Judd Gregg

The Republican Party And Debt Default And Government Shutdown: Constant “Hostage Taking” Tactics!

Ronald 1 Comment

Now that the “Fiscal Cliff” battle is over, and Barack Obama has won the battle on raising taxes on high incomes, a compromise at $450,000, instead of his original plan of $250,000, already the Republican Party, which lost the battle with only one third of them supporting it, but with Democratic backing and agreement to conduct a vote by Speaker John Boehner allowing it to pass, are creating a new crisis with reckless, irresponsible Republicans ready to fight on the issue of the raising of the debt limit, which must occur by the end of February. A new “Hostage Taking” situation is being created once again!

Among those Republicans who are arguing for a debt default and government shutdown are:

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Senator John Cornyn of Texas
Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania
Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky
Senator Mike Lee of Utah
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota
Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia, Majority Leader
Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, House Budget Commitee Chairman
Congressman Kevin McCarthy of California, House Majority Whip

Among those arguing against it, but not in public office are:

Former Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich
Just about any sane Republican who held office in the past and is holding his or her head in their hands in grief at what their party has become!

Speaker John Boehner has said that we cannot renege on the debt, and he knows that the government shutdown in 1995 by the House Republicans under Newt Gingrich during the Bill Clinton Administration was a disaster, and helped Clinton win a second term, and public opinion polls backed Clinton during the debacle.

But Boehner, having lost support of a dozen House Republicans in the Speakership vote on Wednesday, is weakened, and has a massive headache with Tea Party radicals and others who should know better than to play games with the fiscal health of the American economy!

Boehner has already said he will not speak privately with Obama, and has already insulted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with foul language, which he has not apologized for.

This creates a very awkward situation as the deadline nears iin late February, and all it will do is boost the ratings of the Democrats and President Obama, and further degrade the Republican Party future. Obviously, their defeat in November has NOT changed the mindset of the GOP, and that spells tragedy for their political futures!

A thought that comes to mind is that Vice President Joe Biden might again have to be called upon to negotiate with Boehner and others, since Obama and Reid seem to have no possibility of private discussions with House leaders or Senate leaders. Biden may, again, save the day, for the umpteenth time!

The point is that the Republican Party is fighting a losing battle for public opinion, and if there are bad economic implications, they will be the ones to suffer for it in 2014 and 2016!

To Newt Gingrich, Jon Kyl, Judd Gregg, Sharron Angle Et Al: Unemployment Compensation Is NOT Welfare! :(

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In the midst of the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression, the Republican party is demonstrating how it has no concern or compassion for the millions of Americans who have lost their employment, some for two years or more already!

Former Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona, Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, and Senate candidate Sharron Angle of Nevada, among others, have all described people on unemployment compensation as people on “welfare”, who are lazy, shiftless, and to be condemned as unwilling to take any job offer which comes along! 🙁

Unemployment compensation is not enough that anyone can live in luxury and contentment! It is only a portion of a worker’s former income! Many people have no opportunity to find a job, no matter how hard they try! But if they find a job that pays just a fraction of their former pay, then they cannot spend time finding a job that allows them to pay their mortgage or rent, and put food on the table, and plan for their children’s education and their own retirement!

These GOP politicians live off the public tax rolls, and mostly come into office wealthy, so what do they know about the struggles of everyday citizens? They have no concern, except to divide the nation and exploit for their own benefit!

The middle class has been decimated due to GOP policies while they controlled Congress from 1995-2007 and under the administration of George W. Bush from 2001-2009! How anyone with any intelligence could vote to back candidates who consider unemployment compensation as “welfare”, when everyone pays into the system throughout their work lives, is beyond comprehension! 🙁

Obama Plan For $30 Billion Investment To Community Banks For Small Business Growth And Senator Judd Gregg

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Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, who at one point considered becoming Secretary of Commerce in the Obama Administration, has turned totally against the President, now being critical of the President’s plan to invest $30 billion of Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds in community banks, rather than the large banks, to help promote small business loans that would lead to creation of jobs and the revival of the American economy.

Since small business employs about half of all workers in the nation, and since we have a severe jobs crisis, it makes sense to invest in small business loans through local and community banks.

And yet, Judd Gregg, who used to be seen as moderate and sensible, decides to issue a cheap political attack to promote the Republican cause, forgetting that it was the Republicans who put us in this economic mess!

I say everyone should condemn Judd Gregg and call upon him to stop his ridiculous attacks on President Obama, and work with him to solve the economic crisis!

Is Obama Becoming Another Nixon?

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We are reaching the silly season when we have two Republican senators claiming that there are signs that Barack Obama is becoming another Richard Nixon.

Lamar Alexander of Tennessee worries that Obama is forming an “enemies list” because of criticism of Fox News. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, who briefly planned to be Secretary of Commerce under Obama before changing his mind, stated that he was wondering if Alexander was correct in his judgment.

The fact that Obama is coming out swinging against his critics after many months of being overly gentlemanly and bipartisan in tone does not mean that he is pursuing the worse instincts of Richard Nixon. His response was long overdue.

What can be said is that IF Obama can be as successful in diplomacy as most historians perceive Nixon was, and IF Obama can accomplish the passage of major domestic reforms as Nixon presided over, then indeed it would not be a bad thing if Obama is compared to Nixon in these positive ways, rather than the negative ways that led to the Watergate scandal and the resignation of the 37 th President in 1974.