US House Of Representatives

Is Ezra Klein Correct That We Are Witnessing The Worst Congress Ever? YES, By A Landslide!

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The 111th Congress (2009-2010) has been seen by many observers as the most productive Congress since the 89th Congress (1965-1966).

But now, the 112th Congress (2011-2012) has been declared by Ezra Klein, the brilliant commentator of the Washington Post and MSNBC, as the WORST Congress EVER!

Is Ezra Klein correct in his assessment? ABSOLUTELY!

The 112th Congress, as Klein says, has failed to deal with the problems facing the country, and has had as its major agenda the defeat of President Obama for a second term, and in the process, holding Americans hostage in the midst of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression!

Klein points out the following:

No Congress, with records back to the 80th Congress of 1947-1948, has produced such little passage of legislation, with the smallest being the 104th Congress (1995-1996), with 333 laws passed, and Democrat Bill Clinton being relected President in 1996 as a result.

Congress has only a ten percent approval rating, an all time low, with the Internal Revenue Service being at a popularity rate of 40 percent; Lawyers at 29 percent; President Richard Nixon during Watergate at 24 percent; Banks at 23 percent; the British Petroleum Oil Spill at 16 percent; and Paris Hilton at 15 percent, as examples!

The 112th Congress is the most polarized Congress since the end of Reconstruction in the 1870s, and we all know what came after–the GILDED AGE period of corporate dominance, not well looked upon by historians, and reminding us that we are now, in so many respects, in a new GILDED AGE, personified not only by the GOP control in the House of Representatives and in many state governments, but by the wealthiest Presidential nominee in American history, Mitt Romney, worth twice the assets of the last eight Presidents from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush combined!

The Republican majority in the House and Republican opposition in the Senate set back economic recovery in 2011 and right up to this moment in 2012, by any measure! And this Congress caused the loss of America’s credit rating, and seem ready to do it again!

Voting unsuccessfully to repeal the Affordable Care Act THIRTY THREE times is an exercise in futility, and the House of Representatives has wasted approximately EIGHTY hours in doing nothing, two work weeks when they could have been working on job creation legislation!

This Congress has NOT passed any appropriations bills by the deadline of October 1 in 2011, and will not by October 1, 2012, as things stand!

The failure to provide for the future of our infrastructure–roads, bridges, subway systems, and airports– is a major problem for the long term.

Two Congressional experts, Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, have written a book condemning the paralysis of the 112th Congress, saying it is the worst performance they have witnessed in 40 years of covering Congress!

In sum, the 112th Congress is an embarrassment, and there is no sign of any improvement in the future, particularly if the split Congress continues into the future!

“It’s The Middle Class, Stupid!”: The Campaign Slogan For 2012, Thanks To James Carville And Stan Greenberg!

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James Carville, who coined the campaign slogan “It’s The Economy, Stupid!” in the 1992 Bill Clinton Presidential campaign against President George H. W. Bush, has just published a new book with Stan Greeenberg, coining a new campaign slogan, this time for President Barack Obama against GOP Presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012, entitled “It’s The Middle Class, Stupid!”

Pointing out that there has been class warfare against the middle class for the past 32 years, since the victory of Ronald Reagan in 1980, the authors make it clear that Obama can win an election with his critics claiming he is declaring class warfare against the top two percent, who have become extremely wealthy due to GOP economic policies under Reagan and George W. Bush.

And Mitt Romney is the perfect candidate to use this slogan against, as he proposes to make the wealthy wealthier, and to cut programs that benefit the middle class, as well as the poor.

And if conservatives and Republicans try to use what Reagan used as a slogan against Jimmy Carter in 1980–“Are you better off than you were four years ago?”–the answer is YES, as what Obama has done has made life better, and he could have done a lot more without Republican obstructionism over the past 18 months when they have controlled the House of Representatives, and have made it their mission to do NOTHING to make life better for the middle class!

The 2012 Farm Bill: Favoring Big Agriculture, But Cutting Food Stamps As “Waste, Fraud And Abuse”!

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The 2012 Farm Bill is becoming the center of controversy as House Republicans are proposing major cuts in Food Stamps, while favoring Sugar, Cotton, and Dairy producers with subsidies that are not truly needed, as farm prices are better, and farm income is at historic levels!

So again, the Republicans are trashing food stamps, as “waste, fraud, and abuse”, while not seeing the same with Big Agriculture!

The fact that poor children are the majority on food stamps, along with the elderly and single mothers, has no effect on the mean spirited Tea Party Republicans!

They would argue that some people on food stamps “abuse” the system, and no one is denying that there is likely some abuse, a few percent, maybe, but there is far greater abuse by agricultural interests who do not need subsidies in good times, but have lobbyists who can fight for them, while poor people, who would be denied necessary nutrition, do not have that advantage.

The fact that school breakfasts and school lunches for the poorest children will be cut dramatically has no effect on the Republicans in Congress.

The fact that lack of good nutrition can stunt the growth and health of children has no effect either.

The fact that the food stamp program is a minor part of the Farm bill and farm programs does not phase these members of the majority in the House of Representatives.

No, they would rather trash the poor, kick them down when they are down, and lack concern for children that they constantly fight for to be born, no matter what, but once they are born, to hell with what happens to them and their mothers, and also to hell with the elderly, who have their lives shortened by poor nutrition, leading to bad health, as well!

And yet, these Republicans are good church goers on the Sabbath!

What hypocrisy, which Jesus Christ would condemn, as he cared about the poor, and did not see religion as based on the acquisition of wealth, and the promotion of selfishness and greed, and lack of concern for thy fellow human being!

Florida Congressman Allen West Says Social Security Is A Modern Form Of Slavery!

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Florida Republican Congressman Allen West created a controversy over the weekend, when he compared Social Security and disability benefits to a modern form of slavery.

West said that Barack Obama and the Democrats were promoting dependency and a “plantation mentality” in promoting “welfare programs”.

The problem with what West said is that Social Security payments and disability benefit payments are NOT welfare, as they are contributed to by all those who work, and these payments go primarily to senior citizens, widows and orphans, and those who are disabled through no fault of their own.

This is just another example of the reckless behavior and rhetoric of a Congressman who presently represents a district with a large population of people who receive such benefits, and his new district in Northern Palm Beach County, and Martin and St Lucie Counties, also has a substantial population of such citizens.

So it would seem suicidal what West is saying, but if citizens are not informed, or simply vote out of lack of understanding of the issues that affect them daily, then Allen West could very well be elected to another term in his new district.

It is up to the Democrats and nominee Patrick Murphy to make a concerted campaign to inform the citizens of the new congressional district of the danger and threat that electing West will bring upon them.

West already is on the so called “hit list” of Democrats, and fellow Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, head of the Democratic National Committee, and regularly bitterly attacked by West, is committed to do what is possible to retire Allen West, which would be a great plus for the citizens of his district, Florida, and the nation at large!

A Liberal-Progressive Mount Rushmore And A Conservative Mount Rushmore: Who Would Be On Such Mount Rushmores?

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Last Friday, Joe Scarborough and MORNING JOE on MSNBC had distinguished historians assess which Presidents might be on a new, second Mount Rushmore, if such a monument were ever built.

This brought to mind the idea of who might be on a Liberal-Progressive Mount Rushmore, and who would be on a Conservative Mount Rushmore, if such were ever constructed anywhere in America.

This is mostly just interesting scholarly speculation, but here goes my suggestions for such honoring on both sides of the political spectrum.

LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE MOUNT RUSHMORE

Robert La Follette, Sr.–Republican Governor (1900-1906) and Senator (1906-1925) of Wisconsin–Mr. Progressive of the early 20th century and 1924 Progressive Party nominee for President.

George Norris–Republican Congressman (1902-1912) and Senator (1912-1942) of Nebraska–the most creative reform figure and longevity of the first half of the 20th century, a bridge between the Progressive Era of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Hubert H. Humphrey–Democratic Mayor Of Minneapolis (1945-1949), Senator (1949-1964, 1970-1978) of Minnesota, and Vice President of the United States (1965-1969) and Democratic Presidential nominee in 1968, who had the most creative record of promoting reform in the years after World War II throughout the 1960s.

Ted Kennedy–Democratic Senator (1962-2009) of Massachusetts, the fourth longest serving US Senator in American history, and the most creative reformer in the years from the 1970s until his death in 2009.

A possible alternative would be Democratic Senator George McGovern of
South Dakota (1922-2012), who ran for President in 1972, and was a major critic of the Vietnam War, one of the most decent men ever in American politics, serving in the Senate from 1963-1981.

CONSERVATIVE MOUNT RUSHMORE

Arthur Vandenberg–Republican Senator (1928-1951) of Michigan, who opposed the New Deal and was an isolationist in foreign policy through World War II, but then became an internationalist in support of the United Nations and President Harry Truman’s Cold War policy against the Soviet Union after World War II, and potential Presidential candidate twice.

Robert Taft–Republican Senator (1939-1953) of Ohio, son of President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft, promoted the anti labor union Taft-Hartley Act, promoted an isolationist foreign policy, and considered Mr. Conservative by his party, and a potential Presidential candidate numerous times.

Barry Goldwater–Senator (1952-1964, 1968-1986) of Arizona, succeeding Robert Taft as Mr. Conservative, and 1964 Republican nominee for President, becoming the hero of conservatives long term, and having an effect on President Ronald Reagan.

Ronald Reagan–Republican Governor of California (1966-1974), and President of the United States (1981-1989), after a career as a movie actor, influenced by the principles and ideas of Barry Goldwater, who he publicly backed in a famous speech in 1964.

The author welcomes commentary on these selections!

Interview with WWRL (New York) Morning Show with Mark Riley

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This morning, I woke up bright and early on the 4th of July to discuss the American Presidency, the Tea Party, and more with Mark Riley of WWRL in New York. Click on the link below to listen to my interview.

Interview with WWRL (New York) Morning Show with Mark Riley

Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh: The Most Vile Republican In The House Of Representatives!

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Illinois Congressman Joe Walsh has been the most vile member of the House, the most outrageous low life of all Tea Party Republicans!

This is a man who owes back child support to his divorced wife and children!

This is a man who has attacked Barack Obama in the most vile manner consistently in the past two years!

This is a man who has constantly screamed at and insulted constituents at meetings in his district, when they criticize his record in office!

This is the man now ridiculing his Democratic opponent, Tammy Duckworth, who lost both legs and use of one arm in an explosion in Iraq. He complains that she talks about her sacrifice, and that her war service and loss of limbs does not justify her campaign for Congress!

This has led to a firestorm of protest from veterans, Republican and Democrat, across the nation, outraged at what he is doing.

So it seems as if this man, a piece of crap, who never served in the military, will see a massive campaign against him nationwide, and he richly deserves to be kicked out of Congress, and immediately imprisoned if he does not pay all back child support instantly!

A Century Of Struggle For Health Care: Theodore Roosevelt 1912 to Barack Obama 2012!

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Republican President Theodore Roosevelt, out of office and running on the third party movement, the Progressive Party, in 1912, first proposed some form of national health exactly a century ago as part of his New Nationalism platform!

His distant cousin, Franklin D. Roosevelt, considered it as part of his New Deal in the 1930s, but it was controversial enough to promote Social Security, which was called “Socialism”, and bitterly opposed by most Republicans, and used as a campaign issue by Republican Governor Alf Landon in the 1936 Presidential campaign.

Harry Truman actually was the first to promote a program as part of his Fair Deal programs in the 1940s, but the Southern Democrats and the American Medical Association bitterly opposed it as “Socialism”, and it died in committees in the US House of Representatives and US Senate.

John F. Kennedy proposed what became Medicare for the elderly as part of his New Frontier, but it was blocked again by the AMA and the Southern Democrats who headed Congressional committees in both houses of Congress in the early 1960s.

Lyndon B. Johnson overcame the AMA and Southern Democrats, and accomplished Medicare in 1965, and the Republicans campaigned against it, but failed to gain enough support to repeal it

Richard Nixon had devised plans for more health care legislation, but Watergate killed any movement in that direction in the 1970s.

Jimmy Carter also had developed a plan for expansion, but faced too much conservative opposition and other issues and crises, which drew attention away from the idea.

Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton proposed a major government program, but it went down to defeat in 1994, with Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and the conservative Heritage Foundation proposing a “mandate” instead, which would allow private health insurance companies to profit from health care reform, but nothing was done.

And Senator Ted Kennedy fought the good fight for decades, and was at least able to see progress before his death in 2009.

And when Hillary Clinton, and then Barack Obama, adopted the Heritage Foundation plan in 2008, far less than the original Clinton plan of the 1990s, suddenly the Republican Party and conservative ideologists bitterly opposed it, as they still do, and their hope is to repeal the program declared constitutional by the Supreme Court this past Thursday.

So it has taken a century, and we are the ONLY major nation in the world which allows millions of people to be uncovered for health care, and we have the opposition bitterly trying to destroy it, including Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who actually promoted the SAME idea successfully in Massachusetts in 2006, but now is out to destroy “ObamaCare”!

What a history, and hard to believe that it would take a century, and still be a controversy in 2012!.

The Lunatic Right Goes Berserk After Supreme Court Health Care Decision

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The true nature of the right wing Republicans and conservative radio talk show hosts and Fox News Channel is revealing itself in the aftermath of the decision of the Supreme Court on the Obama Health Care law as being constitutional, written by Chief Justice John Roberts.

Roberts is being pilloried as a “traitor”, the Court being denounced as a “death panel”, and Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana, who once thought of running for President, said the Court decision was the equivalent of another September 11!

How reckless on the part of Mike Pence! How disgraceful a behavior by Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Congresswoman Jean Schmidt of Ohio, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, and the others on the lunatic right!

They are showing us the dangers if they were to gain total power, as Fascism would be around the corner, ready to destroy the middle class and the poor, in their support of the elite plutocracy that has become a threat since the time of Ronald Reagan onward!

We must pray every day, even if not religious, for the safety and the health of President Obama, Chief Justice Roberts, and other courageous people of different political views, who nevertheless remain in the mainstream of American politics, and want to do what is proper to promote and maintain democracy and opportunity for ALL Americans, not just the wealthy top one or two percent!

These extremists, and there are many others, reveal their true selves as they rant and rave, so go ahead, lunatic fringe, and show us what and who you are, and the American people will reject your leadership, and your talk shows in droves, as they realize that you do not give a damn about them, but only about your own selfish selves, your money and your power!

Salute To Ted Kennedy: There Must Be Celebration In Heaven Right Now!

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At this moment of great excitement and pride at what President Barack Obama and the Democrats have accomplished, it is appropriate to stop and pay tribute to the late Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, who fought the good fight for health care for decades, and lived long enough to see progress being made on the road to the present legislation.

While Ted Kennedy would have wished for better legislation, the Affordable Health Care Act is still a great triumph, with the possibility of improvements over time.

But there are so many aspects of this legislation that will benefit millions of Americans, and finally have America catch up with the rest of the “civilized world”, in promoting decent, available health care for all Americans over time!

The battle to keep what has been accomplished cannot be complete until the right wing Tea Party Movement and fellow Republicans who are nasty, mean spirited, and heartless beyond belief, are removed from the ability to promote chaos and anarchy, as the Republican House has been doing now for 18 months, making them the worst Congress in American history!

Some might point out that rich people have no concern about those not wealthy. That is certainly true of some, but Ted Kennedy was rich, and he CARED about those less fortunate.

Ted Kennedy and Mitt Romney both came from Massachusetts, but they are polar opposites on caring about average Americans, while both being rich!

One wonders why Mitt Romney has so little concern about average Americans, while Ted Kennedy really cared!

Could it be their political philosophy separates them, the vast difference between the “WE” attitude of Democrats and the “ME” attitude of Republicans?

In any case, there must be a celebration in heaven going on right now, with Ted Kennedy having a great time, proud of his nation, his political party, his President, and even Chief Justice John Roberts and the four Democratic appointments to the Supreme Court!