobacco companies engaged in racketeering by conspiring to hide the harmful impacts of smoking from the public."
Fox News’ bogus CIA terror analyst fed off a nation hooked on lies: Wayne Simmons is a symptom of a much deeper disease
Fox News’ bogus CIA terror analyst fed off a nation hooked on lies: Wayne Simmons is a symptom of a much deeper disease
"Hell, how many Americans believe that Obama has raised taxes to record highs, or that illegal immigrants are flooding across the border in record numbers? How many people believe that wasteful social programs are to blame for our national debt, that free-market capitalism is guaranteed to bring prosperity to all and that Americans lead longer, healthier and happier lives than Europeans (ruled as they are by Sharia and socialism and other forms of unfreedom)? Those things are not remotely true or approximately true or halfway true. They’re just lies, brilliantly woven into a suffocating ideological fabric that smothers democracy and snuffs out the possibility of social change. We are a nation hooked on lies, and Wayne Simmons’ only mistake was that his lies weren’t good enough."
"Hell, how many Americans believe that Obama has raised taxes to record highs, or that illegal immigrants are flooding across the border in record numbers? How many people believe that wasteful social programs are to blame for our national debt, that free-market capitalism is guaranteed to bring prosperity to all and that Americans lead longer, healthier and happier lives than Europeans (ruled as they are by Sharia and socialism and other forms of unfreedom)? Those things are not remotely true or approximately true or halfway true. They’re just lies, brilliantly woven into a suffocating ideological fabric that smothers democracy and snuffs out the possibility of social change. We are a nation hooked on lies, and Wayne Simmons’ only mistake was that his lies weren’t good enough."
Altar Welfare: Churches Steal $71 Billion A Year From Taxpayers, Spend Little On Charity
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/altar-welfare-churches-steal-71-billion-a-year-from-taxpayers-spend-little-on-charity/
"The Republican Party has the mendacity to stand in the way of legislation that would close hidden corporate and personal tax loopholes that are estimated to cost American taxpayers $38 billion a year. However, what always slips right through the cracks are the tax benefits to religious organizations, which overwhelmingly support Republicans, and are estimated to cost taxpayers nearly double those of hidden off-shore havens."
"The Republican Party has the mendacity to stand in the way of legislation that would close hidden corporate and personal tax loopholes that are estimated to cost American taxpayers $38 billion a year. However, what always slips right through the cracks are the tax benefits to religious organizations, which overwhelmingly support Republicans, and are estimated to cost taxpayers nearly double those of hidden off-shore havens."
“Brutal, or whatever”: The disastrous Bush Doctrine lives on in Jeb’s campaign
“Brutal, or whatever”: The disastrous Bush Doctrine lives on in Jeb’s campaign
"Jeb’s foreign policy retinue is comprised mainly of the same cranks and charlatans who populated Brother George’s national security team. Once-notorious Bush administration veterans you probably haven’t heard about or thought of in years – Paul Wolfowitz, Stephen Hadley, Porter Goss – are all signed on to Jeb’s campaign and guiding his thinking on foreign policy. If you thought the Iraq disaster had chased these guys from public life and left the Bush Doctrine on history’s ash heap, you were unfortunately mistaken."
"Jeb’s foreign policy retinue is comprised mainly of the same cranks and charlatans who populated Brother George’s national security team. Once-notorious Bush administration veterans you probably haven’t heard about or thought of in years – Paul Wolfowitz, Stephen Hadley, Porter Goss – are all signed on to Jeb’s campaign and guiding his thinking on foreign policy. If you thought the Iraq disaster had chased these guys from public life and left the Bush Doctrine on history’s ash heap, you were unfortunately mistaken."
Fact-Checkers: Trump Is A Liar, U.S. Doesn’t Have Highest Tax Rate In The World
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/fact-checkers-trump-is-a-liar-u-s-doesnt-have-highest-tax-rate-in-the-world/
"The fantasyland of Trump and his apparently mindless supporters aside, in reality this statement couldn’t be further from the truth no matter how you measure it. A list compiled by the international tax advising firm KPMG found that the United States’ top income tax rate – 39.6% – ranks 33rd out of 112 countries surveyed. A different analysis ranked the U.S. 38th out of 155 countries. As for the bottom income tax level, the United States’ minimum of 10% ranked 42nd out of 152 countries surveyed by Ernst & Young, an international accounting firm.
Despite these middle of the pack rankings – and the fact that after deductions the average American pays an effective tax rate of only 9.5% – one could argue that such measures are inadequate because of some nations’ emphasis on corporate or payroll taxes rather than income taxes. No cigar for The Donald here either, though. In fact, the United States ranks even lower internationally on analyses that measure the overall tax burden. For example, in the measurement of tax revenue as a percentage of GDP – widely considered an effective measure by tax experts – the United States’ rate of 25% ranks it 27th out of 30 advanced economies studied by the OECD. In a World Bank ranking of taxation as a percentage of GDP, the U.S. ranked a far-from-the-highest 103rd out of 115 countries studied. Finally, when ranking by the measure of tax revenue per capita, the U.S. figure of $13,482 ranks us 16th out of 29 countries surveyed by the OECD.
Any way you slice it, America’s tax rates are far from the highest in the world, and in fact often rank among the lowest."
"The fantasyland of Trump and his apparently mindless supporters aside, in reality this statement couldn’t be further from the truth no matter how you measure it. A list compiled by the international tax advising firm KPMG found that the United States’ top income tax rate – 39.6% – ranks 33rd out of 112 countries surveyed. A different analysis ranked the U.S. 38th out of 155 countries. As for the bottom income tax level, the United States’ minimum of 10% ranked 42nd out of 152 countries surveyed by Ernst & Young, an international accounting firm.
Despite these middle of the pack rankings – and the fact that after deductions the average American pays an effective tax rate of only 9.5% – one could argue that such measures are inadequate because of some nations’ emphasis on corporate or payroll taxes rather than income taxes. No cigar for The Donald here either, though. In fact, the United States ranks even lower internationally on analyses that measure the overall tax burden. For example, in the measurement of tax revenue as a percentage of GDP – widely considered an effective measure by tax experts – the United States’ rate of 25% ranks it 27th out of 30 advanced economies studied by the OECD. In a World Bank ranking of taxation as a percentage of GDP, the U.S. ranked a far-from-the-highest 103rd out of 115 countries studied. Finally, when ranking by the measure of tax revenue per capita, the U.S. figure of $13,482 ranks us 16th out of 29 countries surveyed by the OECD.
Any way you slice it, America’s tax rates are far from the highest in the world, and in fact often rank among the lowest."
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Vets For Bernie: Why the Most Anti-War Candidate Has Many Military Supporters @alternet
Vets For Bernie: Why the Most Anti-War Candidate Has Many Military Supporters @alternet
"The VFW award joins numerous other awards Sanders has received for his work for veterans, including the 2014 American Legion Patriot Award and the Military Officers Association of America Colonel Arthur T. Marix Congressional Leadership Award, given to Sanders in April 2014."
"The VFW award joins numerous other awards Sanders has received for his work for veterans, including the 2014 American Legion Patriot Award and the Military Officers Association of America Colonel Arthur T. Marix Congressional Leadership Award, given to Sanders in April 2014."
Scott Walker Is Ready To Turn Back The Clock On Ethics And Campaign Finance In Wisconsin
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/10/21/3714163/wisconsin-ethics-campaigns/
"the Wisconsin state legislature has lined up this week on bills designed to deregulate state campaign finance law, dissolve the state ethics and elections board, and take away a key tool prosecutors use to investigate political crimes.
Gov. Scott Walker (R) — home from his expensive, short-lived bid for president — has indicated he will sign all three measures into law, should they reach his desk.
If they are enacted, critics warn the bills would dramatically remake how elections are run in a state that used to be one of the most progressive and ethically strict in the nation."
"the Wisconsin state legislature has lined up this week on bills designed to deregulate state campaign finance law, dissolve the state ethics and elections board, and take away a key tool prosecutors use to investigate political crimes.
Gov. Scott Walker (R) — home from his expensive, short-lived bid for president — has indicated he will sign all three measures into law, should they reach his desk.
If they are enacted, critics warn the bills would dramatically remake how elections are run in a state that used to be one of the most progressive and ethically strict in the nation."
The End Of Good Government In Wisconsin
The End Of Good Government In Wisconsin
"In an interesting twist and a brilliant maneuver, each and every Democrat recused themselves from the vote, pointing out that they have a conflict of interest because it would directly affect their own campaign committees. The Republicans were at a loss at having their blatant corruption and greed exposed like that, but not enough so to keep them from passing the bill anyway."
"In an interesting twist and a brilliant maneuver, each and every Democrat recused themselves from the vote, pointing out that they have a conflict of interest because it would directly affect their own campaign committees. The Republicans were at a loss at having their blatant corruption and greed exposed like that, but not enough so to keep them from passing the bill anyway."
The Kochs Want to End WI's Era of Clean Government
The Kochs Want to End WI's Era of Clean Government
"This week, the Wisconsin state legislature will take up a trifecta of bills that will undermine the state's long traditions of clean and transparent government.
One bill will gut the state's campaign finance laws and retroactively decriminalize the secretive campaign finance schemes that Walker engaged in during the recall elections, opening the doors to new levels of dark money in state elections.
Another bill will cripple the the state's nonpartisan Government Accountability Board--considered a model for other states--and turn it into a toothless, partisan agency. The board of nonpartisan retired judges will be replaced with partisan appointees that are guaranteed to gridlock (like the ineffective Federal Elections Commission), and gives the legislature power to cut funding for an investigation that it doesn't like.
A third bill will prohibit Wisconsin's John Doe statute, which was used to investigate Walker and is similar to a grand jury yet in front of a judge, from being used to investigate political corruption."
"This week, the Wisconsin state legislature will take up a trifecta of bills that will undermine the state's long traditions of clean and transparent government.
One bill will gut the state's campaign finance laws and retroactively decriminalize the secretive campaign finance schemes that Walker engaged in during the recall elections, opening the doors to new levels of dark money in state elections.
Another bill will cripple the the state's nonpartisan Government Accountability Board--considered a model for other states--and turn it into a toothless, partisan agency. The board of nonpartisan retired judges will be replaced with partisan appointees that are guaranteed to gridlock (like the ineffective Federal Elections Commission), and gives the legislature power to cut funding for an investigation that it doesn't like.
A third bill will prohibit Wisconsin's John Doe statute, which was used to investigate Walker and is similar to a grand jury yet in front of a judge, from being used to investigate political corruption."
Conservatives ridicule GOP Benghazi committee members: Hillary is too smart for them
Conservatives ridicule GOP Benghazi committee members: Hillary is too smart for them
"The reviews are rolling in for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s performance before the GOP-led House Benghazi committee and they are uniformly “loved her, hated them” — even among conservatives."
"The reviews are rolling in for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s performance before the GOP-led House Benghazi committee and they are uniformly “loved her, hated them” — even among conservatives."
Dem. Congressman Evokes Reagan, Makes GOP Look Like Fools on Benghazi (Video)
Dem. Congressman Evokes Reagan, Makes GOP Look Like Fools on Benghazi (Video)
"So while Republicans clearly had this set up as their moment to try to break the back of Hillary Clinton’s presidential hopes, all they really did was showcase that these Benghazi hearings are nothing but a petty, partisan witch hunt that’s exploiting the deaths of four Americans for political gains – and the gains are going to Hillary Clinton."
"So while Republicans clearly had this set up as their moment to try to break the back of Hillary Clinton’s presidential hopes, all they really did was showcase that these Benghazi hearings are nothing but a petty, partisan witch hunt that’s exploiting the deaths of four Americans for political gains – and the gains are going to Hillary Clinton."
Why Hillary Makes Right-Wingers So Crazy @alternet
Why Hillary Makes Right-Wingers So Crazy @alternet
"The composure and toughness she demonstrated at the Benghazi hearing threatens a worldview rooted in patriarchy."
"The composure and toughness she demonstrated at the Benghazi hearing threatens a worldview rooted in patriarchy."
Benghazi, Joe McCarthy and the witch trials: Trey Gowdy’s farcical hearings tap into a deep, dark American current
Benghazi, Joe McCarthy and the witch trials: Trey Gowdy’s farcical hearings tap into a deep, dark American current
"The House Select Committee on Benghazi, chaired by Rep. Trey Gowdy, before which Hillary Clinton testified for nearly 11 hours on Thursday, is not really investigating the Benghazi incident, in which Libyan militants overran a United States diplomatic compound and four Americans were killed. Or to put it another way, Gowdy’s committee is seeking the truth about Benghazi in the same sense that Joe McCarthy investigated actual Communist spies in the U.S. government, or that Cotton Mather pursued actual witches in Salem Village."
"The House Select Committee on Benghazi, chaired by Rep. Trey Gowdy, before which Hillary Clinton testified for nearly 11 hours on Thursday, is not really investigating the Benghazi incident, in which Libyan militants overran a United States diplomatic compound and four Americans were killed. Or to put it another way, Gowdy’s committee is seeking the truth about Benghazi in the same sense that Joe McCarthy investigated actual Communist spies in the U.S. government, or that Cotton Mather pursued actual witches in Salem Village."
Hillary Clinton had a great day — but Elijah Cummings was the real star of the Benghazi hearing
Hillary Clinton had a great day — but Elijah Cummings was the real star of the Benghazi hearing
"At another point, Cummings slammed Gowdy for telling his fellow House Republicans to shut-up after their honest admissions of the political motives of the committee made healdlines in the lead up to Thursday’s much anticipated showdown."
"At another point, Cummings slammed Gowdy for telling his fellow House Republicans to shut-up after their honest admissions of the political motives of the committee made healdlines in the lead up to Thursday’s much anticipated showdown."
Hillary Stronger Than Ever As Republicans Panic Over Botched Benghazi Hearing
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2015/10/23/hillary-stronger-than-ever-as-republicans-panic-over-botched-benghazi-hearing/
"They’ve invested so much time, effort and political capital into this line of attack that they cannot possibly abandon it, even this early in the election cycle. That’s the problem with only running against something instead of for something; if you can’t find a chink in your opponent’s armor, you’re left with little to nothing to campaign against."
"They’ve invested so much time, effort and political capital into this line of attack that they cannot possibly abandon it, even this early in the election cycle. That’s the problem with only running against something instead of for something; if you can’t find a chink in your opponent’s armor, you’re left with little to nothing to campaign against."
How Hillary Clinton’s Testimony On Benghazi Compares To George Bush’s Testimony On 9/11
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2015/10/23/3715560/testimony-benghazi-911/
"In all, Clinton has spent almost 14 hours being publicly questioned about Benghazi. After a horrific terrorist attack occurred on September 11, 2001, during George W. Bush’s presidency, he spent one hour testifying to the 9/11 commission. That hour of testimony took place in private, and without even the full committee in attendance."
"In all, Clinton has spent almost 14 hours being publicly questioned about Benghazi. After a horrific terrorist attack occurred on September 11, 2001, during George W. Bush’s presidency, he spent one hour testifying to the 9/11 commission. That hour of testimony took place in private, and without even the full committee in attendance."
Republicans' 11-Hour Gift to Hillary Clinton
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/republicans-11-hour-gift-to-hillary-clinton-20151023
"things weren't going well for the committee even before Thursday's marathon testimony. To begin with, it's now the longest sitting special committee in American history, having surpassed the investigation into the Iran-Contra scandal and the historic Church Committee, which investigated not only Watergate but abuses by the CIA, FBI and NSA. That this committee has lumbered over the political landscape like some idiot golem willed into existence from a pile of trash only highlights the insignificance of its focus. Those other committees were merely about the power of the presidency, civil liberties and what kind of republic we have. The Benghazi committee is like Angie Jordan saying "ham" for 15 minutes.
If that weren't bad enough, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy went and gave the game away, admitting the truth that anyone with two brain cells to rub together knew all along: that the committee's signature accomplishment had been driving down Hillary Clinton's poll numbers, which was the only reason for its existence in the first place. By the time Thursday's events were gaveled into order, anyone paying attention knew they were about to bear witness to the toxic alchemy of campaign ratfucking melding with a surpassing waste of everyone's time."
"things weren't going well for the committee even before Thursday's marathon testimony. To begin with, it's now the longest sitting special committee in American history, having surpassed the investigation into the Iran-Contra scandal and the historic Church Committee, which investigated not only Watergate but abuses by the CIA, FBI and NSA. That this committee has lumbered over the political landscape like some idiot golem willed into existence from a pile of trash only highlights the insignificance of its focus. Those other committees were merely about the power of the presidency, civil liberties and what kind of republic we have. The Benghazi committee is like Angie Jordan saying "ham" for 15 minutes.
If that weren't bad enough, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy went and gave the game away, admitting the truth that anyone with two brain cells to rub together knew all along: that the committee's signature accomplishment had been driving down Hillary Clinton's poll numbers, which was the only reason for its existence in the first place. By the time Thursday's events were gaveled into order, anyone paying attention knew they were about to bear witness to the toxic alchemy of campaign ratfucking melding with a surpassing waste of everyone's time."
Stop Hillary PAC Exposes Actual Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
http://www.breitbartunmasked.com/2015/10/22/stop-hillary-pac-exposes-actual-vast-right-wing-conspiracy1/
"Now that Congress has studied the 2012 tragedy in Libya longer than any committee in that body’s history has ever studied anything, it’s clear that House Republicans have no intention of ever actually ever ‘finishing’ the Benghazi investigation, as the Boykin demographic and the Freedom Caucus would instantly raise hell if any part of the anti-Clinton machinery came to a halt. It doesn’t matter how many times or in how many ways Trey Gowdy’s commmittee is exposed as a political hatchet job. We have seen this exact formula at work before when Clinton was First Lady: by undying repetition of falsehoods, the harmful impression of a truth is created, endless right wing bloviations are empowered, and polarization paralyzes our politics."
"Now that Congress has studied the 2012 tragedy in Libya longer than any committee in that body’s history has ever studied anything, it’s clear that House Republicans have no intention of ever actually ever ‘finishing’ the Benghazi investigation, as the Boykin demographic and the Freedom Caucus would instantly raise hell if any part of the anti-Clinton machinery came to a halt. It doesn’t matter how many times or in how many ways Trey Gowdy’s commmittee is exposed as a political hatchet job. We have seen this exact formula at work before when Clinton was First Lady: by undying repetition of falsehoods, the harmful impression of a truth is created, endless right wing bloviations are empowered, and polarization paralyzes our politics."
BUSTED: Republican Trey Gowdy Caught Using Private Email Server
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/busted-republican-trey-gowdy-caught-using-private-email-server/
"If Gowdy wants to push the fabricated email scandal, he’d better be ready to put his own actions under the microscope."
"If Gowdy wants to push the fabricated email scandal, he’d better be ready to put his own actions under the microscope."
Democrat Drops Nine Devastating Fact-Bombs On Republicans’ Benghazi ‘Investigation’
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/democrat-drops-nine-devastating-fact-bombs-on-republicans-benghazi-investigation/
"The witch-hunt into Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State is one of the most shameful abuses of power our nation has seen since Watergate. They have spent millions of taxpayer dollars and utterly failed in every conceivable way."
"The witch-hunt into Hillary Clinton’s tenure as Secretary of State is one of the most shameful abuses of power our nation has seen since Watergate. They have spent millions of taxpayer dollars and utterly failed in every conceivable way."
Hillary Clinton Slams Partisan Nature of Benghazi Inquiry
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/10/benghazi-hillary-clinton-beirut-partisan-vitriol
"She went on to compare the current inquiry to those that followed the attacks on Benghazi that killed four Americans, and the 1983 attacks on the US Marine barracks and the US embassy in Beirut, in which nearly 260 American Marines, sailors, and soldiers were killed. She pointed out that the level of political vitriol flying back and forth today was not in evidence then, and opposing political forces worked together after major incidents that cost American lives."
"She went on to compare the current inquiry to those that followed the attacks on Benghazi that killed four Americans, and the 1983 attacks on the US Marine barracks and the US embassy in Beirut, in which nearly 260 American Marines, sailors, and soldiers were killed. She pointed out that the level of political vitriol flying back and forth today was not in evidence then, and opposing political forces worked together after major incidents that cost American lives."
Our Corporate Media Kept The Benghazi Scam Going
Our Corporate Media Kept The Benghazi Scam Going
"So the fact that the national press, at the behest of Republicans, remains focused on Benghazi this week is somewhat amazing. But as the GOP's Benghazi production winds down, having had its reputation severelydamaged in recent days, it's important to understand the central role the press has played over the last three years in keeping the partisan pursuit afloat."
"So the fact that the national press, at the behest of Republicans, remains focused on Benghazi this week is somewhat amazing. But as the GOP's Benghazi production winds down, having had its reputation severelydamaged in recent days, it's important to understand the central role the press has played over the last three years in keeping the partisan pursuit afloat."
A masturbatory exercise in political theater: The Benghazi hearing showed exactly why Americans hate Congress
A masturbatory exercise in political theater: The Benghazi hearing showed exactly why Americans hate Congress
"The Benghazi committee, like so many Congressional hearings, was an exhibition in grandstanding. The House, which is controlled by conservatives, exists mostly as a vehicle for Republicans to promote their brands. They have a political agenda to be sure, but it’s not aimed at accomplishing anything legislatively, just as the Benghazi hearing wasn’t designed to produce new information.
Yesterday was a stage. The Republicans who attacked Hillary Clinton were performing – none of it was necessary as a public service. As Clinton pointed out, an independent review board has already released 29 recommendations for improving security for American diplomats overseas, the culmination of several thorough investigations. We already know what happened in Benghazi. But this wasn’t about Benghazi.
It was about Republicans who wanted to score points (and votes) by attacking Hillary Clinton before a national audience."
"The Benghazi committee, like so many Congressional hearings, was an exhibition in grandstanding. The House, which is controlled by conservatives, exists mostly as a vehicle for Republicans to promote their brands. They have a political agenda to be sure, but it’s not aimed at accomplishing anything legislatively, just as the Benghazi hearing wasn’t designed to produce new information.
Yesterday was a stage. The Republicans who attacked Hillary Clinton were performing – none of it was necessary as a public service. As Clinton pointed out, an independent review board has already released 29 recommendations for improving security for American diplomats overseas, the culmination of several thorough investigations. We already know what happened in Benghazi. But this wasn’t about Benghazi.
It was about Republicans who wanted to score points (and votes) by attacking Hillary Clinton before a national audience."
Top Democrat to GOP: You’ve Spent More Time Investigating Benghazi Than 9/11!
http://www.occupydemocrats.com/top-democrat-to-gop-youve-spent-more-time-investigating-benghazi-than-911/
"Given the gross negligence that President Bush displayed when confronted with the evidence that a serious terrorist attack was imminent on American soil, it is absolutely astonishing that further action has not been taken against the former members of the Bush Administration, who went on to commit a slew of war crimes, including instigating the most costly and ineffective war in our nation’s history and running a secret torture program. If Republicans really cared about our embassy security, maybe they shouldn’t have cut $300 million from State Department security budgets during the sequester. But when have they ever practiced what they preach?"
"Given the gross negligence that President Bush displayed when confronted with the evidence that a serious terrorist attack was imminent on American soil, it is absolutely astonishing that further action has not been taken against the former members of the Bush Administration, who went on to commit a slew of war crimes, including instigating the most costly and ineffective war in our nation’s history and running a secret torture program. If Republicans really cared about our embassy security, maybe they shouldn’t have cut $300 million from State Department security budgets during the sequester. But when have they ever practiced what they preach?"
The Day the GOP Turned the Benghazi Tragedy Into a Farce
http://www.thenation.com/article/the-day-the-gop-turned-the-benghazi-tragedy-into-a-farce/
"Three hours into the Select Committee on Benghazi hearing Thursday, Chairman Trey Gowdy, rocking a subdued fauxhawk, grew red with anger and slick with sweat. His GOP colleague Representative Susan Brooks, who’d printed out hundreds of pages of Clinton’s e-mail, and kept the stacks handy, stroking them occasionally, really should have offered some of that paper to Gowdy, so he could wipe himself down."
"Three hours into the Select Committee on Benghazi hearing Thursday, Chairman Trey Gowdy, rocking a subdued fauxhawk, grew red with anger and slick with sweat. His GOP colleague Representative Susan Brooks, who’d printed out hundreds of pages of Clinton’s e-mail, and kept the stacks handy, stroking them occasionally, really should have offered some of that paper to Gowdy, so he could wipe himself down."
The Benghazi Committee's $4.7 Million Fishing Expedition Has Come Up Empty
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a39099/benghazi-kangaroo-court-conservative-madness/
"There has been no better example of non-governance displayed on TV since the last time Marco Rubio gave a speech. There has been no better view granted of the sheer stupidity and incompetence that has run riot in those halls because of the last two midterm elections since the last time Steve King parted his brain on the left side. There has been no more sterling example of the now-undeniable truth that modern movement conservatism has declined into a tangled mess of myth, shibboleth, and outright fabulism since the last time Ed Klein wrote a book. A whole philosophy of government, and still an influential one, stands exposed as little more than a puppet show for the national Id, and not a particularly sharp one, either. A movement full of grifters and ignorami, acting out a simulacrum of representative government for the benefit of an audience steeped in comfortable, narcotic delusion. Seriously, today's hearings performed roughly the same public service that Patricia Neal did in A Face In The Crowd, when she threw open Lonesome Rhodes's microphone when he wasn't looking."
"There has been no better example of non-governance displayed on TV since the last time Marco Rubio gave a speech. There has been no better view granted of the sheer stupidity and incompetence that has run riot in those halls because of the last two midterm elections since the last time Steve King parted his brain on the left side. There has been no more sterling example of the now-undeniable truth that modern movement conservatism has declined into a tangled mess of myth, shibboleth, and outright fabulism since the last time Ed Klein wrote a book. A whole philosophy of government, and still an influential one, stands exposed as little more than a puppet show for the national Id, and not a particularly sharp one, either. A movement full of grifters and ignorami, acting out a simulacrum of representative government for the benefit of an audience steeped in comfortable, narcotic delusion. Seriously, today's hearings performed roughly the same public service that Patricia Neal did in A Face In The Crowd, when she threw open Lonesome Rhodes's microphone when he wasn't looking."
WATCH: The Daily Show Rips Time-Wasting Benghazi Charade @alternet
WATCH: The Daily Show Rips Time-Wasting Benghazi Charade @alternet
"The 10-hour posture-fest solidified the image— already shared by 75% of Americans—that the Benghazi "investigation" is politically motivated and more about scoring points than finding the truth. In other words: it was perfect fodder for the "Daily Show"."
"The 10-hour posture-fest solidified the image— already shared by 75% of Americans—that the Benghazi "investigation" is politically motivated and more about scoring points than finding the truth. In other words: it was perfect fodder for the "Daily Show"."
Trey Gowdy’s historic Benghazi implosion: A political witchhunt that would make Joe McCarthy squirm
Trey Gowdy’s historic Benghazi implosion: A political witchhunt that would make Joe McCarthy squirm
"Right wing conspiracy nuts aren’t what they used to be."
"Right wing conspiracy nuts aren’t what they used to be."
The Select Committee on Benghazi Is a Joke. Not All Congressional Inquiries Are.
http://www.thenation.com/article/the-select-committee-on-benghazi-is-a-joke-not-all-congressional-inquiries-are/
"Obviously a transparent, taxpayer-funded opposition research project launched by Republicans against a likely foe in the upcoming presidential election, the select committee was a joke. And Republicans aren’t done making a mockery of congressional inquiries: Next up is a select committee to investigate Planned Parenthood."
"Obviously a transparent, taxpayer-funded opposition research project launched by Republicans against a likely foe in the upcoming presidential election, the select committee was a joke. And Republicans aren’t done making a mockery of congressional inquiries: Next up is a select committee to investigate Planned Parenthood."
We Counted Every Question: The Benghazi Hearing Was Dominated By Debunked Media Myths And Things Clinton Already Answered
http://mediamatters.org/blog/2015/10/23/we-counted-every-question-the-benghazi-hearing/206399
"37 months, seven completed investigations, a litany of media fact checks, and 11 hours later, it's unclear what could possibly be missing from the record. But right-wing media are already defending the committee and restarting the endless cycle of falsehoods, so we can look forward to hearing those 316 questions again and again and again."
"37 months, seven completed investigations, a litany of media fact checks, and 11 hours later, it's unclear what could possibly be missing from the record. But right-wing media are already defending the committee and restarting the endless cycle of falsehoods, so we can look forward to hearing those 316 questions again and again and again."
Trey Gowdy Should Go To Prison, Here’s Why
http://samuel-warde.com/2015/10/republican-hypocrite-trey-gowdys-rapid-descent/
"in a bombshell revelation, the Central Intelligence Agency reached out to Democrats serving on the Select Committee on Benghazi on Saturday to confirm that Chairman Trey Gowdy had altered documents provided to the committee by Hillary Clinton."
"in a bombshell revelation, the Central Intelligence Agency reached out to Democrats serving on the Select Committee on Benghazi on Saturday to confirm that Chairman Trey Gowdy had altered documents provided to the committee by Hillary Clinton."
Friday, October 23, 2015
The Benghazi bust: Trey Gowdy and his GOP colleagues embarrassed themselves
The Benghazi bust: Trey Gowdy and his GOP colleagues embarrassed themselves
"All in all it was a bust for Gowdy and the Benghazi committee, to the point that conservative pundits were griping about how poorly the Republicans fared against Clinton. Anyone who doubted that the committee was a partisan exercise in Clinton-bashing came away free of doubts. The only sliver of good news for the Republicans is that it likely won’t matter. The notion that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton engineered some sort of evil Benghazi cover-up is already assumed to be true in the minds of conservatives and Republican voters. The fact that Gowdy and crew spent the day stepping on rakes and scoring own-goals in a failed attempt to “prove” it won’t change their minds. And the House GOP won’t put the brakes on the investigation because the committee’s utility as a vehicle for strategic press leaks outweighs the bad press it’s enduring at the moment. The Benghazi committee will grind on, performing much the same role it always has."
"All in all it was a bust for Gowdy and the Benghazi committee, to the point that conservative pundits were griping about how poorly the Republicans fared against Clinton. Anyone who doubted that the committee was a partisan exercise in Clinton-bashing came away free of doubts. The only sliver of good news for the Republicans is that it likely won’t matter. The notion that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton engineered some sort of evil Benghazi cover-up is already assumed to be true in the minds of conservatives and Republican voters. The fact that Gowdy and crew spent the day stepping on rakes and scoring own-goals in a failed attempt to “prove” it won’t change their minds. And the House GOP won’t put the brakes on the investigation because the committee’s utility as a vehicle for strategic press leaks outweighs the bad press it’s enduring at the moment. The Benghazi committee will grind on, performing much the same role it always has."
Latest Benghazi Hearing Proves To Be a Disaster for Republicans
Latest Benghazi Hearing Proves To Be a Disaster for Republicans
"While many Americans (especially conservatives) might not be aware, this is not the first investigation into Benghazi – it’s the eighth. Most of which have been led by Republicans. In fact, this time last year, many of the same people who are on this current committee were members of another Republican-led House investigation that debunked all the nonsense that’s been pushed by the right since 2012. That’s why they released the findings of that investigation just before Thanksgiving, when most of the country was obviously preoccupied with the holiday."
"While many Americans (especially conservatives) might not be aware, this is not the first investigation into Benghazi – it’s the eighth. Most of which have been led by Republicans. In fact, this time last year, many of the same people who are on this current committee were members of another Republican-led House investigation that debunked all the nonsense that’s been pushed by the right since 2012. That’s why they released the findings of that investigation just before Thanksgiving, when most of the country was obviously preoccupied with the holiday."
Stop Hillary PAC Exposes Actual Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
Stop Hillary PAC Exposes Actual Vast Right Wing Conspiracy
"Gowdy's last fig leaf of nonpartisanship has been blown off by disclosures of his links to Stop Hillary PAC."
"Gowdy's last fig leaf of nonpartisanship has been blown off by disclosures of his links to Stop Hillary PAC."
Rep. Schiff To Gowdy: 'THIS Is What $4.7 Million Buys The Taxpayers'
Rep. Schiff To Gowdy: 'THIS Is What $4.7 Million Buys The Taxpayers'
"Schiff begins his time allotted by mentioning the investigations that have already been conducted, where there has been not one shred of proof of wrongdoing by anyone in the State Department. He said that the implication of this hearing is that the American people don't know anything new from the findings here. He listed and showed the volume of previous reports, those being:
The ARB Report
The Report from the Armed Services Committee led by GOP Buck McKeon (debunking stand down order allegation)
The Report from the Committee on Government Reform
The Report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee
The Report from the House Foreign Affairs Committee
The GOP's own conferences report
We have the report from the Intelligence Committee, on which I serve."
"Schiff begins his time allotted by mentioning the investigations that have already been conducted, where there has been not one shred of proof of wrongdoing by anyone in the State Department. He said that the implication of this hearing is that the American people don't know anything new from the findings here. He listed and showed the volume of previous reports, those being:
The ARB Report
The Report from the Armed Services Committee led by GOP Buck McKeon (debunking stand down order allegation)
The Report from the Committee on Government Reform
The Report from the Senate Homeland Security Committee
The Report from the House Foreign Affairs Committee
The GOP's own conferences report
We have the report from the Intelligence Committee, on which I serve."
These Two Charts Show How Fraudulent GOP Benghazi Investigation Is
http://ringoffireradio.com/2015/10/22/these-two-charts-show-how-fraudulent-gop-benghazi-investigation-i/
"The number congressional hearings conducted for the Benghazi attacks, 32, far outpaced the number held for 9/11, 22. This number includes both public and private hearings. 9/11 was a highly sophisticated and organized terror attack, especially compared to Benghazi, yet, it received far less congressional scrutiny. The Benghazi investigation is completely politicized."
"The number congressional hearings conducted for the Benghazi attacks, 32, far outpaced the number held for 9/11, 22. This number includes both public and private hearings. 9/11 was a highly sophisticated and organized terror attack, especially compared to Benghazi, yet, it received far less congressional scrutiny. The Benghazi investigation is completely politicized."
After marathon day of Clinton testimony, Benghazi committee continues streak of partisan failure
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/23/1437589/-After-marathon-day-of-Clinton-testimony-Benghazi-committee-continues-streak-of-partisan-failure
"By 6pm-ish, Fox News had bailed from its live coverage of the hearings, which should summarize how the network thought things were going."
"By 6pm-ish, Fox News had bailed from its live coverage of the hearings, which should summarize how the network thought things were going."
72 Percent Of Americans Say Benghazi Investigation Is A Political Sham
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/10/22/72-percent-of-americans-say-benghazi-investigation-is-a-political-sham.html
"The committee’s lead character assassin, Trey Gowdy has become so distraught with his own failure to score political points from his sham investigation that he has taken to playing the victim."
"The committee’s lead character assassin, Trey Gowdy has become so distraught with his own failure to score political points from his sham investigation that he has taken to playing the victim."
Trey Gowdy Can't Think Of One New Thing They Learned During The Hearings
Trey Gowdy Can't Think Of One New Thing They Learned During The Hearings
"After 11 hours of grilling Hillary Clinton about Benghazi, he was forced to admit he learned exactly nothing."
"After 11 hours of grilling Hillary Clinton about Benghazi, he was forced to admit he learned exactly nothing."
The reason for the GOP's Blumenthal secrecy finally revealed
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/22/1437551/-The-GOP-s-Blumenthal-secrecy-finally-revealed
"We finally find out why the Republicans on the Benghazi committee have refused to release the entire transcript of Sidney Blumenthal's testimony. Thank you, Rep. Adam Schiff of California. Congressman Schiff gave us a look at what he called "Sidney Blumenthal by the numbers," and it's clear the GOP doesn't want the American public to know what they asked Blumenthal about—because it had nothing to do with the actual Benghazi attacks."
"We finally find out why the Republicans on the Benghazi committee have refused to release the entire transcript of Sidney Blumenthal's testimony. Thank you, Rep. Adam Schiff of California. Congressman Schiff gave us a look at what he called "Sidney Blumenthal by the numbers," and it's clear the GOP doesn't want the American public to know what they asked Blumenthal about—because it had nothing to do with the actual Benghazi attacks."
Even conservatives admit the Benghazi show trial was a flop: “Could make you feel sorry for Stalin”
Even <em>conservatives</em> admit the Benghazi show trial was a flop: “Could make you feel sorry for Stalin”
"ending the day with a bit of gratification at the expense of right-wingers’ disappointment seems warranted."
"ending the day with a bit of gratification at the expense of right-wingers’ disappointment seems warranted."
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