GOP Corruption and Obstruction

dteowner said:
http://dailycaller.com/2010/04/14/tea-party-trickster-may-be-sent-to-the-principal’s-office/

Now we've got people actively trying to discredit the Tea Party folks. Wonder if the media will give this any coverage.
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TPM reported on this earlier in the week. It's actually rather a tongue in cheek effort, I thought, and kind of directed at making the crazies incriminate themselves rather than drowning out the valid protesters, but I can understand them not wanting the negative publicity. If it gets the Tea-hadists to cool down their nastier side it won't be totally worthless.

I guess we'll see tomorrow how real the whole thing is, but I imagine someone somewhere will report on it if he manages to make a scene. OTOH, sounds like the Tea Party is doing it's best to get him fired for trying to make them look bad, so it's hard to tell which is the story that will get covered with this one.

OTOther OtherH, I like the looks of this particular TP organization's little bullet list at the bottom of your DC link; that's what I meant about not letting the crazies drive the Tea Party bus, even if you can't keep them from following it down the road.
 
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dteowner said:
You've got pissed off righties (example-Tea Party). Media swoops in for the kill. Pick a bad apple and put a spotlight on it, label the whole barrel. Ignore the actual message. Tout it as the end of the world.

You'v got pissed off lefties (example- LA riots). Media supports how they're standing up for their beliefs and fighting for their rights and overcoming oppression. Find some diamond in the cesspool and put a spotlight on it, excuse the stink. Ignore the actual carnage. Tout it as a triumph of the human spirit.
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That sounds like what Fox is doing, only they're doing it backwards. Guess that's why they're not part of "The Media"...

Übereil
 
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This one is getting low on page. We wouldn't want truth to be under represented would we?

Apparently the Senate GOP leaders (Grumpy Obstructionists that they are) are trying to kill the banking and securities reform bill on general principles (i.e. that it is being it is led by the other duly elected party). Who'd have thought?

http://thinkprogress.org/2010/04/20/dodd-rips-obstruction-explain/
 
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I can say "biased source" and be completely serious this time. But anyway, just because your principles (assuming you have some beyond "I deserve part of what everyone else earned") don't line up with theirs doesn't automatically mean that their principles are wrong. Thus, their "disagreement on principle" might be because it's a shitty bill. After all, you claimed the only reason repubs fought the health care turd was for politics, and yet in the same breath you admit that the bill is a turd, which justifies anyone fighting against it.
 
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All the righties think all their opponents want to steal from them? Why is that, while you caress corporate greed and profit at the expense of the middle class? You support a set of corporate kingdoms with no responsibility except towards greed? No wonder you think we all want to steal from you…

But rather than continue to smear your apparent lack of ethics…. The repubs claimed that the bill would write into law bank bailouts funded by the fed, when in fact it writes into law a fund paid for by bank fees for bank restructuring…

So where is the information about how shitty this bill is, DTE? No details forthcoming means that it is BS obstructionism…
 
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Thrasher said:
But rather than continue to smear your apparent lack of ethics…. The repubs claimed that the bill would write into law bank bailouts funded by the fed, when in fact it writes into law a fund paid for by bank fees for bank restructuring…

So where is the information about how shitty this bill is, DTE? No details forthcoming means that it is BS obstructionism…
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Why don't you do this sort of thing more often? Actual facts that can be independently verified! You win this round, Thrasher. The repubs are fighting regulation on the general assumption that regulation=bad. Might not be a good fight in this case, although usually, it's a pretty safe spot to start from, at least.
 
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I don't even know if I buy that. I think it is just general obstructionism, since the same guys who are obstructing today, wanted the security and banking reform yesterday. Tune changed because some party policy consultants said so...
 
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Keep in mind that wanting banking reform does not automatically mean wanting this particular bill. Much like you wanting HCR does not equate to you supporting Obamacare as it got passed.

On the other hand, this might be mindless obstruction thru and thru... ;)
 
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True. I have yet to hear anything bad about this bill, except that the funds raised to cleanup failed banks may be insufficient, but no real analysis or numbers to back it up.
 
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Thrasher said:
True. I have yet to hear anything bad about this bill…
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Then you haven't been to Firedoglake, lately. ;)
http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/04/21/beware-the-bipartisan-deal-on-finreg/

Actually, though, afaik, the bill is nothing near as badly mangled and nerfed as HCR, although I haven't made as much of an effort to follow it. I do believe Dodd's version has softened the House's, at least according to a few choice remarks by Barney Frank I seem to remember, but on the whole, what with anti-Wall Street voter sentiment and 2010 midterms looming, it's something I think both sides can support and as usual, hopefully improve upon later.

I actually came over to post about signs of hope amidst the righties for not marching lockstep against the whole thing, as they've backed down from their "Just say No to Obama" platform on this one quite a bit—well…slightly, which for them *is* quite a bit. :)

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0410/36183.html

Credit where credit's due, even though I'm sure it has more to do with trying to be on the same side of an issue as the voters than with any kum-by-yah moment. The Goldman-Sachs SEC charges don't hurt, either.
 
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magerette said:
Credit where credit's due, even though I'm sure it has more to do with trying to be on the same side of an issue as the voters than with any kum-by-yah moment. The Goldman-Sachs SEC charges don't hurt, either.
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Pro-business, anti-regulation principles are all well and good, but these bankers appear dead-set on committing "PR hari-kari" with the incredible profits and fat bonuses and business-as-usual, so nobody in their right mind can stand in that corner right now.

These guys are supposed to be financial wizards. You'd think they'd figure out some way to bury those billions in profits until the heat is off. Unless the Mahogany Row guys are trying to artificially inflate the value of their stock options before they all cash out and move to Dubai and couldn't give two hoots about what happens to their company (and, potentially, the national economy again) 6 months from now...
 
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Preventing the big banks from buying and selling derivatives seems like a good idea to me, not a bad one. It's derivatives gambling that led to the banking crisis and economic crisis.
 
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I guess I spoke too soon.
After Weeks of Negotiating, Republicans Block Debate on Financial Reform(Talking Points Memo)

And who voted *with* the Republicans? Ben "Cornhusker Kickback" Nelson. He must get tons of money from the financial sector as well as the healthcare PACs.


They say they're still"negotiating," but imo this is a political calculation (for once) by the dems, to be able to say in the midterms: "Senator X voted NO on financial reform!" Harry Reid finally shows a bit of intestinal fortitude bringing this up and making the repubs filisbuster to deny an up or down vote.
 
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Well I hope they come to a compromise shortly. I mean, if we won't fix the problem that caused this whole mess, I think that will only hurt us in the long run.
 
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Alright, the posturing and spin wars subside slightly, and the financial reform bill moves closer to debate:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100428/ap_on_bi_ge/us_financial_overhaul

For my own satisfaction, I continue to pursue the bits about democrat Ben Nelson's traitorism, despite them lawfully belonging to the lefty corruption thread, because that's the soap-opera aspect that particularly grabs me:
Nelson has been critical of a provision in the legislation that places restrictions on derivatives, the exotic securities blamed for helping precipitate the financial crisis in 2008. The Democratic bill would require participants in derivatives contracts, even existing ones, to post collateral to back up the bets.

Among those who would have to put up more money would be firms such as Berkshire Hathaway, the Nebraska company led by billionaire Warren Buffett. Nelson said he objected to the bill because it would impose retroactive conditions on existing contracts…

Nelson said there was "broad support" for policy position he supports..

"The Washington gotcha game has kicked into high gear impugning my motives," he said, noting that questions have been raised over his and his wife's ownership of Berkshire Hathaway stock.

"That has nothing to do with my vote," he said.
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Yeah, right.
 
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Well, you kinda pre-empted my snappy ACORN retort. Guess I just have to take this one.
 
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Sometimes you just have to take one for the Gipper, eh? I actually thought it was pretty cool that the stoners signing on to what they thought was a legalize pot petition were able to figure out they'd been scammed. Something about those repub voter ID cards turning up or something...:)
 
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Despite the best attempts of the dems to distract me with their own crookedness, I can't ignore this rather egregious example of the latest in GOP corruption & obstruction(—other than defeating the move to get rid of the "secret hold(HuffPo)" in the Senate, which sounds more like something you'd have in a boys' wrestling club. Who knew the Senate had so much in common with middle school?) But I digress, as usual.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R.Alaska)is saying $75 mil is all the money BP should have to pay on an X-billion dollar oil spill clean-up operation of their own screw-up—because higher damage caps would keep those Mom and Pop drillers out of the Gulf…and what a disaster for small biz that would be. Guess some bailouts by big government are just fine for taxpayers to bankroll…:rolleyes:
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsme...i_oil_lobby_block_effort_to_make_industry.php
Like numerous Alaska lawmakers, Murkowski counts the oil and gas industry as a major backer. According to online records, it has contributed over $426,000 — more than any other industry aside from electric utilities — to her campaigns over the course of her career.
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Makes you understand this poll result(NBC/WSJ) * showing while we distrust *all* our congressmen, we still distrust some more than others:

When it comes to the problems in the financial markets, do you think that (INSERT PERSON/GROUP) is more concerned about the interests of average Americans or more concerned about the interests of large corporations?

Interests of Average Americans / Interests of Large corporations

President Obama
May 2010………………………………51/ 36


Republicans in Congress
May 2010 ………………………………20/ 71


Democrats in Congress
May 2010 ………………………………35/ 53
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*which I've condensed due to formatting issues-it's question 25 for anyone who wants to see the whole thing, which includes a comparison to the same topics taken in 2002 re:Bush. This poll also slams the health care plan, favors the Ariz immigration law, and has a lot of other interesting factoids, if you like reading polls.
 
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