…you may get responses.

Yesterday Speaker John Boehner (r), via Twitter, going after teachers:

Speaker John Boehner ‏@SpeakerBoehner
It is unfortunate that the unions & the education establishment in our country see #schoolchoice as a threat. [….] 11:13 AM – 24 Oct 2015

And, of course, the responses:

David Pepper ‏@DavidPepper
@SpeakerBoehner now that you’ll have more time in Ohio, you’ll see why #chartergate #forprofitfailures 11:14 AM – 24 Oct 2015

Alisha ‏@alishafromaubur
@SpeakerBoehner I’m tired of politicians telling educators what’s wrong w/ education. We know what’s wrong w/ education. POLITICIANS. 11:31 AM – 24 Oct 2015

Allen Clifton ‏@Allen_Clifton
@SpeakerBoehner it’s unfortunate that Republicans see education as a whole as a threat. 12:30 PM – 24 Oct 2015

Mr. Jake Miller ‏@MrJakeMiller
@SpeakerBoehner It’s unfortunate your GOP leadership sees unions – not poverty or lack of resources – as the real #education threat #edchat 12:03 PM – 24 Oct 2015

This.

The Prime Minister of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, plans to speak to the joint Houses of the United States Congress on March 3. He was invited by House Speaker John Boehner who cooked the event up with the help of the Israeli ambassador, John Dermer, an American by birth, and a former Republican Party operative who by all accounts remains “deeply connected in Republican politics in America.” The topic of the speech will be the ongoing nuclear negotiations between the U.S and Iran. Netanyahyu wants to derail the talks; some Republicans want to derail the negotiations, still more Republicans want to derail the President.

Vice-President Biden won’t be attending. Pointedly. According to the latest count I could find, a “whip” list published by The Hill, three Democratic senators and nineteen Democratic members of the House have committed to not attending. Pointedly. Others are still “on the fence,” and not committing either way. Still others are planning to attend while voicing strong criticism of the event.

I can’t find the names of any of Missouri’s Democratic congressional delegation under any of the headings used by The Hill’s list: “Skipping,” “Attending,” or “On the fence.” Are they hoping it will all just go away? Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have denounced the speech and reportedly many CBC members are not going although they are also not taking an official position – perhaps Reps. Clay and Cleaver, both members of the CBC, are among those yet to announce? As for Claire McCaskill, perhaps she’s playing coy yet again, hoping to get by without declaring herself?

But, you say, Netanyahu is only giving a little talk and we all know talk is cheap. So why is it important whether or not our federal representatives plan to attend? Short version: The invitation to give the speech bypassed the White House, a serious breech of protocol clearly indicating that the entire event is intended to be a poke in the President’s eye; it politicizes the relationship between Israel and the United States as never before; and it endangers the diplomatic efforts to curtail Iran’s nuclear program without resorting to a war that would be a total disaster for the region and for the United States. Oh, and Netanyau wants to play the big, tough man in the U.S. prior to an upcoming Israeli election.

In the words of James Fallows in The Atlantic:

(a) the idea of a foreign leader being invited to criticize existing U.S. foreign policy before a joint meeting of Congress, something that has never happened before; or

(b) the specific critique Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to advance in this setting, which, based on his statements over the past decade, is likely to involve such impossible conditions and strictures for an “acceptable” deal with Iran as to torpedo the negotiations. Not to mention …

(c) the idea that a military strike on Iran’s nuclear installations merits serious consideration for either the U.S. or Israel.

This last point refers to the fact that Netanyahu wants the U.S. to seriously tighten the screws on Iran and there are those who argue that what he’d really, really  like is for the U.S. to mount a military offensive against Iran.

Nor is this Israel-related issue likely to bite, which is to say that opposition to the speech will be difficult to spin as anti-Israeli bias – although such efforts are already underway, what Politico calls the “backlash to the backlash.”  All but one of the twenty-seven Jewish members of the  House of Representatives are Democrats; to date only fourteen have indicated that they will attend the speech. Of those 14 attending, most have also issued comments critical of the event, along with other, non-Jewish Democrats who have decided to attend. Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League and Commentary Magazine have voiced discomfort with the event. J Street, the “pro-Israel, pro-peace” lobbying group, has launched a petition that has garnered 20,000 signatures affirming that Netanyahu “cannot claim any mandate to speak for Jews in the United States.” Nor is Netanyahu’s move playing well in Israel.

But all this frenzied back and forth leaves me with just one question: Why aren’t our Missouri Democrats willing to come out of the Bibi closet? I for one would like to see them out in the light of day. Democrat – and Jewish – Rep. John Yarmouth (KY), gets to the heart of the problem in a statement explaining why he will not be attending the talk:

Congress has a broader responsibility than the security interests of Israel. While it certainly is important that we understand the Israeli perspective, the American people will hear only Netanyahu’s perspective, creating a public perception that could undermine a broadly supported resolution to the Iranian nuclear situation.

The Prime Minister’s appearance will be construed by many to infer congressional support for his position as opposed to US policy.

I do not want my respectful attendance to in any way imply support for his position.

So which Missouri Democrats are willing to support Bibi Netanyahu over the President of their own country? Even if they choose to attend, I’d like to hear them take a stand on the substance of the controversy. And just let me add that it is a very sad day in which we don’t even need to ask that question about the other dominant political party.

UPDATE:  Rep. Cleaver’s name has been added to the whip list under the heading “On the fence,” with the following statement:

“The speech is still several weeks out. We do not set the Congressman’s schedule that far in advance,” said press secretary Mary Petrovic

.

Well, it’s something, and something’s better than nothing, right?

*Edited slightly on 2/15, 1:40 am; last two paragraphs added after inadvertent omission.



 

Today I got a little email missive titled “Never Forget” from our GOP Senator, Roy Blunt. It’s the anniversary of 9/11 so this type of message is not unexpected. However, know what he really, really wants us to remember:

Twelve years later, we still live in a dangerous world with enemies who wish us harm. We were reminded of this just one year ago, when four Americans were killed during a deadly terrorist attack in Benghazi.

Like, you know, Benghazi is Obama’s 9/11. Except it isn’t. Although given the general conservative pile-on today, you’d never guess the extent to which the allegations of scandal have been discredited. Blunt, always careful not to go too far and get himself laughed at, is as you probably noticed, moderate in his rhetoric, letting others do the heavy lifting while he only delicately alludes to the point he is sure the base has already been sufficiently prepared to receive with cheers.

And Blunt can take that conviction to the bank. The real wild-eyed morons of the GOP continue to till what they hope will someday, if they just keep at it, prove to be fertile Benghazi fields. The occasion of 9/11 has found them working at fever pitch. To commemorate the profound tragedy of 9/11, Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Tx) and one-time rep. Allen West (R-nowhere) held a press conference characterized by absurd Benghazi hypotheticals presented as serious allegations. Rep. Darrell Isa (R-CA) had to get in on the act and promised to never stop beating the dead Benghazi horse in his House committee. These partisan conspiracy theorists were echoed by Speaker Boehner who emphasized the strength of GOP resolve to create a partisan victory out of the tragic death of a diplomat:

“For the past year, this administration has failed to provide sufficient answers, fully comply with subpoenas, and make available relevant individuals to provide testimony. In short, this administration hasn’t been upfront with the American people or this Congress,” he said. “Republicans will not stop until we get to the truth. We will press forward with our investigation until we have answers, full accountability, and justice.”

In the words of Steve Benen:

This really isn’t healthy. The questions have been answered; the deadly incident has been closely examined; and the allegations have been discredited. There’s just no point in pretending otherwise. Even some congressional Republican staffers have begun openly mocking GOP lawmakers who can’t let go of this nonsense.

What makes its especially unhealthy is the fact that we’ve had a real international situation on our hands as a result of Syria’s violation of international norms on the use of chemical warfare agents. When President Obama responded by indicating that under his watch the U.S. might actually stand up to defend those conventions, what he got from otherwise truculent GOPers was confused silence or outright opposition for proposals they would have been cheering for had a Republican (and white) president been the initiator. Instead, we get our hawkish GOPers whining about the over-and-done-with Benghazi incident. But, hey, to once again let me crib the eloquent words of Steve Benen:

It’s obvious this simply won’t go away. Ever. There are those who believe the Clintons killed Vince Foster; there are those who think the moon landing was faked; and there are those who argue there was a Benghazi cover-up they can neither identify nor explain.

It is a theory impervious to fact and evidence, and nothing will change that.

Maybe nothing will change the GOP’s fantasy that Benghazi will prove to be the wedge that will topple the Obama presidency, but in the meantime do we have to tolerate Roy Blunt’s gutless effort to appropriate the meme in his “who me” kind of way? Shouldn’t just a few of us tell him we know what he is doing, we don’t like it, and, incidentally, Roy, STFU.

Salon‘s David Daley caught Claire McCaskill on Meet the Press today trying to claim that she doesn’t know who Grover Norquist is. Really. If that’s true, then I’m worried about the general level of knowledge that fuels the decisions our democratic Senator will be making in our name. That’s just downright pathetic. Even my apolitical eight-three year old Mother-in law knows who Grover Norquist is. On the topic of John Boehner, though, and the “fiscal cliff,” she nailed it:

People like Norquist, McCaskill concluded, almost make her feel sorry for John Boehner. “There is incredible pressure on him from a base of his party that is unreasonable about this. And he’s got to decide: Is his speakership more important, or is the country more important?”

Norquist for his part, tried to turn the tables and paint President Obama as the recalcitrant one:

“It’s the president who’s threatening to raise taxes on the middle class if he doesn’t stamp his feet and get his way.”

I suppose that to Mr. Norquist when our government refuses to bargain with terrorists, no matter what they threaten, then they are stamping their feet in order to get their way? Aren’t Republicans trying to threaten dire results – unnecessary results from any point of view – if they don’t get everything they want? Pure terrorism as far as I’m concerned. If the worst comes to pass, we’ll remember who was willing to come to the table in good faith and who insisted on pulling out the big guns instead.

Finally.

“….Now, the Republicans, when I talked about this earlier in the week, they said, well, this is class warfare.  You know what, if asking a billionaire to pay their fair share of taxes, to pay the same tax rate as a plumber or a teacher is class warfare, then you know what, I’m a warrior for the middle class.  (Applause.)  I’m happy to fight for the middle class.  I’m happy to fight for working people.  (Applause.)  Because the only warfare I’ve seen is the battle against the middle class over the last 10, 15 years….”

The White House transcript:

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

September 22, 2011

Remarks by the President on the American Jobs Act — Cincinnati, OH

Hilltop Basic Resources-River Terminal, Cincinnati, Ohio

2:55 P.M. EDT

       THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Cincinnati!  (Applause.)  Well, it is good to see all of you.  It is good to be back in Cincinnati.  (Applause.)  I have to say I drove by the Bengals’ practice — (laughter.)  And I was scouting out some plays in case they play the Bears — (laughter.)  Did I hear somebody boo the Bears?

       AUDIENCE:  Booo!  (Laughter.)  

       THE PRESIDENT:  We’ve got some folks I just want to make sure are acknowledged here today.  First of all, the Secretary of Transportation, Ray LaHood, is in the house.  Give him a round of applause.  (Applause.)  We’ve got the mayor of the great city of Cincinnati — Mark Mallory is here.  (Applause.)  We’ve got the mayor of Covington, Mayor Denny Bowman.  (Applause.)  Senator Rand Paul is here.  

       AUDIENCE:  Booo –…

…THE PRESIDENT:  Rand is going to be supporting bridges, so we’ve got to — (applause.)  And we’ve got Congressman John Yarmuth in the house.  (Applause.)  

       Now, it is good to be back.  I was just in Columbus a little while ago, and I figured I couldn’t get away with not giving     Cincinnati a little bit of love.  (Applause.)

       I want to thank the good folks at Hilltop Concrete for having us here today.  I especially want to thank Ron for his introduction.    

       Companies like Hilltop, construction companies, have been hit harder by this economic crisis than almost any other industry in America.  And there are millions of construction workers who are still out there looking for a job.  They’re ready to work, but things have been a little tough.  That doesn’t mean that there is not plenty of construction waiting to get done in this country.  

       Behind us stands the Brent Spence Bridge.  It’s located on one of the busiest trucking routes in North America.  It sees about 150,000 vehicles every single day.  And it’s in such poor condition that it’s been labeled “functionally obsolete.”  Think about that — functionally obsolete.  That doesn’t sound good, does it?  

       AUDIENCE:  Nooo!

       THE PRESIDENT:  It’s safe to —

       AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Kind of like John Boehner.  (Laughter.)  

       THE PRESIDENT:  It’s safe to drive on, but it was not designed to accommodate today’s traffic, which can stretch out for a mile.  Shipping companies try to have their trucks avoid the bridge.  Of course, that only ends up costing them more money as well.  

       The thing is there are bridges and roads and highways like that throughout the region.  A major bridge that connects Kentucky and Indiana just closed down for safety reasons.  Another aging bridge that crosses over the Ohio River in Ironton could be replaced right now.  There are rail stations in Cleveland and Toledo in desperate need of repair.  And the same is true in cities and towns all across America.  It makes your commute longer.  It costs our businesses billions of dollars — they could be moving products faster if they had better transportation routes.  And in some cases, it’s not safe.

       Now, we used to have the best infrastructure in the world here in America.  We’re the country that built the Intercontinental Railroad, the Interstate Highway System.  (Applause.)  We built the Hoover Dam.  We built the Grand Central Station.  (Applause.)  So how can we now sit back and let China build the best railroads?  And let Europe build the best highways?  And have Singapore build a nicer airport?  At a time when we’ve got millions of unemployed construction workers out there just ready to get on the job, ready to do the work to rebuilding America.  (Applause.)

       So, Cincinnati, we are better than that.  We’re smarter than that.  And that’s why I sent Congress the American Jobs Act 10 days ago.  (Applause.)  This bill is not that complicated.  It’s a bill that would put people back to work rebuilding America — repairing our roads, repairing our bridges, repairing our schools.  It would lead to jobs for concrete workers like the ones here at Hilltop; jobs for construction workers and masons, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, architects, engineers, ironworkers — put folks back to work.  (Applause.)  

       There is work to be done, and there are workers ready to do it.  So let’s tell Congress to pass this jobs bill right away.  (Applause.)

       AUDIENCE:  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!

       THE PRESIDENT:  Pass this bill!  (Laughter.)  Pass the bill!

       Tell them to pass the jobs bill, and not only will we start rebuilding America, but we can also put thousands of teachers back to work.  (Applause.)  

       I was with the President of South Korea — I was up at the United Nations.  We were doing a bunch of stuff.  And he’s told me in the past — I’ve asked him, I said, what’s your biggest challenge?  He says, oh, education.  I said, well, what are you dealing with?  He said, well, you know what, we’re hiring so many teachers we can barely keep up, because we know that if we’re going to compete in the future we’ve got to have the best teachers.  (Applause.)  And we’ve got to have our kids in school longer.  And we’ve got to make sure that they’re learning math and science.

       Well, while they’re hiring teachers in droves, what are we doing?  We’re laying off teachers.  It makes no sense in this new global economy where our young people’s success is going to depend on the kind of education that they get.  So for us to be laying off teachers doesn’t make sense for our kids, it doesn’t make sense for us, it doesn’t make sense for our economy.  

       Pass this jobs bill and put teac
hers back in the classroom where they belong.  (Applause.)

       AUDIENCE:  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!

       THE PRESIDENT:  They need to go and pass it.  

       Tell Congress to pass this jobs bill, and companies will get tax credit for hiring America’s veterans.  (Applause.)  We’ve been through a decade of war now.  Almost 2 million people have served.  And think about it.  They’re suspending their careers; they’re leaving their families; they’re putting themselves in harm way — all to protect us.  The last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home.  (Applause.)  And if we pass this jobs bill it makes it easier for employers to hire those veterans.  That’s why we need to tell Congress to do what?  To pass the bill.

       AUDIENCE:  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!

       THE PRESIDENT:  The American Jobs Act will cut taxes for the typical working family by $1,500 next year.  It will cut taxes for every small business in America.  It will give an extra tax cut to every small business owner who either hires more workers or raises those workers’ wages.  How many people here would like a raise?  (Applause.)

       And we know that most small businesses are the creators of new jobs.  We’ve got a lot of folks in Congress who love to say how they’re behind America’s job creators.  Well, if that’s the case, then you should be passing this bill, because that’s what this bill is all about, is helping small businesses all across America.

       Everything in this jobs bill has been supported in the past by Republicans and Democrats.  Everything in this jobs bill is paid for.  The idea for a big boost in construction is supported by the AFL-CIO, but it’s also supported by the Chamber of Commerce.  Those two don’t get along on much, but they agree we should rebuild America.  (Applause.)

       And, by the way, thanks to the reforms that we’ve put into place, when we start rebuilding America we’re going to change how business is done.  No more earmarks.  No more boondoggles.  No more bridges to nowhere.  We’re going to cut the red tape that prevents some of these construction projects from getting started as quickly as possible.  And we’ll set up an independent fund to attract private dollars and issue loans based on two criteria:  how badly is a construction project needed, and how much good will it do for the community.  Those are the only things we should be thinking about.  Not politics.  (Applause.)  And, by the way, that’s an idea that’s supported by a Massachusetts Democrat and a Texas Republican.  It’s a good idea.  

       So my question is, what’s Congress waiting for?  Why is it taking so long?  Now, the bridge behind us just happens to connect the state that’s home to the Speaker of the House —

       AUDIENCE:  Booo —

       THE PRESIDENT:  — with the home state of the Republican leader in the Senate.

       AUDIENCE:  Booo —

       THE PRESIDENT:  Now, that’s just a coincidence.  (Laughter.) Purely accidental that that happened.  (Laughter.)  But part of the reason I came here is because Mr. Boehner and Mr. McConnell, those are the two most powerful Republicans in government.  They can either kill this jobs bill, or they can help pass this jobs bill.  (Applause.)  And I know these men care about their states. They care about businesses; they care about workers here.  I can’t imagine that the Speaker wants to represent a state where nearly one in four bridges are classified as substandard — one in four.  I know that when Senator McConnell visited the closed bridge in Kentucky, he said that, “Roads and bridges are not partisan in Washington.”  That’s great.  I know that Paul Ryan, the Republican in charge of the budget process, recently said that “you can’t deny that infrastructure does creates jobs.”  That’s what he said.  

       Well, if that’s the case, there’s no reason for Republicans in Congress to stand in the way of more construction projects.  There’s no reason to stand in the way of more jobs.  

       Mr. Boehner, Mr. McConnell, help us rebuild this bridge.  (Applause.)  Help us rebuild America.  Help us put construction workers back to work.  (Applause.)  Pass this bill.  

       AUDIENCE:  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!

       THE PRESIDENT:  Let’s pass the bill.

       AUDIENCE:  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!  Pass this bill!

       THE PRESIDENT:  Now, some folks in Congress, they say, well, we don’t like how it’s paid for.  Well, it’s paid for as part of my larger plan to pay down our debt.  And that’s why I make some additional cuts in spending.  We already cut a trillion dollars in spending.  This makes an additional hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts in spending, but it also asks the wealthiest Americans and the biggest corporations to pay their fair share of taxes.  (Applause.)

       Now, that should not be too much to ask.  And by the way, it wouldn’t kick in until 2013.  So when you hear folks say, oh, we shouldn’t be raising taxes right now — nobody is talking about raising taxes right now.  We’re talking about cutting taxes right now.  But it does mean that there’s a long-term plan, and part of it involves everybody doing their fair share.  (Applause.)

       THE PRESIDENT:  Now, this isn’t to punish success.  What’s great about this country is our belief that anybody can make it. If you’re willing to put in the sweat, if you’re willing to roll up your sleeves, if you’re willing to work hard, you’ve got a good idea, you’re out there taking a risk — God bless you.  You can make millions, you can make billions of dollars in America.  This is the land of opportunity.  (Applause.)  That’s great.  All I’m saying is, if you’ve done well — I’ve done well — then you should do a little something to give something back.  (Applause.) You should want to see the country that provided you with this opportunity to be successful, and be able to provide opportunity for the young people who are going to be coming up behind you.  (Applause.)

       And all I’m saying is that everything should be fair.  You know, you learn the idea of fairness when you’re two, three years old.  Right?  You’re in the sandbox and you don’t want to let somebody play with your truck — (laughter) — and your mom or your daddy go up and they say, “No, hon, that’s not fair, you’ve got to share.”  Isn’t that what they say?  Things have to be fair.  So all I’m saying is that Warren Buffett’s secretary should not be paying a lower [sic] tax rate on her income than Warren Buffett.  (Applause.)  That doesn’t make any sense.  A construction worker who’s making 50 or 60 grand a year shouldn’t be paying higher tax rates than the guy who’s making $50 million a year.  (Applause.)  And that’s how it’s working right now.  Because they get all these loopholes and tax breaks that you don’t get.

       So for me to say, let’s close those loopholes, let’s eliminate those tax breaks, and let’s make sure that everybody is paying their fair share — there’s nothing wrong with t
hat.  (Applause.)  

       Now, this is about priorities.  It’s about making choices.  If we just had all kinds of money and everybody was working, and we hadn’t gone through the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, then maybe we wouldn’t have to make choices.  But right now we’ve got to make some choices.  We’ve got to decide what our priorities are.  If we want to pay for this jobs plan, and close the deficit, and invest in our infrastructure, and make sure we’ve got the best education system in the world, the money has got to come from some place.  Would you rather that the oil companies get to keep their tax loopholes?  

       AUDIENCE:  No!

       THE PRESIDENT:  Or would you rather make sure that we’re hiring thousands of construction workers to rebuild America?  (Applause.)  Would you rather keep in place special tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires?  

       AUDIENCE:  No!

       THE PRESIDENT:  Or would you say, let’s get teachers back in the classroom so our children can learn?  (Applause.)  

       Now, the Republicans, when I talked about this earlier in the week, they said, well, this is class warfare.  You know what, if asking a billionaire to pay their fair share of taxes, to pay the same tax rate as a plumber or a teacher is class warfare, then you know what, I’m a warrior for the middle class.  (Applause.)  I’m happy to fight for the middle class.  I’m happy to fight for working people.  (Applause.)  Because the only warfare I’ve seen is the battle against the middle class over the last 10, 15 years.

       It’s time to build an economy that creates good, middle-class jobs in this country.  It’s time to build an economy that honors the values of hard work and responsibility.  It’s time to build an economy that lasts.  And, Cincinnati, that starts right now.  That starts with your help.  (Applause.)  Maybe some of the people in Congress would rather settle their differences at the ballot box than work together right now.  In fact, a while back, Senator McConnell said that his “top priority” — number-one priority — was “to defeat the President.”  That was his top priority.

       AUDIENCE:  Booo —

       THE PRESIDENT:  Not jobs, not putting people back to work, not rebuilding America.  Beating me.  Well, I’ve got news for him, and every other member of Congress who feels the same way.  The next election is 14 months away, and I’ll be happy to tangle sometime down the road.  But the American people right now don’t have the luxury of waiting to solve our problems for another 14 months.  (Applause.)  A lot of folks are living paycheck to paycheck.  A lot of folks are just barely getting by.  They need us to get to work right now.  They need us to pass this bill.  (Applause.)

       So I’m asking all of you — I need everybody here to lift your voices — not just in Cincinnati, but anybody who’s watching TV, or anybody who’s within the range of my voice — I want everybody to lift up their voices.  I want you to call.  I want you to email.  I want you to tweet.  I want you to fax.  I want you to visit.  If you want, write a letter — it’s been a while. (Laughter.)  I want you to tell your congressperson that the time for gridlock and games-playing is over.  Tell them you want to create jobs, so pass this bill.  (Applause.)  

       If you want construction workers rebuilding America — pass this bill.  (Applause.)  If you want teachers back in the classrooms — pass this bill.

       AUDIENCE:  Pass this bill!

       THE PRESIDENT:  If you want to cut taxes for middle-class families — pass this bill.

       AUDIENCE:  Pass this bill!

       THE PRESIDENT:  If you want to help small businesses, what do you do?

       THE AUDIENCE:  Pass this bill!  

       THE PRESIDENT:  If you want veterans to share in the opportunities of this country, what should you do?

       THE AUDIENCE:  Pass this bill!

       THE PRESIDENT:  Now is the time to act.  Because we are not a people that just sit back and wait for things to happen.  We go ahead and make things happen.  We’re tougher than the times we live in.  We are bigger than the politics that we’ve been seeing these last few months.  Let’s meet this moment.  Let’s get back to work.  Let’s show the world once again why America is the greatest nation on Earth.  

       God bless you.  And God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

END 3:12 P.M. EDT

Better late than never.

Blogtopia (y,sctp!) is in crisis. Now no one is certain who or what we’re referring to when we mention the “Great Orange Satan”.

Now John Boehner (r-Ohio) will be the next Speaker of the House – the people who caused this mess in the first place are back in charge.

A year and a half ago:

…And the nation now realizes that we are right and they are wrong. I mean John Boehner [R-Ohio] is a good guy, actually he’s a, he’s a good guy. He said on television, he said, “Well, you know these Democrats they just think different.” Yeah. [laughter] Yeah. [laughter] I mean, right on soul brotha, I mean. [laughter] Of course we do. [laughter] I’ve been trying to tell ’em, “We’re right, they’re wrong. If you’re right you think differently.” [laughter] [applause] [voice: “Yeah!”] They’ve been wrong for eight years. [applause] And the nation is tired of wrong. [applause] [cheers]…

From: Truman Days in Kansas City: Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (May 3, 2009)

A double standard? *IOKIYAR!

Two years ago:

Transcript: Reps. Hoyer and Boehner on ‘FNS’

Sunday, November 23, 2008

….WALLACE: Congressman Boehner, finally, House Republicans – and I don’t mean to be unkind on a Sunday – have lost more than 50 seats in the last two elections with you as a leader, and now the leader.

Why are you the man to bring them back from the political wilderness?

BOEHNER: Well, if I thought that I was to blame for those losses, I wouldn’t have run for this job. And I can tell you my colleagues would not have re-elected me.

We’ve got a long way to go. The American people have issues. They’ve got concerns. We need solutions, solutions to the issues that the American people care about that are built on our principles.

And I believe that re-energizing our party, re-energizing the idea machine that we used to be, is a step in the right direction.

I think our fight last year on energy that lasted three or four months was a very good fight and showed us how to win, how we could grab an issue, grab the attention of the American people and succeed.

And so you’ll see a lot of effort on our part to be the party of new ideas. I don’t think we can be the party of no. There are going to be times when we do have disagreements and we do have to say no and be the loyal opposition.

But at the end of the day, I think that we have to be the party of new ideas, new solutions, and attract more Americans to our party….

[emphasis added]

“…I don’t think we can be the party of no….”

Well, that didn’t last very long, did it? Funny, I don’t recall an editorial in the local paper on this subject at the time.

An editorial in today’s Warrensburg Daily Star-Journal, High Broderism writ large:

11/10/2010 1:29:00 PM

Stepping aside best move for Rep. Pelosi

EDITORIAL

Jack Miles

Editor

….A Blue Dog Democrat, budget hawk Steny Hoyer, Maryland, would be a good replacement for Pelosi, his party and the House. Being a fiscal conservative is always a benefit to the public, especially in these times. Apparently, however, the best Hoyer can hope for is to take the minority whip spot, and even that is not a certainty with the party liberals casting ballots.

Oddly, liberals appear even stronger among House Democrats following the party’s November nightmare. The reason is as simple as the numbers: In districts held by conservative Democrats, such as U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton, voters cast their ballots for Republicans, and with so many conservative Democrats ousted, what is left to dominate the party are liberals, mostly from the East and West coasts.

Democrats seem intent on going with who brought them to the party – even at the risk of political date rape – meaning where Pelosi’s agenda has taken them is bad, but could get worse in 2012….

Yep, that’s what someone wrote.

“…In districts held by conservative Democrats, such as U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton, voters cast their ballots for Republicans…”

Uh, republicans cast their votes for republicans. You think maybe a few Democrats didn’t turn out in an off year election?

Two years ago:

Official Election Returns

State of Missouri General Election  – 2008 General Election

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

U.S. Representative – District 4 – Summary

Precincts Reporting 419 of 419

Parnell, Jeff REP 103,446 34.1%

Skelton, Ike DEM 200,009 65.9%

Total Votes   303,455

Last week:

Unofficial Election Returns

State of Missouri General Election  – November 2, 2010 General Election

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

U.S. Representative – District 4 – Summary

Precincts Reporting 415 of 415

Skelton, Ike DEM 101,512 45.1%

Hartzler, Vicky REP 113,530 50.4%

Braun, Jason Michael LIB 6,122 2.7%

Cowan, Greg CST 3,912 1.7%

Total Votes   225,076

So, ten thousand more voters cast ballots for Vicky Hartzler in 2010 compared with the number who voted for a post turtle in 2008. And the republicans were more motivated this year? Yeah, and Democrats stayed home.

Four years ago:

Official Election Returns

State of Missouri General Election  – November 2006 – General Election

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

U.S. Representative – District 4 – Summary

Precincts Reporting 437 of 437

Noland, James A. (Jim) REP 69,254 29.4%

Skelton, Ike DEM 159,303 67.6%

Holthouse, Bryce A. LIB 4,479 1.9%

Ivey, Melinda (Mel) PRG 2,459 1.0%

Palmer, Jerry L. WI 30 .0%

Total Votes   235,525

“…and with so many conservative Democrats ousted, what is left to dominate the party are liberals, mostly from the East and West coasts…”

And what are Lacy Clay (D), Emanuel Cleaver (D) and Russ Carnahan (D) in Missouri? Chopped liver?

Raul Grijalva (D) and Gabrielle Giffords (D) in Arizona? Tammy Baldwin (D) in Wisconsin?

You think maybe that Democratic voters didn’t bother to vote for Democratic Party candidates who were running away from the accomplishments of their party?

“…even at the risk of political date rape…”

That was a very poor choice of words.

What is missing in the editorial is any mention of the two years of the rhetoric on the right and their agenda of complete obstruction. How about the big bucks spent on campaign ads paid for by right wing front organizations?

There are important lessons in life. Never eat at a diner called “Mom’s”, never buy into an investment scheme promoted by a guy named “Slick”, and never ever take any political advice from a “moderate” journalist.

Besides, no one representing Missouri’s 4th Congressional District in January 2011 has a vote in that matter.

* it’s okay of you’re a republican