Watching the Republicans - Runaway Train

[Clodfobble]

This creates large numbers of hybrid individuals, biracial or triracial
people with names like Enrique Cohen-Chan.

[richlevy]

Soon, we will no longer be an outpost of Europe, but a nation of mutts

Already there......

[Lamplighter]

Back during the Nixon days, there were "operatives" in charge of "dirty tricks".
They were young fellows, Republicans, that spent their pre-election time
finding ways to embarrass the Democrats.
Sometimes, their tricks worked, sometimes backfired, and sometimes
they were found out...to the embarrassment of the G.O.P.
Now, some such Republicans have matured into the Congressional leadership.

Can we take a look at Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, for a minute ?

Washington Post
Dana Milbank
June 28, 2013

Darrell Issa and the overblown scandals

This is how a scandal implodes:
<snip>
Documents released by Ways and Means committee Democrats this week show that the IRS,
in addition to targeting tea party groups, also had “Be on the Lookout” (BOLO) lists
for groups using descriptors such as “progressive,” “health care legislation,”
“medical marijuana,” “paying national debt” and “green energy.”

Finally, evidence surfaces that the investigator stacked the deck.
Tuesday night, the Hill newspaper quoted a spokesman for Treasury’s inspector general,
Russell George, saying the group was asked by Issa “to narrowly focus on tea party organizations.”
The inspectors knew there were other terms, but “that was outside the scope of our audit.”

Certainly, something went badly wrong at the IRS that caused groups
to be targeted because of ideology. But it’s nothing like the conspiracy Issa cooked up
in which the president and his men supposedly used the tax authority to attack their political foes.
<snip>

Shortly before the 2010 election, Issa told Rush Limbaugh that Obama
“has been one of the most corrupt presidents in modern times.”
He later said Obama isn’t “personally corrupt” but his administration is.
Issa then set out to prove it.

He led a probe into the failed “Fast and Furious” gun sting
by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Issa declared that “it went all the way to the White House,” insisting that the plan
was approved “at the highest levels of the Obama appointees,”
and that the Justice Department “has blood on their hands.”
The Justice Department inspector general determined that Attorney General
Eric Holder didn’t even know about the program until after it was shut down.

After the failure of Solyndra, a government-aided solar company,
Issa probed Energy Department loan guarantees, saying
“I want to see when the president and his cronies are picking winners and losers
... that it wasn’t because there were large contributions given to them.”
The committee documented no cronyism and no presidential involvement.

Issa probed the response to Freedom of Information Act requests
by the Department of Homeland Security, saying the matter
“reeks of a Nixonian enemies list, and this committee will not tolerate it.”
Nothing Nixonian surfaced.

After the killing of U.S. officials in Benghazi, Libya, Issa accused then-Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton of giving false information to Congress when
she said she wasn’t involved in denying the Libyan diplomats’ security requests.
He also said that it was “perhaps the White House” that later changed talking points
to make it appear that the assault had begun as a protest.
It turned out Clinton wasn’t involved in the security decision
and the White House wasn’t behind the change in the talking points.
.

Darrell Issa seems bound and determined to prove the validity of the Peter Principal.

[Lamplighter]

Obama is finally learning to play the game by rules the Republicans will understand...

USA TODAY
David Jackson,
July 11, 2013

White House pledges veto of GOP farm bill

<snip>
"Traditionally, farm bills are enacted by a partnership of rural lawmakers interested
in agricultural programs and urban supporters of food stamps and other public nutrition programs."
<snip>
House Republicans are scheduled to vote on their own farm bill Thursday,
but the White House has already threatened a veto.

The Democrat-run Senate is also unlikely to pass the House Republican farm bill
that would expand a crop insurance program, but does not include food stamps for the poor.<snip>

Typical Republican behavior of late...They will pass this House Bill,
and then take their bat-n-ball and go home for summer recess.
.

[ZenGum]

Rep Mark Takano (D - CA), I love you.

http://www.happyplace.com/25021/form...with-a-red-pen

[Adak]

Love the red pen, but have you ever read a bill of say, 300 pages? Every page will typically refer you to another part of the bill, and that part of the bill, will refer you to one or more other parts. You probably read some of them before, but you need to reread them again, in this new context.

They are typically complex legal documents. Even if you read 300 pages per day, you might very well not finish a full reading of a 300 page bill, in a week, since every page requires a re-read of several sections, in the new context.

No one had read Obamacare fully, before it was passed. Most had not even managed a half-decent overview of it, and it's implications on an industry (health care), that makes up in total, nearly 1/3rd of our economy.

Public opinion was turning against Obamacare, so it had to be rammed down our throats, and some Senators and Representatives, had to be blatantly bribed with $$$ promises.

There is no earthly reason to lump a farm aid bill, with non-farm aid matters. The unearthly reason to do so, is so a LOT of welfare can be covered over as "farm aid", instead of welfare for non-farmers.

This is very handy for the Democratic party. They love the poor so much. They want a lot more of them, and under the past several liberal Presidents and Congresses - by god, it's working!

[tw]

Originally Posted by Adak

There is no earthly reason to lump a farm aid bill, with non-farm aid matters.

The farm aid bill is government welfare to big corporations. As a result, American now pays about $140 million to Brazilian farmers annually. A fine imposed on America due to illegal 'corporate welfare' in that existing bill.

The farm bill is almost entirely welfare to big corporations such as Archer Daniels Midland. A right wing research organization (Cato Institute) even discusses this:
http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-241.html

Why do we waste energy and money on ethanol? Corporate welfare. Even that only exists because charity to big corporations is more important than science, reality, and the advancement of America.

We have a serious problem. Due to an economy created by 'enrich the rich' legislation, we know have an increasing number of people even working in poverty. And now dependent on food stamps. They must be evil. Instead we must protection welfare to corporations. And continue the policies that have created our economic malaise.

The farm bill is welfare to big agriculture - corporations.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Adak

They are typically complex legal documents. Even if you read 300 pages per day, you might very well not finish a full reading of a 300 page bill, in a week, since every page requires a re-read of several sections, in the new context.

Very true, it's impossible to do a comprehensive read through. In the bill writers defense, the sections of the bill(or another bill) they refer to were probably hashed in subcommittee and maybe even court tested for language.

No one had read Obamacare fully, before it was passed.

Bullshit, just nobody who could vote on it. We spend millions for congressional staff to do just that, and explain to the drones we elect what it says. And business spends billions to do the same. You can be sure every syllable was thoroughly parsed.

Public opinion was turning against Obamacare...

Why? Because of all the Chicken Littles screaming the sky is falling, for their various and often devious reasons. So the confused public hearing growling from inside the cave, says back up, don't go in there.

There is no earthly reason to lump a farm aid bill, with non-farm aid matters. The unearthly reason to do so, is so a LOT of welfare can be covered over as "farm aid", instead of welfare for non-farmers.

Au contraire, the farm bill is more than just giving large farm corporations millions of dollars, and a few bucks for the little guys. A large portion of that hard to read legalese pertains to the government stabilizing markets/price floors, by buying excess production... can you say government cheese.

I admit there is a whole lot of hiding shit in unrelated bills, and should be stopped. But in this case it would be logical... ok, as logical as any government plans, to use the stuff they bought to help feed the people they've deemed worthy of not starving. So you see, it's all tied together.

[Griff]

I actually deliver a daily piece of this action. The bulk of the bill is free money for Big Ag but they occasionally do good by people.

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/care/

CACFP plays a vital role in improving the quality of day care for children and elderly adults by making care more affordable for many low-income families.

Through CACFP, more than 3.3 million children and 120,000 adults receive nutritious meals and snacks each day as part of the day care they receive.

[Adak]

Bullshit, just nobody who could vote on it. We spend millions for congressional staff to do just that, and explain to the drones we elect what it says. And business spends billions to do the same. You can be sure every syllable was thoroughly parsed.

Don't you remember the Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi), saying that the bill should be voted on now, and we'll find out what's in the bill, later?

Absolutely, our Congress did NOT have a chance to read through the bill before they voted on it. Even with the help of their staff, all they could do was peruse through parts of it. This was widely discussed on the conservative talk shows, and all the Senators and Reps who were interviewed all agreed, they had not had time to read through it all. That's one reason why they were so upset. They did not know the complete contents of the bill, before they had to vote on it.

I'm just thrilled that we are making more and more people, dependent on the federal government. Because we know there could never be a 30-40% fraud rate in any of their programs.

If it's one thing we need to do to raise our standard of living, it's put a few more million people, onto welfare programs - yep! That will really help!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Adak

Don't you remember the Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi), saying that the bill should be voted on now, and we'll find out what's in the bill, later?

Sure, and agree it was a stupid remark made in frustration with congressmen whining about not having time to read it, using that to try and drag out the process for month after month after month.

In truth her remark meant nothing, everyone of those cocksuckers knew exactly what they were voting for after the staff and more importantly the lobbyists briefed them.

Because of the concerted effort by the political overlords wanting Obama would fail, and the tremendous power of the insurance, drug, and medical device suppliers, the only way to make it happen was to pass an imperfect bill and then make adjustments. A truly bipartisan effort in favor of the voters, could slowly wrest the power back from the lobbyists and build a world class system of medical care for everyone.

[ZenGum]

Yeah, welfare is for corporations! Because they never try to cheat the government.

[Adak]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

Yeah, welfare is for corporations! Because they never try to cheat the government.

You mean like GE paying no corporate income tax?

Sure! But who MADE THE LAWS that make all those exemptions possible for GE?

Our corrupt politicians in Washington, that's who!

I want to blame GE, but they're just big enough, and smart enough, to use the legal exemptions, already in place. They did NOT make them the law of the land.

Corporations SHOULD limit their legal liability (taxes). So should we. Our politicians should QUIT pandering to everything the corporations want, so they can get $$$ for their next election.

We are LONG overdue for election reform in this country.

[ZenGum]

Our corrupt politicians in Washington, that's who!

Close. Four "our" read "their" and for "corrupt" read "tame".

I want to blame GE, but they're just big enough, and smart enough, to use the legal exemptions, already in place. They did NOT make them the law of the land.

See above. See also Lobbyist, campaign contribution.

Still, you're largely right. (man, that's twice in two days! WTF?) If voters allow themselves to be suckered by the corporate funded ad blitz into electing a bunch of lobby-puppets, well, they get the government they deserve.

I understand the frustration for any US voters who actually pay attention and take things seriously.

[Griff]

I pay attention but I'm learning not to take things seriously. Empires fall, we're just in a unique position to watch. This is high entertainment if you keep your distance.