;)
Monday
Sep302013
The Commentariat -- October 1, 2013
Via the Washington Post, here's a full transcript of the President's remarks early this afternoon. ...
Thanks to MAG for the lead.
** Joshua Holland, writing in Bill Moyers' Journal, fingers the media as part of the problem: "... with a demographic tide going against them, Republicans have gradually jettisoned the norms that make democratic governance possible. First they filibustered virtually everything. Then they started creating these annual budget showdowns to fight for cuts in taxes and spending. Now they're using the budget battle to advance the entire legislative agenda of the hard right. In essence, they have made crisis governance the new normal -- but they did so incrementally. Like frogs in the proverbial pot, many journalists have slowly acclimated to these extreme, democracy-suffocating circumstances and now seem incapable of describing what's they're seeing." Holland provides examples. An excellent piece. ...
... The Washington Post has links to a bunch of shutdown impact stories here. ...
... The Post is liveblogging developments. ...
... Steve Inskeep of NPR interviewed President Obama on Monday. NPR released the interview this morning. The transcript is here:
... CW: Inskeep repeatedly asks stupid questions. He is insistent that President Obama find some way to "negotiate" with House Republicans. ...
... Here's the New York Times story, by Jonathan Weisman & Jeremy Peters, on the debacle. ...
... Tea Party Republicans like Michele Bachmann are boasting they got what they wanted. Really? As most of the government shuts down because attempts to defund Obamacare, ObamaCare goes live. The "health insurance marketplace" is now open at Healthcare.gov.
President Obama releases a message to U.S. troops:
Midnight. The Tea Party got exactly what they have wanted all along -- no government and they continue to be paid. The Senate has recessed till 9:30 am ET. Reid said, in effect, he would just table whatever baloney the House sent over, unless it was a clean bill. Rachel Maddow heard the House was going to have some vote on something. ...
... CW: MSNBC is reporting that probably a majority of House Republicans would vote for a clean continuing resolution.* If that is correct, it means that the "Hastert Rule" is out; the House is now operating on the "Boehner Rule" -- a bill will not be brought to the floor unless a minority of the majority approves of it. If Boehner had done what a probable majority of his caucus wanted & brought a clean CR to the floor, it would have passed easily. So this entire fiasco, it is important to realize, is the product of John Boehner's desire to keep his speaker's salary. It certainly isn't about his keeping his power because he has already ceded that to the Crazy Cruz Caucus. ...
... * Update: perhaps MSNBC based its speculation on this report by conservative Byron York of the Washington Examiner: "There are 233 Republicans in the House. Insiders estimate that three-quarters of them, or about 175 GOP lawmakers, are willing, and perhaps even eager, to vote for a continuing resolution that funds the government without pressing the Republican goal of defunding or delaying Obamacare. On the other side, insiders estimate about 30 House Republicans believe strongly that Obamacare is such a far-reaching and harmful law that the GOP should do everything it can --- everything --- to stop it or slow it down." CW: Got that? John Boehner let 30 crazed ideologues shut down the government so he could keep his job. ...
... Lori Montgomery & Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "Hours before a midnight deadline, the Republican House voted 228 to 201 to pass its third proposal in two weeks to fund the government. Like the previous plans, it sought to undermine the Affordable Care Act, this time by delaying enforcement of the 'individual mandate,' a cornerstone of the law that requires all Americans to obtain health insurance. The new measure also sought to strip lawmakers and their aides of long-standing government health benefits. The Democratic Senate quickly rejected that plan on a party-line vote of 54 to 46." ...
... President Obama spoke about the federal government shutdown, which will begin at midnight September 30. He didn't mince words:
... The New York Times is liveblogging developments re: the shutdown. ...
... Austin Wright of Politico: "President Barack Obama plans to sign a last-minute bill authorizing paychecks for troops and some Defense Department workers and contractors if the government shuts down, the White House said Monday. The House-passed bill to ensure the military is paid was approved without dissent in the Senate on Monday -- a rare bipartisan agreement as Congress stumbled toward midnight when the fiscal year ends and current appropriations expire." ...
... "Plan C." Jake Sherman & John Bresnahan of Politico: "With just hours to go until the government shuts down, House Republicans will try to pass a bill that would delay the mandate that individuals buy health insurance and would cancel health-insurance subsidies for members of Congress and staff, the president and administration appointees.... Those provisions would be attached to a government-funding bill, which will almost certainly be rejected by the Senate, since Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he wouldn't accept changes to Obamacare in the government funding negotiations." ...
... Ezra Klein: "John Boehner's 'Plan C' hurts Congress, hurts taxpayers, fixes nothing." ...
... Ginger Gibson of Politico: "House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Monday offered Speaker John Boehner the needed votes from her caucus to passed the continuing resolution that has already cleared the Senate. It is a compromise by Democrats, she argued. It isn't a surprising move by the California Democrat, who has so far refused to officially accept the $986 billion funding levels in the Senate-passed version of the bill. There was little doubt, however, that if called upon Pelosi would have been able to deliver the votes." ...
... Jackie Calmes of the New York Times: "On what was shaping up as a Monday to remember at the White House, President Obama was alternately spectator and actor on three different issues that could define his legacy: the budget, health care and Middle East peace." ...
... Stephen Collinson of the AP: "President Barack Obama promised Benjamin Netanyahu Monday he would enter talks with Iran with clear eyes and demand verifiable concessions, following the Israeli leader's warnings about 'sweet talk' from the Islamic Republic." ...
... Peter Steinhauser of CNN: "According to [a CNN/ORC] survey, just 10% of Americans say they approve of the job Congress is doing, an all-time low in a CNN poll. And 87% say they disapprove of the job federal lawmakers are doing, higher than it's ever been in CNN polling.... While Americans' perception of the job Congress is doing has taken a hit, President Barack Obama's approval rating -- well under 50% -- has remained steady since earlier in the month....The unfavorable numbers for the tea party movement are also at an all-time high in CNN surveys." ...
... Looks like the denizens of Right Wing World are trying to minimize the impact of their sabotage. The National Review has one post titled, "Not Really a Shutdown; Most Services Keep Going," and the subhead under another is "The debate over the government shutdown should acknowledge its limited effects." ...
... MEANWHILE, here's the thinking at the right-wing American Spectator. Jed Babbin: "There's only one solution, and Republicans are stumbling toward it: let the government shut down for a few days, weeks or months in order to force Obama to the bargaining table and into a real compromise in which he has to give up something important such as Obamacare funding." And Robert McCain writes, "Liberal 'shutdown' rhetoric ignores the irresponsibility of Democrats." under the headline -- with a picture of President Obama & Harry Reid -- "Extremely Extreme Extremists." ...
... Update: Fox "News" is slugging this as a "Partial Government Shutdown."
Thanks to Kate M.
... CW: An example of biased poll reporting. CNN Political Unit: "Less than one in five Americans say their families will be better off under the new health care law, according to a new poll." That's the lede. Yeah, they're the "Political Unit," all right. The Tea Party wing of it. Halfway down the page, the reader learns, "... 36% say they won't benefit from the new law but other families will. If you add to that the 17% who believe Obamacare will help them personally, the survey indicates that most Americans see some good coming from it. Some 37% say no one in the country will benefit from the measure." What this poll means, roughly, is that only 17 percent of Americans believe they may need coverage for a pre-existing condition, or think they will get sick & need health insurance but can't otherwise afford it, or want to keep their college kids on their family policy, or don't already get government-backed health insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, V.A.), or have a vague knowledge of the beneficial provisions of the new healthcare law or even know the law exists (something like 33 percent of Americans, I read elsewhere, think the Supreme Court struck down ObamaCare or Congress repealed it) or never watch Fox "News." None of this takes into account the many indirect benefits the rest of us get when others are able to get health insurance & proper medical care. ...
... Update: The Hill reporting on this poll is even worse. The headline: "Less than one in five say ObamaCare will help." The reporter, Rebecca Shabad, doesn't even bother to include the mitigating data cited in the CNN report.
See yesterday's Comments re: the following:
16 Comments
Reader Comments (16)
Quite a relief to learn this AM that the Reality Chex Comments were not part of the far-reaching government shutdown. Had begun to suspect the whole ACA hullabaloo was no more than a stalking horse intended to divert attention from the actual, up to now hidden, Right wing goal: A stealth attack on RC commenters, the Right's real bane.
They have to know frequenters of this site are a dangerous bunch; you all make too much sense.
But my relief is tempered by the latest reports. The standoff is not over, and caution suggests Reality Chex might still be in their sights.
You think that vision paranoid enough to qualify me for a seat in the House?
Ken,
To answer your question: no.
Sadly, you exhibit far too much residual sanity.
First, you write in complete sentences, sentences bereft of ludicrous embellishment, apocalyptic dissimulation, and jaw-dropping mendacity. Also, no sense of victimhood, hatred, or intolerance.
Second, you use the word "tempered", a big no-no for aspiring wingnuts. This suggests the very real and frightening possibility of moderation stemming from a familiarity with rational thought and an ability to exist without the crutch of dim-witted, gimcrack ideology.
Sorry, (cue buzzer sound.....aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhnnnnn).
No teabags for you.
Next...
I see that Lyin' Ryan is still with us and flapping his lips just like the old days. I thought this guy was dead; or at least dead drunk, passed out in some red state hump-hump bar, living off his government checks and playing Pokeno to pretend he still has the money thing down.
But no, he's baaaaaack. Back to tell us that, contrary to how it might seem (better know as "the truth") the GOP has been a model of compromise and coöperation. Why, just yesterday he made a very loud point of proclaiming that Republicans have made compromise after compromise while those mean ol' Democrats, that awful Harry Reid, and that bad, bad black president man refuse to give them teh tiniest, most insignificant concessions.
So here are Ryan's compromise offers.
He and the other wingnut terrorists first offered to dial back their original plan of sawing off the head of the ACA with a rusty bread knife, stuffing it full of garlic cloves and tossing it into the Wicker Man fire set up on Ted Cruz's front lawn. Harry Reid put his index finger to his head and moved it around in circles, so their next plan was to merely beat it to death with lead pipes. When those awful, terrible, no good Democrats wouldn't go along with that, they then said that they would--in the spirit of compromise, mind you--only slit its throat a little, maybe halfway, and leave the rest for later.
But did those disagreeable Democrats go along with that compromise plan?
Wah, wah, wah.
Hey, good to have you back Ryan. Now hit the gym.
Your mandibles need work on the speed bag.
We all wondered, at length, last week whether John Boehner, when it came right down to it, would be a man or a mouse.
He's neither.
As Marie's graphic illustrates, he's a turd.
And his obit, will open with "Ball-less bastard who shut down government for handful of insane monkeys dies in obscurity..."
RIF (requiescat in fæx--rest with the turds).
Meanwhile, up here in Murrlan, a husband and father has to do what he has to do: "It ain't cheap, but I need to take care of my family."
Sign up for healthcare? Buy food? Back to school expenses? Braces for the kids? Naw, last day (September 30) to buy some models of assault weapons, magazines with more than ten round capacity, or for some (some?) mentally ill to buy any firearm.
Family comes first.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/in-maryland-gun-buyers-busy-before-new-law-kicks-in/2013/09/30/eb0af1b6-29f3-11e3-97a3-ff2758228523_story.html
I heard some of the NPR interview with Obama this am in the car. I thought he sounded quite solid and confident even though Inskeep was trying his best to do the "balanced" BS. I guess a discharge petition is off the table as the budget is not a bill.
Its gratifying that at least one journalist recognizes the enormous culpability of the media in the deterioration of a functional Democracy.
Unfortunately, it looks like Boehner has thrown in with the nutria caucus to preserve his Speaker's gavel, although in name only. Disappointing but not surprising. If he ever had a modicum of integrity, which is suspect, the alcohol seems to provide all his internal fortitude now. He is a true gutless wonder. I think he's cast his lot and will ride it to the bitter end. Not sure exactly how, but I wager Pelosi will have to mount a rescue.
Got an email from my Congressman today today. His ass is planted firmly on the fence with a bunch of "compromise, lets be adults" BS. He is pathetic, which I told him at some length. He is a physician to boot, so there's no excuse for his abject ignorance about health care. He had no problem using his ethnicity (Indian) and his wife's (African American) as well as the fact they are both physicians to his advantage in the election. What a dick.
And now for a moment of ironic silence: The Reagan Library closed owing to the government shut-down. Via Hullabaloo:
http://www.reaganfoundation.org/
So unless he does something statesmanlike, Speaker Boehner could end up with a shameful obituary and a place in history that makes his grandchildren cringe.
He may be ill, literally. Hemaechromatosis (sp?) is a condition caused by inability to shed excess iron, and can present as:
-- fatigue and distractedness
-- bronze skin discoloration
-- shrunken testes
-- liver damage, especially aggavated by use of alcohol
-- plus other conditions
We can see the first two of those symptoms. The lack of testicular fortitude on current display implies #3. And if he actually has this condition, continuing the use of alcohol will lead to the need for a liver transplant.
He really should be paying a lot of attention to his personal need for good healthcare, and empathetic about others' need for it.
But maybe the condition makes you stupid too.
Just don't get it.
I'm not a fan of the ACA (I wanted Medicare for all), but it's a darned sight better than what we had.
But here's the thing: Republicans are saying we need to delay the start of the program. Well, we did that already, didn't we? The bill was passed in 2009, but implementation was delayed until 2013 in large part so that Republicans would have the chance to run against it in the 2012 presidential election. And run against it they did.
So now that they couldn't get their way through the legitimate electoral process, they're resorting to blackmail.
And they try to legitimize it by saying, "Stand and deliver, Obama, else I will shoot you and then you will be a murderer."
And the media report this as though the "Democrats as murderers" line has just as much validity as the "Republicans as psychopathic blackmailers" story line.
It's enough to make one physically ill.
As NPR and Public Television become gradually more dependent on foundations for the shrinking funds they need to operate , the news reporting becomes more and more the voice of the Plutocracy.
He who's food I eat, His song I sing.
Feeling that this, too shall pass? Not so fast. Here's Paul Waldman in the "American Prospect": http://prospect.org/article/madness-will-never-end. It will go on as there's a Democrat in the White House. If the current impasse is resolved, there will just be another and another. If the Tea Partiers lose one, it's because they weren't conservative enough (in their delusional minds), so it's on to the next even more extreme attack. They didn't lose in 2012 because they put up a candidate the voters didn't like. They lost because Romney wasn't extreme enough. In their minds, if he had only been a true believer, the voters would have loved him and swept him to victory.
My wife was talking with a Southern woman who doesn't have health insurance this morning. She says she can't afford it. Will she look into the ACA? Of course not. If that n**ger in the White House had anything to do with it, it can't be any good. Besides, blacks, Latinos, gays, and other women might take advantage of the ACA, and those groups tend to vote Democrat (Horrors!). Per Forrest Gump "Stupid is as stupid does."
"Ya know, we'll never have a white man as president ever again."
The above is what a white man said to me as I was enjoying a glass of Dr. Frank Chardonnay at the bar of the Holiday Inn in Auburn, NY last week. I asked him why he thought that (I wanted to throw my glass of wine in his face, but why would I waste it?), and he replied, "haven't you heard all those people speaking that Spanish?"
About a month ago President Obama had stayed at this Holiday Inn while traveling through New York. People are still taking about it a month later. The same white man then went onto complain that Obama's bus had cost 4 million dollars, he had too much security, and that Obama even had the audacity to bring his own bed. As this man is blathering on about 4 million dollar buses I googled "Obama 4 million dollar bus" on my iPad and found this:
http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/washington-politics/million-dollar-bus-stirs-criticism-despite-costing-less-than-others-20130819
I tried to correct his bus "facts", but as you might guess he wasn't interested. The bartender eventually joined the conversation, and she tried to correct him about his bed "facts". She had worked the night of Obama's stay, and stated that he did sleep in a hotel bed. She said to him, "I was there, I should know." He then went onto grumble about excessive security, wasting tax payer dollars....blah, blah. Finally some of his buddies came in (one was black!), and they started talkin golf.
Bartender...another glass PLEASE!!!!!
Julie: Reminds me of the story of the Obama's dog that had his own plane. By the way, never heard of a Dr. Frank Chardonnay––enlighten me please.
I am in a bad, bad mood. It started last night when Gwen Iffel had Marcia Blackburn––one of my least favorite Republican females on the PBS News Hour (she referred to Gwen as Judy) and let her go on and on spouting spurious comments without confronting her on anything. Marcia is typical of the kind of southern charm, the twinkle in the eye menace that permeates some of those in Dixie land. If you didn't know she was making stuff up you'd be hoodwinked –––she sounds so sincere and honest. Anyway––she set the stage for outrage at what has happened in this house of turds. But I listened to Obama's speech which I thought spelled out exactly what needed to be explained and felt somewhat hopeful. Yet, while fixing dinner this evening I cursed my gas stove for not igniting properly and was not the best of dinner companions. Akhilleus said yesterday that if the Democrats or/and Obama gave in, even a little bit, he'd lose it. I concurred. He/ they didn't so at least we haven't lost IT. So far.
Rachel Maddow had on her whiteboard about a year ago not once but several times: JOHN BOEHNER IS BAD AT HIS JOB.
Time for a break...was reading, catching up at various sites. Went back to look at the Reader Comments on Joe Nocera's column in today's NYT. He started out OK on th Banana Republican's and then in a head-spinning last paragraph says... "A party controlled by its most extreme faction will ultimately be forced back to the center. The Democrats learned that when Walter Mondale was losing to Ronald Reagan, and Michael Dukakis to George H.W. Bush."
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! A comparative one might expect from MoDo or Brooks. Thank goodness the readers are pounding him on this.
Note to PD (in case Julie doesn't get back to you) the late Dr. Frank Konstantin showed that premium wines could be grown and raised in the middle of New York state. Often hard to find in stores. And, yet...What? It's available at Holiday Inn!!
@PD Pepe
Dr. Frank is a winery located on Keuka Lake within the Finger Lakes of New York: http://www.drfrankwines.com/
It's one of my favorite wineries. A glass or 2 may ameliorate the tea party blues. Since I have family in the area I visit regularly, and always stock up on local wine. NY wines are hard to find outside the state.
Thanks Julie and MAG for the wine info. I'll drink to that!