Public To GOP: Stop Saying ‘No’ And Start Compromising

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Public To GOP: Stop Saying ‘No’ And Start Compromising

November 26th, 2012 10:10 am Jason Sattler

New polls have bad news for the GOP when it comes to the so-called “fiscal cliff.”

The public is more interested in the budget negotiations than any other news story—even the Petraeus sex scandal, according to a recent PEW survey.

Americans have also decided in advance who will be to blame if the budget negotiations fail and we enter 2013 without a deal to avoid across-the-board tax increases and spending cuts—the GOP.

According to a new CNN poll, 45 percent of Americans say they will blame the Republicans–compared to the 34 percent who would blame President Obama. That margin of 11 percent is nearly four times the edge that gave the president his re-election. And 53 percent have an unfavorable view of the Republican Party.

Why is the public so prone to blame Republican members of the House and Senate?

Maybe they’ve been paying attention.

Indeed, 7 out of 10 say the GOP has not done enough to compromise with the president. They made stonewalling their strategy in 2009 and have basically not any made exceptions since — except when they were tricked into doing so. A vast majority of Republicans in Congress have signed Grover Norquist’s pledge that basically means they’re unwilling to compromise—though some senators have started to back away from that once-firm commitment.

Voters also agree with Democrats on the issues — 56 percent say taxes on the wealthy should be kept high. And even Republicans agree by an 8-percent margin that any deal should include tax increases along with spending cuts.

“77% believe that their personal financial situation will be affected if the government goes off the fiscal cliff,” said CNN polling director Keating Holland.

Four years of Republicans hyping the fear that the deficit will personally hurt individual Americans has been effective. But, as The New York Times‘ Paul Krugman writes, “…the clear and present danger to the American economy isn’t that we’ll fail to reduce the deficit enough; it is, instead, that we’ll reduce the deficit too much.”

The president has the upper hand in the negotiation and the GOP’s weakness is demonstrated by the fact that they have a member of the losing Republican ticket on their negotiating team.

But will that be enough? Can this GOP say “yes” to a deal that doesn’t punish the middle class? If past is prologue, the odds aren’t good.

Photo credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

Tags: Bush Tax Cuts, compromise, fiscal cliff, House Republicans, president obama

idamag

Running a government is not a football game where there must be winners and losers and the twain shall never work together for the good of the country. The trickle down theory is a scam and must be discarded. It has never worked and never will work. Giving the corporations more tax breaks so that they will create jobs makes an administration popular with the big boys, but leaves the others out in the cold. If people cannot afford to buy what the corporations are selling, then the corporations won’t make money if they pay no taxes. The Koch brothers might love Eric Canter, but the populace will not if he continues his obstructionism. 400,000 government workers have already been laid off “to balance the budget.” That makes 400,000 more people on the unemployment rolls.

The results of privatizing is out there. A fire department sits by and watches a man’s house burn down because he hasn’t paid his fee yet. A privatized fire department watches a man drown because they did not have water safety training.

A prison, in Idaho, privatized. All the higher paid prison staff was exchanged for entry level people. They started a fight club. Prisoners were made to fight until one of them was not conscious. Once, again, this prison is being investigated for cost cutting that has endangered the physical health of the prisoners.

Privatized charter schools are siphoning off education money that should be going to the public school system.

If the GOP fails to represent all the people, then they should be voted out.

sigrid28

President Obama won re-election for all the reasons you explained so well above. There is a clear mandate. A majority of the public sees through the GOP’s lies about trickle-down economics, job creators, and privatization. By lying, the GOP adds to its troubles by making cheating the only way it can win. The latest lie they are trying out about the Fiscal Cliff is that entitlements must be cut if taxes are raised for the top 2%. If the goal is to decrease the deficit, why isn’t raising taxes enough–without cutting needed benefits for the most vulnerable individuals in our nation? We should not let Republicans pretend that lowering the deficit is suddenly insufficient, just because it is done by raising tax rates and removing tax loopholes. Moving the goal posts is a form of cheating the public understands very well. If Republicans force taxes to go up on ALL Americans January 1st just to protect the top 1% from higher taxes, while INSISTING on putting the burden of lowering the deficit on the backs of the elderly, impoverished children, and the disabled, even some low-information voters in their base will not be fooled again.
nobsartist

Speaking of felonious republiCONs, you should see the one that the fools in michigan elected for governor.

I wonder if he has to pay taxes on his multi-million dollar bribery fund or does that fall under “capital gains”?

I would like to see our President go after states governed by thug republiCONs and start protecting the rights of Americans, not “residents” of states because we are all AMERICANS first.

http://people.ku.edu/~mmth/ Michael M. T. Henderson

Not to mention Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, who should be sharing a prison cell with Romney and the governor of Michigan.
idamag

Nobs, and that thug of a governor actually got laws passed that the state government could fire duly elected city officials in any Michigan city and replace them with their own brown shirts, oops, I meant state appointed officials.

nobsartist

That got voted down but he has new tricks up his short sleeves.
jvaljon1

It’s called “emergency management” and it’s a bastardization of an old Civil Defense ruling that the Far Right has used to get control of as many states as possible. The way they use it, they take the tax monies for their own use, citing an “emergency” whether or not it exists. The “emergency management” rule is a super-triumph by Karl Rove, to get funds from people who otherwise wouldn’t give them a penny. All “emergency management” rules—in all states where they were passed—should be immediately rescinded or amended to bar Republicans or any other politician from getting their dirty hands on those monies. That’s Civil Defense money. Not a Republican piggy bank.

jvaljon1

About damn time that SOMEBODY says what the right thing to do is. Thanks, nobs…

neece00

Very well stated.
ChristoD

We need to be careful about this the ‘President has a mandate’ stuff. Remember what Dubyah did with his ‘mandate’ which wasn’t a mandate at all since he lost the popular vote and barely won the electoral vote in both his elections yet acted like the autocrat that defines how Republicans like to govern when they are Presidents (vs. the absurd mantra ‘his excellency/his holiness’ that the nitwit talking heads on FOX et al have given President Obama. Unlike Bush, he GOVERNS and doesn’t dictate). We still have roughly half the country opposed to President Obama. In addition, you can threaten that Greed Over People house members be voted out but many of them come from so called ‘red’ states that are really ‘crimson red’ and would vote for a dead skunk if it had an (R) beside its’ name. It is still about compromise. Of COURSE their needs to be revenue put on the table but lets’ them work things out instead of trying to create a premature tempest in a tea pot folks. That is what REpublicans do and look where that is getting them.

jvaljon1

ChristoD. The President DOES have a mandate. We elected him to clean up Bush’s nauseous 8 years of messes and criminal enterprises, and he did such a good job that he got another four years, in an honest election (unlike the perp from 2000-2008, LOL!)

We have the White Southern states opposed to President Obama. Too bad. When they stop screaming “See-Ceede! See-Ceede” like the ignorant rednecks that they are, I’d say that they’ve voted for their last dead skunk. You can’t get whiter than me, and I live in TX, and my family (like many other whites) also voted for Obama. Not once but twice. Before we’ll see a Republican in the White House, there’ll be a Third Term for Obama. That can be arranged—I believe a Senate Caucus can do it.

And the Senate’s on notice too, and of course so are the Republicans in Congress. In case you hadn’t noticed, WE’RE ALL MAD AS HELL AND WE’RE NOT TAKING IT ANY MORE!!!

It’s only been since 2000, that my family became Democrats. But we’ll never ever be Republicans, none of us, ever again. We’d be too ashamed…

http://www.facebook.com/dominick.vila.1 Dominick Vila

I would not be surprised if the GOP opposition to raise the tax rate of our highest earners by 3% is a con job being used to pressure Democrats to make concessions on things they really care about, such as cutting social programs. Think about it, do you really believe the GOP cares if the tax rate that applies to Hollywood actors, trial lawyers, Wall Street brokers and doctors go up? They are probably upset about the possibility of the capital gain tax going up from 15% to 20% and the estate tax for people with assets higher than $3.5M going up, but I bet they could care less if most high earners have to bite the bullet. Since small businesses are not affected by the proposed tax hike, I doubt the GOP is really that concerned over the tax issue.
What they really want is privatize Social Security and MEDICARE, and gut MEDICAID. Since doing that would be their death sentence, they will insist on spending reductions which they will happily blame Democrats for. There may still be some room for DoD spending reductions. We should accelerate our departure from Afghanistan and we should close half of our military bases overseas. Most have been rendered obsolete by technology and they are a drain on our budget. For that matter, we should dissolve NATO. The Soviet Union is no more and there is simply no justification for that organization. While we are at it, we should consider limiting foreign aid to humanitarian aid.

idamag

Dominick, I have been saying that for years – about limiting foreign aid to humanitarian aid. Until Israel gets serious about peace treaties, we should not be supporting them. That was what caused 9-11.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Myers/100001512942781 Jim Myers

The Palestinians should have their own State, just like Israel.

HOWEVER, not supporting Israel, a country that rarely instigates aggression, but is constantly pounded by Hamas and hated by nearly all of the surrounding nations, would be a death toll for them.

I also believe that Jerusalem should be a City open to all, and a safe haven for all religious entities to call home.

But this comes with a price. Every nation AND religion should be willing to police their own, and harshly punish anyone, or any entity, who breaks that peace.

Wishful thinking on my part. But then again..

http://www.facebook.com/people/Jim-Myers/100001512942781 Jim Myers

Replying to idamag -

Yours might have recorded the highest number of likes I have ever seen on this blog.

GOOD SHOW!!!

idamag

Jim, someone got 83 once. Thank you.

http://profile.yahoo.com/JDOXI2KMWOOWQITKP23LE6W4RA Juventino

You already did mentions ‘the warriors of the wealthy’ as Warren Buffet call them. We must get ride of Mitch’s, Cantors, ect.
http://www.facebook.com/fern.woodfork Fern Woodfork

Come 2014 We Will Get Rid Of These Low Life Greedy Selfish Thugs!!!

idamag

Fern, where have you been? We need you on the gun rant.
jvaljon1

Your mouth to God’s ear, Fern! Nice to see you on the boards again…

http://www.facebook.com/geoffrey.aronson Geoffrey Ellis Aronson

The trickle down theory is not a scam, it is exactly what it purports to be…namely make it easy for the superwealthy and the rest of us get the trickle. What is so suspicious about getting only “raindrops on your head”?

jvaljon1

“Don’t pee on our legs and tell us it’s raining” is the only answer that ‘trickle-down’ should ever have gotten. But It had been so long since the last Great Depression, that there weren’t enough people of average intelligence left, who recognized what kinds of pigs were taking over our country back in 1980.

Americans all thought that Republicans were just other Americans, kind of like Ike was, back in the 50s. Ike gave America its Interstate System…what’s not to like? Who knew that the Republicans had turned into the sort of cultists and moral disgraces that they had? They SOUNDED like other Americans…..I sure hope that we’ve FINALLY learned our lesson, re Republicans….
idamag

Geoffrey, And you know what runs down hill proverbially.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Floyd-Wilson/661599488 Floyd Wilson

Rethuglicans hate America. They are a teahadist menace bent on destroying our great nation.
docb

Hmm. but they are surely paying pollsters to come up with an alternative narrative..They would never believe a poll or voter..

They make up their own stuff..that is why they lost big time Nov 6th..Call your congress people daily at the Local offices!
nobsartist

The public supports President Obama’s mandate and that includes raising taxes on those making more than 250,000 to 38%, cutting taxes for those making LESS than 250,000, charging payroll tax on ALL earnings both income and capital gains, a JOBS CREATION BILL that creates FULL employment and a single payer health care system paid for with the medicare tax.

republiCONs will still have the option to pay for over priced health care that was created by reaguns failed health care bill of 1982 that ruined our health care system if they want.

Plus, as far a loopholes go, I believe that the supporters of President Obama would be in favor of having those that use “corporate” jets have to claim the full cost of each use as income and pay tax on that use.

idamag

Nobs, you are right about the jets. Instead of being written off as a business expense, they should be listed as an asset.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_B6RROC4IUESHT322QS5VJVPYRM Lynda

Maybe the public is finally paying attention. I would certainly like to believe that to be the case. It is certainly about time for that to happen.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Davis-Gilbert/100001627295004 Davis Gilbert

The thing is we are heading towards this fiscal cliff and if we go off it will be really bad, but by putting off going over the cliff we are just making it worse. Look at not how our government works but how our monetary system works, our money is not backed by anything but promises of the government. The way the government makes money is to take take a bond from the fed and use that to pay for the money, the bond is larger then the money made, so we will only get deeper into debt by making more money. Even during President Clinton’s terms when we had a surplus, the country was not out of debt, we just had extra money over the minimum amount we needed to pay. So by avoiding the cliff we are making it larger for next time. So what we are and have been doing because we have no backed currency is borrowing prosperity from the future for the now. It just so happens that our current time frame is when the borrowed prosperity is run out of time.

johninPCFL

Budgets aren’t spending. Reagan took military spending out of his Congressional budget requests, which made his budgets look nearly balanced, all the while adding $4T to the national debt during his tenure. His conservatism was more social than fiscal in nature; he never vetoed a spending bill.

Clinton also avoided putting military spending in his budgets, so while he technically had a BUDGET surplus, Congress, in fact, still spent more than they took in.
CooofNJ

But monetary systems are always based on fairy dust. That is all that gold is, or anything else that is decreed to be the “backing”. There is nothing more or less legitimate to basing the monetary system on special pieces of paper than there is to basing it on shiny pieces of metal. Sure, you can print more paper if you want, but you could also decree another metal (Al?) to be the basis of the economy, you could dilute the metal with a small amount of other metal to stretch it further, etc. Essentially, all monetary systems are based on trust. And as long as you are borrowing intelligently there is also nothing wrong with borrowing prosperity from the future. Yeah, it’s stupid to borrow future sums now for something you don’t need, say a Cadillac instead of a Ford, or a 5,000 sq ft home instead of a 2000 sq ft home, but that doesn’t mean it is stupid to borrow to buy a Ford, especially if by borrowing that money you are able to get to a good paying job so you can pay back the note. Fairy dust in and of itself is not bad, but stupidity certainly is. And if you look at history, we certainly (as a people) are capable of being smart or being stupid. Let’s work towards the smart.
sigrid28

This is just a Republican talking point on one side, and a Libertarian talking point on the other.

jetfuel4

If the Bush Tax cuts were unfunded (and they were), why not let them expire? Revamp the tax code to allow corporations only deductions occured in CONUS (ie, materials, services & labor provided here in the US, let them get whatever breaks they can get from other countries), and make sure EVERYONE pays something. Just wondering….

johninPCFL

Let’s see, work your entire life and pay into SS, then have the money repaid you from SS taxed again? Doesn’t seem realistic. Maybe that segment of the 47% has already paid enough?

Or, are serving in the Army in Iraq. Your family lives off-base, so you get a housing allotment, but you’re not home. Maybe that segment of the 47% already pays enough?

Or, work a minimum wage job with little education. Your annual take-home makes rent and food payments, and of course your SS, Medicare. You get Medicaid to cover ilness as necessary. Maybe that segment of the 47% can’t pay any more?

And finally, you’re a millionaire business owner and your CPA determines that your business lost money after paying for 1/3 of your house mortgage (home office), your car payment (company vehicle), your cell phone (business expense), your cable bill (internet service business expense), most of your meals (entertainment expenses), fuel bills (travel expenses), etc. You paid no income taxes, no Medicare taxes, no unemployment taxes. Surely, you represent the thousands in the 47% who desperately need a tax break.

jetfuel4

Wait a minute. Have you not said that the “unfunded” Bush tax cuts are one of the problems with the budget? Clinton (lord god & savior) tax rates were perfectly fine according to the DNC. So why not start there? BTW, you’ve never ran a small business have you?

johninPCFL

I run one now with 10 employees. That’s how I know about the deducts. Am I concerned about rising tax rates? No, I don’t take that much home after deductions, so even at the $250k boundary I wouldn’t see an increase. That’s where the argument over “small business owners” is completely stupid. Few small business owners that I know take home hundreds of thousands after deductions. The impact on those whom I know that do take home hundreds of thousands after deductions would amount to spit as far as they’re concerned. And remember, additional employees are additional deductions.

Yes, Clinton tax rates during a MUCH better economy were OK. The GWB tax cuts were targetted to the very wealthy, and their income rate increased by 300+% over the last decades. Middle-class wages have decreased during the same timeframe, so maybe those who have made the greatest gains could pay more than those who have lost.

So my question is, if $250MM in cash in the bank is not enough for Romney to create a single job, how much “relief” does he need? Answer: if he needs another employee to handle a business need, he’d hire another employee whether he had $250MM in the bank or $1. Therefore, he needs no relief, and maybe raising his tax rate would cause him to hire an employee or two. After all, if you’re faced with higher taxes, or more employees, which gives you the better chance at keeping your wealth intact?

jetfuel4

WTF does Romney have to do with this discussion? If you are a “business” owner then you do pay SS & MC via self-employment tax. If you do have “employees” then you pay unemployment & SS for them as well, this is REAL money. If your CPA says your business is losing money….you won’t be in business very long.
johninPCFL

Romney has $250MM in the bank to hire anyone he chooses. The reason he doesn’t is that his businesses don’t NEED anyone right now. Get it? Businesses hire employees when they NEED to, and borrow money if necessary to do so.

If your income, like hedge fund managers and several others (Romney among them), comes from investments (even in yor own company, such as Romney) then you don’t pay SS, Medicare, self-employment taxes. Yes, the business pays SS, UE, Medicare on employees, but not necessarily on the owner.

CPAs determine how to minimize tax liability. That includes adding costs via expensing, etc. It turns out that you can lose money for a decade and still carry a large bank balance.
idamag

John, I can tell you really are a business owner. Too many people, who want to own their own businesses, sink all they can save, beg or borrow into their business and do not think about operating capital for the future and for slack periods. Then, when they fail it is someone else’s fault.
johninPCFL

Thank you. A report I read from AEI some time back concluded that most small business owners usually are technically competent in their respective fields, but lacking in business accumen and fail for reasons as diverse as marketting miscues, cash flow management, pricing strategies, and collections.

http://www.facebook.com/robert.benefiel.77 Robert Benefiel

I sure hope that the Pres does not wimp out and gives anything to the Republicans. The election is over and the Republicans need to get over their lost strategy.

oldtack

I don’t think you will see the President “wimping out” on anything in this term. /he attempted reasoning in his first term and was slapped around and criticized.
In this term he will be firm.

grobbinspiano

Its time for the GOP to jump off the stonewalling cliff and get going with negotiating a fiscal plan that is fair not only to the middle class but the poor low income class as well. If there is a fiscal cliff let us jump over it into sensible negotiating with the President, with the Democrats, and with the American majority of people who are tired of the stalling tactics of Congress for the past several years
http://people.ku.edu/~mmth/ Michael M. T. Henderson

They don’t hate “America.” They just hate those of us Americans who want to level the playing field back to the way it was in the Reagan years, when the rich paid much more than now, closer to their fair share. Now the disparity is greater than at any time since the robber barons’ activities in the 1920′s or even since the sixteenth Amendment, allowing the collection of income taxes.
http://profile.yahoo.com/RGOUPZ3JYNMPBVOHLZRCRVRD6Q ivory69690

45 percent of Americans say they will blame the Republicans–compared to the 34 percent who would blame President Obama. /// these 34 % are thy the 34% that have their heads up their butts ? what wrong with those ppl. ? those are the brain dead ppl. that fall right where the GOP ding dongs want them to fall . HELLOOOOOOOOO the GOP party of no still will do there dumb butt things untill thy are all voted out of office then the country can move forward . theres a way out of the country,s problem . and that is to get as close to the Clinton era. if that happens the country would be on track . its not like the Pres. wants the greedy bastards to pay more he just wants them to pay a fair share of a % thats all and then thje country can move forward . me i think it should go right back to thew Clinton era. back to where 23 million jobs were made and the country wasnt in the red . we didnt owe nobody nothing. the greedy bastards 2% have had the breaks for all the time of the dirty Bush era. and nows a time where thy should pay a fair share of a %. pay back more i think pay back what thy took for all the time of the dirty Bush era
http://profile.yahoo.com/RGOUPZ3JYNMPBVOHLZRCRVRD6Q ivory69690

Why is the public so prone to blame Republican members of the House and Senate?//// hows the idiot writeing this piece ? what a stupid question to ask . and some one pays them to write questions like that . are thy that out of touch . i guess their boss like to hire the disable .

july860

Because the GOP are the ones who are stalling

idamag

Every vote in the House and Senate is publicized, so you can get the real information instead of letting talking dipsticks form your opinions. You are right. Anyone who was paying attention would have noticed the GOP following Norquist, Koch Brothers and rupert Murdoch’s lead. Mitch McConnell said (right after the President was sworn in the first time.) “Our number one job is to make Obama a one-term president. It is too bad Ivory is not better informed.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OLT3BBICDAFJXQAHHKXXLJUCH4 Stella53

The public is not stupid nor blind! The republicans are obstructionists! The republicans took a pledge not to raise taxes; the republicans vowed to make Obama a one-term President by blocking just about everything! You have the gall to ask why is the public prone to blame republicans? For the reasons I stated above, that’s why.

http://profile.yahoo.com/RGOUPZ3JYNMPBVOHLZRCRVRD6Q ivory69690

the Pres. ran his campaign what hewas going to do . now hee won the house bacvk so dont be like thje ANTI-CHRIST ROMNEY and flip flop and lie like he did . im hopeing that the Pres. just stands strong on what he ran his campaign on . and i belive he will

jetfuel4

And I hope you obtain an education. Perhaps then you can articulate a coherent thought and share it with everyone.

http://profile.yahoo.com/RGOUPZ3JYNMPBVOHLZRCRVRD6Q ivory69690

But, as The New York Times‘ Paul Krugman writes, “…the clear and present danger to the American economy isn’t that we’ll fail to reduce the deficit enough; it is, instead, that we’ll reduce the deficit too much.”//// another disable writer and whos paying this idiot ? too much ? so stupid . ooooh brain dead would it be that bad if the USA owed nobody nothing ? like the Clinton era . dont you think if we didnt owe china so much that the country would be on better grounds to get fair trade deals with them
http://www.facebook.com/dominick.vila.1 Dominick Vila

Recent statements by senior Republicans suggest they will compromise on the issue of raising the tax rate for the wealthiest Americans, but that is bound to come with a price tag. The big battle is going to be over spending reductions involving social programs, especially MEDICARE and MEDICAID.
jetfuel4

Wait a minute. Have you not said that the “unfunded” Bush tax cuts are one of the problems with the budget? Clinton (lord god & savior) tax rates were perfectly fine according to the DNC. So why not start there? BTW, you’ve never ran a small business have you?
timetwo

You guys sure do drink the kool-aid easily. Apparently the last 4 years have been better for you all than the rest of the country. Remember you had Clinton for 8 years then Bush for 8 years, now Obama for 4 years. So the Democrats have had control for 12 of the last 20 years and you think it is headed in the right direction. We have higher unemployment, more food stamps, higher crime rate, larger debt than we did 4 years ago. Our employees are paid at a rate that makes our products uncompetitive in the world market place. Tell me, what can we manufacture that the average Indian, Pakistanian, Central American, Mexican, or Chinese can buy?

Danceroflife

Counting HW and GW Bush, the Republicans have had 16 years in the last 22 years to work overtime in their efforts that almost destroyed this country!

Clinton rescued this country after the destruction caused by Poppa Bush and now our(yours and mine) esteemed POTUS is working to clean up the damages caused by Baby Bush/Cheney and the extremists lame-duck Republicans who are barely holding on to their seats.

Fortunately, we discerning, astute, honorable and honest voting Americans have placed the Republican Party on notice. Either grow-up or you are out of there in 2014 and 2016 elections.

We Americans have spoken and Republican politicians have no choice but to obey.
http://www.facebook.com/william.quigley.73 William Quigley

The current problem started in the 60′s when medicare and medicade were passed. It was exaserbated under George W Bush with the initiation of two unnessary and unfunded wars, which have cost 1.2 trillion dollars and counting. Medicare costs doubled and medicade cost tripled between 2000 and 2010. Most of that time under GWB. GWB also gave large tax cuts to the wealthy saying he was just giving the people their money back, completeing ignoring the fact that the national debt also belongs to the people. Richard Cheney cheered him on with chants of ” Deficits don’t matter”. Bill Clinton left office with a 530 billion dollars surplus, in eight years GWB turned that into a 1.2 trillion dollars deficit. Good Job!
idamag

timetwo, check your facts with reliable sources. Since wages, in India are about 83 cents an hour and other countries use slave labor, at the present cost of living, in this country, how can a person live on 83 cents an hour. The man whose labors make his employer rich is looked down on if he expects a living wage. He is supposed to be happy with just above minimun wage when the CEO of his country gets a 6 million dollar bonus.

montanabill

Exactly what is the compromise? If the GOP allows tax increases, exactly what spending cuts, besides defense, is Obama will to compromise?
http://profile.yahoo.com/VRYIUQM5KIY3XIHIRM7EDBE3C4 Sandman

LOL at blaming the Reps or the Dems for the fiscal cliff…BLAME THE FED and the puppet politicians that support it.

Both parties are bought and paid for. Obama or Mittens nothing major would have changed. Gary Johnson deserved to win but the public is too swayed by the mainstream media to realize it.

Danceroflife

You sound like a sore loser…
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OLT3BBICDAFJXQAHHKXXLJUCH4 Stella53

Once again, who the hell is Gary Johnson? How did he deserve to win if no one’s ever heard of the guy?

bcarreiro

Majority of middle class live payck to payck and cant save nor afford to take another hit. losing our homes, businesses and retirement quick while corp entities and top earners receive oblivious tax cuts. we will all lead into a recession again if you bastards dont pay your fairshare. if all you elected officials paid for your own travel expenses and pretty perks along with raising capital gains and do away with unneccesary spending we would reduce the deficit overnite.
Jeansees

GOP needs to pass a winning budget and not do what they want but what Americans want and need.. If not it is time to FIRE THEM!!!No more games and No more Big money running our country but for the people by the people and One nation Under GOD!!!!

Danceroflife

Which God?

http://profile.yahoo.com/I35AGFDAXMN6KRL5VLABXWFR5U gail

there is only one GOD

Danceroflife

There are 20 major religions in the world and only four of these are monotheistic (belief in one God): Christianity, Judaism, Islamic and Hinduism. And, of these four, Hinduism is the oldest. Interestingly, ayurvedic is a Hindu system of traditional medicine native to India and the oldest known medicinal practice.

The oldest known religion is shamanism.

So, the truth is that one’s belief in one God or many gods is dependent upon one’s religious or non-religious beliefs.

Fortunately in the USA, people are free to choose to adopt any religion they desire or reject religion entirely, without persecution.

idamag

Dancer, there are some who like to change that.

rebl stevn

why can’t you people blame the Federal Reserve? The Central Bank and the corporations that rise around it are profoundly in charge of BOTH parties. Good Job to this MSM website for misleading the politically ignorant left towards blaming the other party. Hell, IDAMAG is still blaming the trickle down theory, also known as Keynesian economics, which BOTH PARTIES are guilty of supporting. Reagan has been dead a long time now. Kinda like Osama died back in 2001, but believe the MSM. Then go shopping.
onedonewong

WOW 45% want a deal…and that 45% comprise the 47% who don’t pay any federal taxes why I’m SHOCKED……..And Rasmussen says 52% of americans think that any new Revenue won;t be used to pay down the debt but used for new give away programs by the Dem’s

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OLT3BBICDAFJXQAHHKXXLJUCH4 Stella53

Of course Rasmussen would say that – they are conservative polsters! LOL!

http://twitter.com/stephen57121389 stephen cole

America-need-a-new-furtrue-some-pocket-in-America-are-running-over-here-are-member-fees-at-a-bank-but-not-in-are-tax-codes-the-rich-have-been-scam-for-year-gree-is-the-big-problem-we-must-work-together-in-good-are-bad-time-America-must-work-together-play-the-game-give-a-litte-show-the-country-the-nation-you-care-about-america
http://profile.yahoo.com/VMMSUH74Z46AIUN3UPZUUHKLY4 Gilbert

Grover Norquist could not deliver the “Presidency” to the republicans. They lost by a margin of 126 electoral votes!!! Not even a close race. So what do the republicans get in exchange for being loyal to Gover Norquist??? That seems like one terrible bargain for the republicans, and they are supposedly so business saavy! Time for “Buyer’s Remorse!” The Koch brothers… how can they be trusted? Their family built Hitler’s war machine.
billd

Really doesn’t matter what the polls say, election’s over, two years till next, people forget. What’s important is regardless of tax increases, without spending cuts, this is meaningless. They need to put means testing of Social Security and Medicare on the table. They need to put defense spending on the table. It’s inconceivable to believe there is no waste in defense spending. They need to eliminate deductions, all of them, lower the tax rates and let’s deal with reality. They need to make the tax code simple, about collecting revenues and not spurring the economy or rewarding special interest groups. They need to tax carried interest and stock options at ordinary income rates.

Danceroflife

“They need to put means testing of Social Security and Medicare on the table.”

I strongly disagree.

patuxant

I also disagree vehemently. They want to continue to raid the trust of SS as they have been doing for a very long time. Further, some imbecile from Goldman Sachs (Blankfeld?) made an ignorant comment about people working for 25 years and then living for the next 40 off of SS. That is about the stupidest thing I ever heard and makes me question why this guy makes $16 billion a year. That means if you started working at 22 and worked for 25 years, you would be 47. Anyone who knows anything knows you don’t collect SS at that age! How stupid! I worked solid from 1964 to 2009 in three different professions and worked normally 10-12 hours a day. In the last 5-7 years of employment I paid close to 38% in Fed Inc Tax. I started to collect SS at age 67. I know I will not live another 40 years as this boob-brain is trying to explain. He continued on with a remark that people will just have to learn to live with less. Can you even believe this sh-t? These 1%ers have been on the gravy train far to long and need to be thrown off!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_OLT3BBICDAFJXQAHHKXXLJUCH4 Stella53

Romney’s talking points. No, people don’t forget. If the GOP continues to play the role of obstructionists, believe me, we’re not going to forget! We will remember by making sure all those tea party congressmen/women are voted out once and for all!

http://profile.yahoo.com/QZOLTTTPLTLGELEYLKM7HUJPSU Davekzy1

F Off GOP!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZBIWKGJLZRDSUYO3Y5WGY4CJPE common sense1

Norquist said ‘he was going to get’ the Republican Congressmen that worked with anyone to help get the physical(fiscal clif) cleared up, unless he ok it, which he hasn’t okayed anything for many years because he’s been getting his power” jollies “off for many years and keeping most of the Republican Congressmen scared to death of him, they are like a herd of sheep and he’s their sheep dog. This is where a lot of our problems are, several Congressmen want to work with the people that’s trying to put soming together. If he’s the big mafia man then maybe it’s time some union leaders show their members power and say if they don’t vote to help clear this thing up, they are going to get them, but this is against the law but what Norquist is doing is ok? I don’t think so. The reason for no deal being made is the Republicans, because their sheep dog is keeping them in line.

idamag

Common sense, hmmm, good analogy. Grover Norquist, the godfather.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Kermit-Gagne/100000845128170 Kermit Gagne

there is no longer a republican party its over ———PAY ATTENTION ——
http://profile.yahoo.com/JDOXI2KMWOOWQITKP23LE6W4RA Juventino

Mitch McConnell’s statement ‘Goal numer one to make Obama a one term…’ does it left Obama any room for Mc Connells’s ‘the ability to work together’? Let get ride of the obstuccionists. The mandate is there, America had spoken!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_4HKCTSVHCQJCJUU2VYCERLWWDE Richie T

The Republicans need to realize it’s the 21st Century. Say anything you want about your political history, what bills you supported, what bills you voted against, a couple of minutes on-line and a person can pull up their entire lifetime of politics.
Romney found that out the hard way, flip-flop, flip-flop, flip-flop. BUSTED!!!!!!!!!!
http://profile.yahoo.com/FMUBMRNDEXOIF55F47MWM4U6ZY Right view

Millions of American are waiting angry to see what the Republican Congress are
going to do if they will corporate with president Obama to get us out of this mess
Bush put us into. Now is the time for raising fair Tax on the rich because they have
legally avoiding it for 30 years,
1) First of 4 ways to fix the deficit that Bush created.
2) Second is to give tax breaks to companies that bring jobs home, and Tax
those do not higher.
3) Third is To bring all troops home now, not the end of 2014 to save trillions.
4) Fourth is fix Medicare part D, should only covers serious illness like :
Heart problems, Diabetic, Cholesterol etc . . we can not afford to cover medicines
for every thing which have been costing the US billions each year.
ronaldhyams

It’s t about time that republicans realize they are human beings before they are Americans and are Americans before they are republicans. With their current attitudes they’re going to be a minority party for a long time and in the long run may even become extinct. America is NOT YOUR COUNTRY it belongs to ALL of US and you are damaging and endangering all of us. DO YOUR JOBS or leave and let others get the job done
http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Federman/100001308611208 Paul Federman

The Bush tax cuts will expire only on the wealthy earning over $250,000. Unless the Republican House decides to continue their obstructivenss and vote the whole thing down because they want to give their rich friends another tax cut. The idea that you cut taxes to stimulate the economy has been the center of the Republican plank for 30 years starting with Reagan, says The Daily Ticker’s Henry Blodget. “This Congressional Research Service report, which is non- partison, says there’s no evidence that that is true.” We had over 10 years of Bush tax cuts intended for businesss growth and job creation that were mean’t to be temporary. Instead those tax cuts were extended twice. And we lost 60,000 factories and 6 million manufacturing jobs and Bush had the lowest job growth of any president since Herbert Hoover with only 3 million jobs in 8 years. It led to the worst recession since the Great Depression and we were losing 750,000 jobs per month when Obama took office. Trickle down never trickled anywhere but up. The income of the 400 wealthiest Americans rose by a tidy $200 billion last year, according to data released this month by Forbes magazine. Typical pay for CEOs has reached an all-time high, just short of $10 million a year. That’s roughly $5,000 an hour! Over the last 10 years, those Bush tax cuts have delivered $1 Million in tax breaks to the average millionaire. The S&P 500 who made record breaking profits last year are sitting on an amassed $2 trillion refusing to invest and hire. That’s enough money to create a living-wage job, for a year, for every single American who is unemployed, underemployed or has stopped looking for work. So where are the jobs? It used to be that the rich made their profit from a growing amount of middle class consumers buying their products/services. Now the rich are making their profits by hiring cheap labor. A JPMorgan economist calculated that the majority of increased corporate profits between 2000 and 2007 were the result of “reductions in wages and benefits In the meantime U.S. median household income fell $3,719 between 2000 and 2010. The last decade has been the largest REDISTRIBUTION of wealth of since Ronald Reagan. At a time when we already have a $16 trillion debt, enormous unmet needs and the highest level of wealth inequality in the industrialized world, it is simply obscene to provide more tax breaks to multi-millionaires and billionaires. Wake the F*ck up and smell what they are dishing out!.
http://profile.yahoo.com/V4O5VTGKNFSZ3H2GCM4OENUXAU Elijah o. Ombongi

Ambassador Susan Rice should not have agreed to meet with the trio, namely John McCain Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte. By meeting with these three people who are so opposed to her nomination as secretary of State, she will be seen to :- (a) appease them, (b) giving them ammunition which they will then use to argue against her appointment. McCain vowed that he will do whatever is in his powers to block Ms. Rice’s appointment. He has not withdrawn that vow. McCain is therefore tricking Rice to give them information which they will then concoct (twist) to say that she told them the same things she said during the Sunday talk shows. McCain has strong ill-feelings towards President Obama for beating him in the presidential elections and racist bigotry. McCain wants to find anything that he can use to revenge against the President and one of those is to make Obama’s administration ungovernable. McCain has been at odds with everything the President does or intends to do. Alternatively, the trio are trying to find a face saving way out of their vows after they realised that the public was against their machinations. For example, last week John McCain was caught by the CNN addressing a press conference complaining that the administration was not giving them enough information about the Benghazi attack, at that very time; the administration was making a briefing about the Benghazi attack. When McCain was asked by a CNN reporter why he was not attending the briefing on Benghazi, he ran away complaining that the reporter was harassing him and that he was free to be where he wanted to be as a senator. This man McCain has very evil intentions against President Obama’s administration. McCain shows bitterness and rancour against the President. Ms. Rice’s staff should ring these people and cancel that meeting. McCain has been dragging along Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte all the time to cover his dirt tricks, by showing that he is not alone in complaining about Ms. Rice. But McCain is the chief architect of all these vendetta against Susan Rice and by extension President Obama himself and his administration.
McCain is in record as saying that he wants a watergate type of investigation to Benghazi to be carried out on the terrorist attack on the US consulate in Benghazj. Why did McCain not call for a similar type of investigation during the 9/11 attack on US soil? Theories abound that 9/11 was actually planned and executed by George Bush administraion. That was why the lunatic Bush chose to go to a primary school, and pretended to teach some primary kids while he waited for the outcome of the planned event. Even after Bush was informed of the attack he looked completely oblivious to the breaking news. Was mcCain part of the plan? Is that why he did not find it necessary to call for the watergate type of investigation? Was McCain part of a plot to make the anti-Islam film to stir Muslim trouble to be used against President Obama incase he was re-elected?

idamag

At one time, I liked John McCain. I even contemplated voting for him despite his sleezy treatment of his first wife. Then he chose Sarah Palin for a running mate. He lost my vote. Now, I am wondering if he is getting senile. His hateful treatment of the President and the President’s cabinet is so unlike what I thought he was. He acts like he is still campaigning for president.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Federman/100001308611208 Paul Federman

We had 10 years of Bush tax cuts intended for businesss growth and job creation. Instead we lost 60,000 factories and 6 million manufacturing jobs and Bush had the lowest job growth of any president since Herbert Hoover with only 3 million jobs in 8 years. We were hemoraging 750,000 jobs PER MONTH when Obama took office. Bush took a $128 billion surplus and turned it into a $12 trillion deficit. He had the unprecedented audacity to cut taxes for the rich rather than pay for his wars, instead passing the cost on to future generations. The ship hit the iceberg and sank when Captain Bush was on the bridge. But nice of you to blame the Captain of the rescue vessel that came along to pick up the survivors. Actually unemployment rate is it’s lowest in five years. In 20 states the rate is at or below 7%. 5 million jobs have been created. We have had 40 straight months of Private Sector Job Growth and the best sustained growth in Manufacturing in 2 decades. The Dow Jones closed over 13,500 highest since 2008, and The Nasdaq composite closed above 3,000 for the first time since December 2000, The broad S&P 500 index topped the 1,400 mark for the first time since the financial crisis began and the 10-year Treasury note hit its lowest interest rate in history (1.47%).
Timetwo thinks “If a man in Mexico or China will work for a buck an hour then Americans should do the same. Americans have to learn to compete with them. If I own a business I should be able to pay any amount I choose. We need to break the backs of the unions, push for elimination of minimum wage and benefits, OSHA standards and more, and bring back 60 hour work weeks — in other words, remove those liberal roadblocks to prosperity.”
Our wealthy and corporations have had a whirlwind couple of decades. And they will do everything they can to keep it that way. The Fortune 500 — the biggest companies in America — boosted their earnings a whopping 335 percent in the last year. S&P 500 companies last year had more than $2 trillion amassed in cash. That’s enough money to create a living-wage job, for a year, for every single American who is unemployed, underemployed or has stopped looking for work. CEO pay has skyrocketed 300% since 1990. CEO pay is now 380X the average worker’s, up from 46X from 1980. Pay for CEOs has reached an all-time high, just short of $10 million a year. That’s roughly $5,000 an hour. Meanwhile, wages for the middle class worker has stagnated since the 1980′s. U.S. median household income fell $3,719 between 2000 and 2010.
SO WHERE ARE ALL THE JOBS?
It used to be that the rich made their profit from a growing amount of middle class consumers buying their products/
services. Now the rich are making their profits by hiring cheap labor. They say “Blame the Unions”and go after collective bargaining rights. A JPMorgan economist calculated that the majority of increased corporate profits between 2000 and 2007 were the result of “reductions in wages and benefits.” Today, because of stagnating wages and higher costs for basic necessities, the average two-wage-earner family has less disposable income than a one-wage-earner family did a generation ago. If present trends continue, we can look forward to WalMart-like working conditions almost everywhere, with minimum pay, long hours (some “off the clock”), poor benefits, etc., in other words a return to the working conditions of the 1890′s. Is that the kind of nation that we want, one that exploits 99 percent of the people to enrich the remaining one percent?
“All that serves labor serves the nation. All that harms is treason. If a man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool. There is no America without labor, and to fleece the one is to rob the other.” –*Abraham Lincoln*–
http://www.facebook.com/people/Paul-Federman/100001308611208 Paul Federman

The President shouldn’t get angry with the old white man bully who is anxious to make political points with the adversary that beat the crap out of him in 2008 election? Now there’s a laugh for you. The “self professed “Maverick” has had a long career using his war hero status he earned by spending the Viet Nam war in a POW camp. His phoniness hasn’t contibuted to this countries well being ever since. Where was his self-righteous indignation when George Bush was forewarned of an eminent terrorist attack on U.S soil and chose to ignor it, did nothing. Presidential Daily Briefing, and other’s before: “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S.” 3,497 American mostly civilians died a horrible death in the attack on the Twin Towers and pentagon. Americans killed on American soil, not thousands of miles away in a heavy war zone. Then Bush lied to Congress and the American people about WMD’s that never existed in order to start a preemptive war against another sovereign country (Iraq) to get control of their oil wells, and declared “Mission Accomplished” nine years too early to the cost of over 4500 American servicemens lives and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dead and the loss of bin Laden in Tora Bora. And then he had the unprecedented audacity to cut taxes for the rich rather than pay for his wars, instead passing the cost on to future generations.
▪ BUSH – July 14, 2002, U.S.: Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia millitants stormed and occupied perimeter wall. Five killed, 10 wounded. No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – June 14, 2002, U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan
Suicide bomber kills 12 and injures 51. No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – February 20, 2003, international diplomatic compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Truck bomb kills 17. No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – February 28, 2003, U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan
Gunmen on motorcycles killed two consulate guards. No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – July 30, 2004, U.S. embassy in Taskkent, Uzbekistan
Suicide bomber kills two. No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – December 6, 2004, U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Militants stormed and occupied perimeter wall. Five killed, 10 wounded. No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – March 2, 2006, U.S. consulate in Karachi, Pakistan
Suicide car bomber killed four, including a U.S. diplomate directly targeted by the assailants.No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – September 12, 2006, U.S. embassy in Damascus, Syria
Gunmen attacked embassy with grenades, automatic weapons, and a car bomb (though second truck bomb failed to detonate). Four killed and 13 wounded. No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – January 12, 2007, U.S. embassy in Athens, Greece
A rocket-propelled grenade was fired at the embassy building. No one was injured. No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – July 9, 2008, U.S. consulate in Istanbul, Turkey
Armed men attacked consulate with pistols and shotguns. Three policemen killed. No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – March 18, 2008, U.S. embassy in Sana’a, Yemen
Mortar attack misses embassy, hits nearby girls’ school instead. 2 dead. No Republican outrage!
▪ BUSH – September 17, 2008, U.S. embassy in Sana’a, Yemen
Militants dressed as policemen attacked the embassy with RPGs, rifles, grenades and car bombs. Six Yemeni soldiers and seven civilians were killed. Sixteen more were injured. No Republican outrage!
WHERE WAS THE REPUBLICAN SELF-RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION BACK THEN?

patuxant

Thanks for all the details, Paul. These numerous attacks under the Bush Adm. are so vile and outrageous and the likes of nasty old men like McCain have a boatload of gall to make the Benghazi events fodder for their political agenda and their hatred for Obama.

ray1657

Sen. Mitt and Linsey hate is inbedd in them there nothing to compromise with them about, they see the country this way if they are not ruling it than to hell with everybody, send the jobs overseas, make all american panhandles begger, we know now who the anti-Christ is the GOP million are homeless, without jobs and all they can do is use fear tactic, the people done had enought fear they pass that now at what point do they think the american people wont come after them since they the one that cause the pain, and how long can they ride the welfare train themselves they not doing a dam thing on tax payer money but complaining, if that all we did on a job we be fired, the oil company, drug company need to be regulated they have to much power and showing it everyday. they send out them little smart mouth kids using that wicked reason why the company should not do more in this country, after making billion of dollars on the american people, polluting ours soil sicken ours people and taking their business else where, What can’t the real america people see, not only is they using fear tactic I guess it that Voodoo economy too it get better when we in, is this what started this in the first place??
timetwo

Which facts are wrong? You also agree that we can’t produce products over here and sell to the people in India making 83 cent an hour don’t you?

Sand_Cat

“Facts?” Start with your “facts” if you want to know what’s wrong.

timetwo

National Debt : Clinton 1993 $4.4 trillion
Clinton 2001 $5.8 trillion $175 billion per year added
Bush 2001 $5.8 trillion
Bush 2009 $11.9 trillion $763 billion per year added
Obama 2009 $11.9 trillion
Obama 2012 $16.3 trillion $1.1 trillion per year added
http://www.facebook.com/vonnie.privett Vonnie Hoffer-Privett

It is time to STOP the garbage and start working together! STOP thinking you have to take away what is RIGHTFULLY ours. We have paid into Social Security and Medicare. Work on prescriptions like the Veterans Administration does. And work on the fraud and the doctors raising prices so they get a decent return on their time. Straighten up, like your mother would have told you, when she is alive. Mitch, you have become the face of pathetic rhetoric and HATE. You look like a sore loser all of the time. And to think any of us think you promise anything to Grover Norquist? Please. What a loser you really are by WASTING 4 years on one objective…make our President Obama a one-term president. SHAME ON YOU and your cronies. People like you are ruining our way of life, our economy, and making hate yet another way of life. I will continue to pray for you and all of your hateful Republican and Tea Party hate-mongers. That you understand that YES, America has spoken and we want what you have…great health care. When you give up all of your perks, we will stop asking for what is rightfully ours…to live without worry of dying because we can’t afford coverage or have a pre-existing condition. How can you say you love America when you so obviously hate Americans??? Stop taking everything that has made this country great and decide to change it or abolish it. Education to vouchers. Medicare to vouchers. Get your head out of the sand. You lost the election. The people told you in their mandate, “WE WANT HEALTH CARE FOR EVERYONE”. And “WE WANT YOU TO LEAVE SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE ALONE”. They cannot be made into vouchers or discontinued. Continue to hate Americans, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Cantor, Mr. McCain, and all of your “buddies” and you will be responsible for ruining America.
Charles2051

Come on guys lets go over the cliff, will be good for the Country. Lets all jump together.
http://www.facebook.com/Tomas.Runjonsson Tómas Rúnjónsson

I am new here – so an introduction may be in order – Tomas Runjonsson – born in Texas – current resident of Costa Rica, but I maintain a permanent residence in the United States. I am personally impaled by the stance of the Republican Party in the US and they are continuing the obstructionism despite the results of the last election – so they need to ousted entirely in 2014!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=626108170 Mike Nash

Honestly if Mitch McConnell and John Moehner’s bullheadedness are not complete acts of fiscal immorality and treason then I am the pope.
http://profile.yahoo.com/NOWA3E42LRZ6VRAFALDFUL4IWM Foot

fighting the president since 2009 has cost America many opportunities to come back from finacial ruin and cost the GOP an election. we the people aren’t stupid and know compromise is a fact of life. this maybe the last dance of the GOP as we knew it.
msrita

Yes this is BREAKING NEWS. NOT!
http://www.facebook.com/rick.day.5243 Rick Day

On January 20, 2009 Republican Leaders in Congress literally plotted to sabotage and undermine U.S. Economy during President Obama’s Inauguration.

In Robert Draper’s book, “Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives” Draper wrote that during a four hour, “invitation only” meeting with GOP Hate-Propaganda Minister, Frank Luntz, the below listed Senior GOP Law Writers literally plotted to sabotage, undermine and destroy America’s Economy.

The Guest List:
Frank Luntz – GOP Minister of Propaganda
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA),
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX),
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX),
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA),
Sen. Jim DeMint (SC-R),
Sen. Jon Kyl (AZ-R),
Sen. Tom Coburn (OK-R),
Sen. John Ensign (NV-R) and
Sen. Bob Corker (TN-R).

Non-lawmakers present Newt Gingrich

During the four hour meeting:
The senior GOP members plotted to bring Congress to a standstill regardless how much it would hurt the American Economy by pledging to obstruct and block President Obama on all legislation.

These Republican members of Congress were not simply airing their complaints regarding the other party’s political platform for four long hours. No, these Republican Congressional Policymakers, who were elected to do ‘the People’s work’ were literally plotting to sabotage, undermine and destroy the U.S. Economy.

Mitt Romney, who has hired most of Bush/Cheney Policy Advisers, and the GOP party believe they can defeat President Obama, take control of the Senate and maintaining control of the House of Representatives so long as the economic recovery stalls. So they are actively trying to make it happen … and that’s what hate-propaganda Minister Frank Luntz had in mind when he organized the January 20, 2009 covert meeting.

Republicans do not pay Frank Luntz to offer ideas for good policy to help America, rather, Republicans pay Luntz’ to devise lies that will keep Americans dumb and ignorant to facts on policy. For decades Republicans have paid Frank Luntz to tell them (Republicans) what to say in order to brainwash ‘the People’ with lies and hate to destroy policy.

Luntz does not use words to merely have Americans “change their minds.” Rather, Frank Luntz uses words intentionally to dumb-down Americans and fill them with lies and hate so as to brainwash and program Americans to hate a given policy.

Frank Luntz, like many Hate-Propaganda Ministers, loathes the notion of honesty in debate. Also, like many Hate-Propaganda Ministers, Frank Luntz wants total control … total control even it if means destroying America. So, Luntz uses the tactics similar to Joseph Goebbels: spread hate, lies and fear in order to gain control. (More on Frank Luntz at the end of this Diary).

Remember, for months prior to January 20, 2009, America had been losing over 750,000 jobs per month because of policies these same elected Republican lawmakers had enacted and their goal, their goal that night, was to plot ways to sabotage and undermine any and all legislation that would pull American families up and out of the economic calamity they [lawmakers] had helped create.

Two months after their covert meeting where they plotted to sabotage the US Economy, in March 2009, Rep. Pete Sessions said Republicans should follow the model of the Taliban in its battles against President Obama.

In the March 2009 interview with National Journal Rep Sessions said:

“Taliban Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban. Insurgency is the way they went about systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person’s entire processes. And these Taliban — is an example of how you go about to change a person from their messaging to their operations to their frontline message. And we need to understand that Insurgency may be required when [dealing with] the other side”

~Rep Pete Sessions, March 2009 to National Journal

Rep Pete Sessions went on to say:

“If they [democrats] do not give us those options or opportunities then we will then become Insurgency … I think Insurgency is a mindset and an attitude that we’re going to have to search for and find ways to get our message out and to be prepared to see things for what they are, rather than trying to do something about them”

Also, at their meeting they plotted to suddenly stop supporting any Stimulus Legislation, even though, they all supported Bush/Cheney Stimulus legislation.

At the meeting, Rep Kevin McCarthy said,
“We’ve gotta challenge them on every single bill.”

“Show united and unyielding opposition to the president’s economic policies.”

Remember, these same Republican members of Congress supported the very Bush/Cheney policies that caused America to teeter on the brink of the 2nd Great Depression and caused the 2007 US Economic Meltdown.

Here’s how they all voted:
— “Yes” to Bush/Cheney January 2008 Stimulus
— “Yes” to Bush/Cheney bailing out Bear Stern
— “Yes” to Bush/Cheney bailing out AIG
— “Yes” to Bush/Cheney TARP (sept 2008)
— “Yes” to Bush/Cheney TARP (oct 2008)

And these same Republican members of Congress:

Supported Bush/Cheney keeping cost of two wars out of the Budget.

Supported Bush/Cheney spending $4Trillion while giving Top 1% Tax Cuts; ignoring the fact that taxes pay for wars.

Not only did these Senior members of Congress plot to destroy the American Economy more than it already was destroyed? They actually carried out their mission:

Every one of these Senior members of Congress have threatened Government Shutdown over things like:

– Funding planned parenthood,

– Raising the Debt Ceiling which, in-and-of-itself, would cause US Economic turmoil.

… oh, and stay current, these same House GOP members of Congress are still, today, threatening a Government Shutdown again over the Debt Ceiling.

Last year, during the Debt Ceiling negotiations, Eric Cantor and Sen. Jon Kyl abruptly walked out of negotiations and refused to renew discussions with Democrats. As a result, America’s credit rating was lowered which put a smile on Republican’s faces.

Senators: Jim DeMint, Jon Kyl, Tom Coburn, John Ensign, and Bob Corker have:

– Filibustered more Bills (over 300) than any Congress combined in US History.
– Voted NO on every single piece of Legislation brought to the Floor including:
NO on Al Franken’s Anti-Rape Amendment,
NO on Lilly Ledbetter,
NO on Fair Pay Act,
NO on Anti-Outsourcing Bill (2010)

How in the hell could any thinking American be against those Bills? Seriously?!?

Representatives: Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy, Rep. Pete Sessions, Jeb Hensarling, Pete Hoekstra and Dan Lungren have voted NO on every single piece of Legislation including:

NO on increasing FEMA during natural disasters.

These same failed Congressmen have been on tv constantly chanting the lie that they were guilty of … the lie that “President Obama’s policies undermine the US Economy.”

Currently: Republicans Using the Transportation Bill to Sabotage the US Economy:

If the current Transportation Bill expires June 30, there will be no funding for transportation projects and 1.9 million construction workers would lose their jobs. Eric Cantor and Republicans in the House are refusing to act because Republicans would be overjoyed if almost two million Americans were added to the unemployment rolls this summer before the election.

Other Legislation used to sabotage US Economy

Republicans in Congress refused to negotiate or even discuss passing President Obama’s American Jobs Act that independent economists claim would create 1.3 million new jobs. God forbid Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan or Kevin McCarthy support an actual Bill that would put people to work building needed infrastructure and provide funds to pay to rehire hundreds of thousands of teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public service workers that have been laid off in droves by cash-starved states.

Republicans are gearing up block President Obama’s 2012 Anti-Outsourcing Bill – which is a Bill to discourage the outsourcing of American jobs, which is due to come to the Senate floor around the fourth of July.

The Washington Post reports that Republicans have made it clear that the Federal Reserve would face fierce Republican criticism if it takes further actions to stimulate the economy before the election. The Washington Post wrote that,

Republicans… have expressed deep concern about measures taken by the Fed to support the economy — and could be doubly upset if new efforts goose the stock market and are perceived to work in favor of President Obama’s re-election.

Frank Luntz

Like I said above, Republicans do not pay Luntz to offer ideas for good policy to help America, rather, Republicans pay Luntz’ to devise lies will keep Americans dumb and ignorant to facts on policy. For decades Republicans have paid Frank Luntz to tell them (Republicans) what to say in order to brainwash ‘the People’ with lies and hate to destroy policy.

Luntz is so good at lying, he even lies to himself. In order to blur reality and not take responsibility for his devising the spread of propaganda through hate and lies Luntz told Matt Lauer

“I focus on words that cause people to change their minds, change their behavior even change their attitudes.”

~Frank Luntz 3/2011 in interview with Matt Lauer

No, Luntz is not using words to merely have Americans “change their minds” — Luntz is using words intentionally to dumb-down Americans and fill them with lies and hate so as to brainwash and program Americans to hate a given policy.

Luntz has been the Republican Hate-Propaganda Minister since at least 1993 and his list of words to stop policies that help America are vast:

Don’t say “oil drilling.” Say “energy independence.”

Don’t say “inheritance tax.” Say “death tax.”

Don’t say “Capitalism.” Say “Economic Freedom.”

Don’t say that the government ‘taxes the rich.’ Say Government “takes from the rich.”

Don’t admit Lobbyists are Collective Bargainers for Corporations. Say “Union Collective Bargaining steals your tax dollars.”

Luntz says people hate government so:

Don’t say “healthcare reform.” Say “government takeover.”

Don’t say “Public workers.” Call them “Government workers.”

For the 2012 election, Frank Luntz is training his failed co-harts in the Republican party on what Luntz says are “the three most powerful words to use” to con people is: “I get it.”

Luntz says:

Don’t tell Occupy Wall Street “you don’t give a shit.” Say “I get it.”

Don’t tell struggling Americans “you’re on your own.” Say “I get it.”

Don’t tell Occupy Wall Street “you should protest Wall Street.” Say “You should occupy the White House.”

Yes, it is true, the House Republican Leaders: Eric Cantor, Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy met in secret and plotted to sabotage and undermine the US Economy … I call them TRAITORS TO AMERICA.

So, the next time you hear the GOP say “Obama wants to destroy the economy” or “Government Shutdown” … remember … as Newt Gingrich said after their four hour dinner on January 20, 2009 “You’ll remember this as the day the seeds of 2012 were sown.”

To Translate GINGRICH:
“You’ll remember this day as they day we became Traitors to the United States.”

My hope is that Americans and all members of Congress are reminded via twitter, facebook and all other forms of media over and over and over:
Republican Leaders in Congress literally plotted to sabotage the US Economy on January 20, 2009.
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jvaljon1

The GOP is a luxury that the US can’t afford any longer. All GOP Representatives and Senators should have their salaries withheld retroactively back to 2000, when they assisted in the Grand Theft America that put George W. Bush and Dick Cheney on the ballot. And they should be fined, and Bush/Cheney should be arrested and held for trial for running a stolen Presidency against the American People.

That’s what SHOULD happen. Will it? Of course not—-the American People are a shell of themselves, and far too weak to do justice to the worst criminals in American History.
http://www.facebook.com/norma.vandekamp Norma Vande Kamp

Grover Norquist is one of the biggest idiots alive! Why would anyone be willing to sign his pledge? Are all Republicans in Congress just plain stupid? I have had it with their refusing to go along with anything President Obama wants to pass. They should know by now what the majority of American citizens think of them. If they continue with this partisan crap, then we need to vote them all out in two years!
timetwo

First off, your numbers 16 and 22 don’t add up. 22 years would put you in the middle of the first Bush’s 4 years in office, and with that Republicans would have had the 2 you counted and 8 from George Jr, that would mean 10 of the last 22. Remember, 4 years Obama, 8 years Bush Jr, 8 years Clinton, 4 years Bush Sr. Where did you go to school? You sound like a typical Obama supporter. Actually, Republicans have had it for 20 of the last 32 years, and we’ve never had as many unemployed, as many on food stamps, as high of crime rate, etc. etc.

Sand_Cat

You’re right. The Republicans have seen to it that “we’ve never had as many unemployed, as many on food stamps, as high of crime rate, etc. etc.”

You sound like a typical moron who can’t figure out when you’re being lied to by a bunch of Greedy Old Pricks.

http://profile.yahoo.com/YDGRKS5L2M2G2J6DTM4ZI25C2A John Griggs

Oh now, tit tit, you old sour puss. I guess if you liberals aren’t agreed with everyone else is a moron. No wonder this country has gotten in such a bad fix.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KBEU3VSEG2JOWJC3IFGBENQ7YY Abdullahi

The Republicans earned the name “The Party of No” because they obviously don’t know anything about how a Democracy is supposed to function. They should begin thinking of themselves as members of the “Loyal Opposition” as the minority party functions in the British Parliamentary system. When a party is not in power it has a duty to ensure that the government functions along the lies mapped out by the manifesto of the majority party. Their role therefor should be constructive and not destructive as it has been.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_KBEU3VSEG2JOWJC3IFGBENQ7YY Abdullahi

Who the hell is Grover Norquist??? And why should any pledge to him take precedence to utilizing all available assets to fix an extremely ill economy?? By the way, how does he earn his money and how much tax does he pay.
bmwm357

Yep, Reps lost and the people have spoken on several issues. Time for the useless GOP to get off their cans and do something for the good of the country instead of for the good of them selves. Congress has an 18% favor ability rating, they must be very proud.
http://profile.yahoo.com/UZOAYSSJO3XS7ELSBIWVVETMAE RoyA

Aside from being taken care of in so many ways, elected officials should remember the real reason they are in office…..for the people!
http://profile.yahoo.com/MD64AA7EDMYSXFLIS5FDE5LUTM kenny

Iam soo sick of these republicans , there signing grover norquists pledge that basically means unwilling to compromise, they forget the people voted them in to do a job for the people NOT norquists!! I will never vote for a republican!!!!!
http://mohammeddressup.com/ I Zheet M’Drawz

And the Republicants are saying ‘fuck you filthy 47%’ers’.

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