Watching the Republicans - Runaway Train

[Undertoad]

Today's problem: poor people aren't going to get free food.

Yesterday's problem: poor people are obese.

I'm
just
saying.

[Lamplighter]

The Republicans are just solving one problem with another.
They are such good people... always looking out for the less fortunate.

I'm just saying.

[Clodfobble]

Wendy Davis is going to run for Texas governor.

It's still unlikely she'll win, but at least her chances will be a little better running against a new Republican and not Rick Perry. That asswipe is stepping down, thank God, most likely to pursue another Presidential bid. Don't you fuckers elect him, you hear me? Don't you do it.

[Lamplighter]

We are near the last stages of the GOP-driven government shut down.

The GOP needs to call in Penny from the Big Bang Theory as a management consultant.
Penny was able to convince Sheldon about the danger in antagonizing his waitress.

Maybe she could also convince the House Republicans the dangers of antagonizing
their own Congressional staff members by deleting their health care.

[Lamplighter]

For those of you who do not watch Rachel Maddow, and do not watch Fox 5 news out of Virginia...

Try this link + 15 sec ad.

Duggars campaign for Cuccinelli in Woodbridge,
have tough time remembering McAuliffe's name
Fox 5
10/16/13



Then, you may/may not wish to uncover my wife's NSFW comment below...
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My wife said: "That woman must have f***ed his brains out"

[Lamplighter]

There are several reports in the press about the schism
within the GOP since the shutdown/debt ceiling.
Some are reporting an actual division of the Republican Party.

I'm curious how the NRC will employ their usual "dirty trick"
and/or "turn strength into weakness" in this process.

Here is one recently implemented strategy to protect GOP incumbents...


The Guardian
10/18/13

Is the Republican party's effort to win black voters just skin-deep?
After Romney's loss in 2012, the RNC made great play of wooing minorities.
Erika Harold exposes how thin that commitment is

When it's convenient to their diversity "story-telling",
the Republican National Committee loves black Republicans.

After Mitt Romney got whacked in the 2012 presidential election
because he ignored minority voters, the RNC pledge[d] it would
engage with minority voters and support more candidates of color.<snip>

Ask black Republican Erika Harold; she can tell you all about it.
The former Miss America 2003 and Harvard Law School graduate, Harold had the audacity
to challenge white, male, first-term Representative Rodney Davis in a GOP primary
for Illinois' 13th congressional seat – and is witnessing the party machine's discrimination up-close and personal.

The Illinois Republican party refused to give Harold access to the GOP data center.
Formerly called the "voter vault", the data center is where the RNC stores
voting information for all voters in the country, which it makes available
to the 50 state parties for free. Candidates are given access to the database to target donors and voters.

In response to Harold's request, the state central committee,
which governs the Illinois GOP, issued a new policy at its 5 October meeting.
The new policy stated that challengers to any Republican incumbent
would not be given access to the voter database.

However, the policy did permit county chairs to give access to
county voter data at their own discretion.
How convenient for the white incumbent, Davis.

Will we be hearing about "candidate fraud" and "candidate ID cards".

[Clodfobble]

You have to admit, there's a difference between trying to talk some number of black voters into voting for a white guy (they can only gain, if incrementally,) and expecting racist white voters to vote for a black woman (they can lose their existing base, big time.) The GOP just knows their members.

[Lamplighter]

Today is the day... SNAP feels the brunt of the true spirit and intent of the GOP.

The average monthly benefit per household last year was $278.
A family of 4 will receive $36 less in Food Stamps each month
due to this cut, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The government recognizes that recipients previously received
enough food stamps for only the first 27 days of the month.
Now, they will run short after the first 3 weeks each month.

Stateline
Jake Grovum
11/1/13

How Food Stamp Cuts Affect Your State

Benefits are being reduced by about 5 percent beginning Nov. 1 for all of the
nearly 47.7 million Americans on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.<snip>

The cuts severely curtail the federal funds that have flowed
into local communities and businesses through the states.<snip>

The reductions will be acutely felt in states with a higher food stamp population,
particularly in the dozen states where one in five residents is collecting benefits.

(For state-by-state data on the distribution of the cuts and
how many people are affected in each state, see Stateline’s interactive.)

Note, the interactive link above will take you to a screen like this,
which shows each state's numbers of children and elderly affected by the GOP intransigence.

The GOP is proposing an additional $40,000,000,000 ($40 billion) cuts over the next 10 years.

... HAPPY THANKSGIVING and MERRY CHRISTMAS too...

[Undertoad]

LL, why is Oregon the third biggest big food stamp state?

[Lamplighter]

Without looking it up somewhere, I'd guess the following... not in any particular order.

Rural populations that depended on the extremely depressed timber industry
Rural coastal populations that rely on the fishing industry
Rural coastal populations that rely on the tourist industry
... all coastal business is very cyclic and/or has suffered in recent years.

Native Americans (reservations)
- but this may be changing with the new gambling casino incomes

Oregon has a fairly liberal attitude towards the homeless,
but I'd be surprised if that is a truly a significant number
- even tho we know other states do put a small number of homeless
or otherwise disabled people on buses with one-way tickets to PDX.

Otherwise, we also know that Portland is midway between Seattle and California,
and has mild winters so the homeless/unemployed are our "rain birds"
- as opposed to our better off "snow birds" that travel south over the winter.

Beyond that, I'd look at just the general unemployment in PDX as
a result of loss of jobs in manufacturing as the major group.

[Lamplighter]

The GOP has just learned the hard way that what goes around comes around.
The GOP is resorting to name-calling... but Reid has just told the GOP: GFYS.

Harry Reid gave plenty of warning back when Ted Cruz made his threat
of "filibuster vs government shut down".

Harry Reid also gave warning days ago when Lindsey Graham made his threat
of stopping all Senate approvals for "judgeships vs Benghazi"

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

<snip>

Remember Lindsey Graham's political manoeuvre of blocking ALL of Obama's nominees ....

NY Times
BILL CARTER and MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT
11/8/13

CBS to Correct Erroneous Report on Benghazi

Undoubtedly, the GOP will now attempt to make reprisals regardless of who might get hurt.
Eventually, they will succeed at something, and round and round we will go.

[regular.joe]

Very generous of you to say that the GOP has learned something.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[classicman]

Harry Reid is still an ass. This is not a good thing for the country. It makes those currently in power,and their supporters happy. I doubt they will agree when the shoe is on the other foot... Time will tell.

[Lamplighter]

Harry Reid is still an ass. This is not a good thing for the country.<snip>

Classic, I basically agree with you. It was an "unfortunate" action.

I've read that historically, the dear, upstanding, GOP Vice President Richard Nixon
tried to do the same thing (twice), but Senate members didn't let him get away with it.

But seriously, aside from name-calling, what would you have Reid do ?

This came directly from the tactics of current several GOP senators,
...and specifically from one, [R-SC] Lindsay Graham, who openly and publicly
promised to filibuster all nominees, regardless of the person or the position
until he got his way on a completely unrelated political issue (Benghazi).

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by Lamplighter

But seriously, aside from name-calling, what would you have Reid do ?

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...cloture-votes/

This was from 3 1/2 years ago.

http://newsjunkiepost.com/2010/03/02...f-filibusters/

A less partisan and more up to date viewpoint, but with less information about the structure of Congress at the time.

http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/ref...tureCounts.htm

There is a point at which reasoned opposition becomes an attempt at nullification. On one hand the Republicans complain about being weak in foreign affairs and on the other hand they attempt to weaken him domestically. They complain about his lack of accomplishments domestically.

Well, the good news is that part of that whole lack of accomplishments domestically is now being handled. It will still end up in a gerrymandered House, but there will now be actual votes on issues and voters can see where their senators stack up.

I'd love to hear what Ann Coulter is saying about this. When the Democrats used it, the partisan princess was all about how the filibuster had no Constitutional basis. Did she stay consistent or did she backpeddle her big ass?