Boehner Reads Polls, Caves on Payroll Tax Break Extension

Faced with criticism from across the political spectrum and abandoned by Senate allies, House Republicans bowed to political reality Thursday and agreed to a two-month extension of a payroll tax cut for 160 million Americans. After promising to hold their breath, hoping to die and sticking a needle in their eye until they got further cuts to programs benefitting those in need, their bluff was called. The tax break is backed by President Barack Obama, and was initially brought up as part of his job stimulation program. The break involves keeping payroll taxes down by 4.2 percent until February, continuing extended unemployment benefits and maintaining the present Medicare reimbursement rates for doctors. A similar deal was rejected by the Republican-dominated House of Representatives on Tuesday after being approved by the Senate. This time House Republicans supported the bill since their political suicide was pointed out to them by their wingnut collegues in the Senate. When Mitch McConnell becomes a voice of reason, you know you've really lost control of the conversation.

The View From The Deck - Week Ending 4/18/10

Goldman Sachs was busted this week by the SEC for fraud. So you'd think financial reform legislation would fly through the senate in a quick nearly unanimous matter, right? With the current environment of outrage from the voters against big banks and bailouts, this moment would be the push for regulation that we've all been clamouring for! If you thought that, you'd be wrong. All 41 Republican senators have signed a letter and sent it to Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) opposing the legislation. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is spreading the false claim (prepared by Frank Luntz: it's not what you say, it's what people here) that this bill entitles Wall St. to never ending bailouts. I think it's great news for Democrats, seriously. If Republicans are going to "bank" on fooling the voters in November with false claims about what is in this bill, any momentum they may have gathered over the misinformation spread during the HCR battle is going to be lost because the Democrats seemed to have learned a lesson and are fighting back. This bill in fact does the oppostite, it requires liquidation of the failed institution...something many wanted from the start. By taking the stance they are with opposing regulation, they've sided with the big banks. Good luck with winning over the true independents with that position.

Here's another good one. New Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown was asked by a Boston Globe reporter why he's opposed to the bill, and doesn't really seem to know why as he responded with; "Well, what areas do you think should be fixed? I mean, you know, tell me. And then I'll go get a team and go fix it." Holy chit! He asked the reporter what to do! Congratulations Massachusetts, we have the male version of Sarah Palin representing us in the senate. Ted Kennedy must be rolling in his grave. Read more here. 

Earlier this week President Obama discussed why the U.S. must do it's best to resolve conflicts before they become too serious, but Sarah Palin doesn't think he made sense when he said, "It is a vital national security interest of the United States to reduce these conflicts because whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower, and when conflicts break out, one way or another we get pulled into them." Snowbilly grifter said, "I would hope that our leaders in Washington, D.C., understand we like to be a dominant superpower." Yes, let's listen to the woman that didn't know North Korea and South Korea were two seperate countries thinking the relationship was akin to North Dakota and South Dakota. OK, she enjoys the U.S. being pulled into conflict and having our tax dollars spent overseas, but doesn't want all Americans to have access to affordable health care. Gotta love those compassionate conservatives. I guess she also doesn't understand, or more likely doesn't care that sending our military into harms way to fight someone else's battle's is offensive to some of us. Apparently she also doesn't understand that our meddling in other countries affairs is why we're hated by many countries. Admittedly, strong national defense is important, pursuing world domination at any cost is wrong.
Didn't she quit her job as governor to spend more time with her family and get out of the limelight? Why is her voice still being heard? She's a danger with her nonsensical proclamations.

In what must be applauded as a positive step, President Obama ordered that nearly all hospitals allow patients to say who has visitation rights and who can help make medical decisions, including gay and lesbian partners. He instructed his Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius to draft rules requiring hospitals that receive Medicare and Medicaid payments to grant all patients the right to designate people who can visit and consult with them at crucial moments. Sounded like a great day for equal rights and then something a little weird happened...
The very same day this was announced, the White House ripped CBS for suggesting Solicitor General Elena Kagan, widely viewed as a leading candidate for the Supreme Court is gay. Um, is our White House playing it both ways? Such a strong denial and assertion seems like a pretty homophobic reaction that they've blown waaay out of proportion at the mere suggestion of Kagan's sexuality. I might not have even heard about it had they not behaved as such asshats. Personally, I don't care what her sexual orientation is, she's a conservative and I do not want her selected as the next Justice of the Supreme Court. This is one of those "elections have consequences" thingies that are of major importance. He needs to put someone in there who will not continue the trend of moving the court to the right. It is worth the fight, sir! I've said it before, this administration has me all over the place with what they're doing. One thing I haven't wavered on, fire closet conservative Rahm Emanual.

Saturday Evening Thoughts...

First, an FYI: Rachel Maddow will appear tomorrow on Meet the Press. Other guests will include, VP Joe Biden, former Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN), Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) and journalist David Brooks.

• Clearly, the Senate Republicans strategy is to filibuster everything to win in November. "Republicans are gambling they can convince the American people Democrats can't get much done, and at the moment, their gamble is paying off," said former Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Nebraska Democrat and the president of the New School in New York. Here's my fear; which Democrat will be the first one to utter that the American people are smarter than that...they understand that the Republicans are obstructionists? Let me say now... No they're not! The American people are not smarter than that! Work on the message NOW!

• The GOP is outraged that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pared the bipartisan jobs bill unveiled on Thursday. It appears that old Harry reached down and found some golden nuggets! Why are Republicans outraged? He removed the K Street Kickback, which extends huge tax credits to large corporations. The K Street payoff is counted in the tens of billions of dollars. Chuck Marr, director of federal tax policy at the Washington-based Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said tax extenders don't belong in the jobs bill. "They have nothing to do with the jobs bill, nothing to do with unemployment." Give 'em hell, Harry!

• The previous paragraph leads me to this one. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) sobbed on Senate floor about his chief of staff heading for K Street. His right-hand man, Kyle Simmons, is leaving his side after 14 years. Simmons is starting up a lobbying firm with another chief of staff. Was he crying that his pally might not make as much money on the backs of taxpayers? Maybe Mitchy boy thought Reid wouldn't have the "nuggets" to put a stop to the payouts! There's something about McConnell (besides his party) that bothers me. He has a very evil, deceitful little smirk every time you see him.

• Tea Party leader Dale Robertson cautioned Tea Partiers to be wary, because Sarah Palin, headliner of last week's National Tea Party Convention, represents a threat "to the heart of the Tea Party:" [] "I am sending an alarm to the Tea Party membership! Be alert to turncoats and deceivers being herded into the Tea Party by usurpers from the weakened Republican Party for the sole purpose of capturing our populist movement." Poor Sarah, not even the Tea Partiers are taking her seriously anymore. I guess when you give a "hand written" Republican stump speech at a movement that some of them actually believe is grassroots, you get blowback. Who knew any of them would figure it out?

• Newly elected Senator Scott Brown (R-MA) is going to write a book that combines memoir and inspiration. Evidently he wants to tell his personal story about his life leading up to his election as a United States senator from Massachusetts. I literally started laughing when I read this. He's been a senator for what, 9 days?! I guess he's following fellow shallow shell Palin, cashing in while the iron is hot. Rumors up here are that Joe Kennedy regrets not running for his uncle's seat...so do we. If I were Scotty, I wouldn't be moving too much homey furniture into his D.C. office.  I think a Kennedy may regain that seat in 2012.

• New Hampshire State Rep. Nancy Elliott (R) shared some of her visions of gay male sex at an executive session to repeal same sex-marriage. I wasn't sure I wanted to post this, but since my point is going to be that she's the real pervert, I'm going with it. "We're talking about taking the penis of one man and putting it in the rectum of another man and wriggling it around in excrement. And you have to think, I'm not sure, would I allow that to be done to me?" She continued until interrupted by someone off camera, "Representative Elliott... Let's keep our discussion directly to the bill." She then went on with some other nonsense about it being taught in schools. That statement is such a blatent lie, yet anti-gay fear mongers continue to get away with saying it. And how can you visualize and describe in detail something you (allegedly) don't participate in?! If not participating, maybe she's into pornography? You know, most people secure with themselves don't put much thought into activities that don't affect them. The fact that this lunatic has put a lot of thought into this and was giving details creeps me out as to who she actually is. I hope NH voters send her to the unemployment line.