Reid: GOP is 'making love to Wall Street'

By GottaLaff

Harry says the Rushpublics are "making love to Wall Street" . That dovetails nicely with how Wall Street is screwing us, now, doesn't it, so at least it's not unrequited:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) accused Republicans Wednesday of “making love to Wall Street.”

Reid charged that Republicans are stalling action on a Wall Street reform bill because “they are having difficulty determining how they’re going to continue making love to Wall Street” by resisting banking regulation.

Please read the whole thing here. Again, apologies for the abbreviated posts. I'm struggling with tech issues on my end.

Dep't. of Oy! Boehner urges hold on obscure post

By GottaLaff

This is getting plain stupid:

Partisan acrimony reached one of the most obscure outposts of the federal government on Thursday, when House GOP leadership voiced its opposition to a Democratic nominee to the Election Assistance Commission.

What could he possibly be objecting to?

Oh that's right: It's something President Obama wants.

Obama to speak at GOP conference

By GottaLaff

What a sport. Too bad he never reaches out to the other side of the aisle, huh?

President Obama will address the House Republican Conference later this month during their retreat in Baltimore, being held Jan. 28th to 30th.

Obama was invited by the elected GOP Leadership to speak a few weeks ago and will take them up on their offer.

Mike Pence said a few nice words about being grateful, blahblahblah, presenting GOP proposals, blahblah...

But House Minority Whip Eric Cantor said this:

“Though it’s welcome news that President Obama will speak with House Republicans later this month, it is important to point out that true bipartisanship requires working together on common-sense solutions and a mainstream agenda to help Americans facing difficult challenges.

Eric is so wise. He's should be Obama's go-to guy for bipartisanship and common-sense solutions. Please do go on, Mr. Can't We All Just Get Along:

It is important to ask whether the President plans to meet WITH Republicans, or speak TO them.

Is that anything like laughing WITH someone and not AT them? Or does Eric just like to condescend TO the president OF the United States.

In 2009, on the rare occasion when we were invited to the White House, the President paid Republican proposals lip service while the cameras were on, only to completely rebuff those ideas afterward.

If that is true-- and that's a big IF-- that's a whole lot more than the Rushpublics ever did for the president.

The problems faced by our country have grown too large for the President to respond to Republican and Independent views and solutions with indifference, like in 2009. I hope this is a sign that a new year will bring change.”

Tell ya what, Eric: You stop obstructing, Obama will stop indifferenting... if indeed, he ever did do that.

And don't forget to "pay lip service" and applaud after the president, your guest speaker, speaks. Anything short of that could be looked on as, you know, not truly bipartisan.

Tom Coburn places hold on veterans benefits bill

By GottaLaff

Nothing says Support the Troops/Vets like obstruction:

It turns out [Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)] has been the senator who has placed holds on several veterans benefits bills because he wanted to divert money from unspent ARRA funds them:

Thirteen major military and veterans groups have joined forces to try to force one senator — Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma — to release a hold that he has placed on a major veterans benefits bill.

Coburn has been identified by Senate aides as the lawmaker preventing consideration of S 1963, the Veterans’ Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benefits Act of 2009, by using an informal but legal practice of putting a hold on a bill. [...]

In a letter sent Monday night to the Senate majority leader, Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., the 13 military and veterans groups ask the Senate to get on with it.

“It is essential that Congress act on this comprehensive measure without further delay,” the letter reads. “Thousands of disabled veterans with serious medical conditions and the family members who care for them are counting on this additional support.”

I'm sure the military/vets will find a way to thank him.

GOP Crazies Prepping For Obama N.H. Town Hall

By GottaLaff

Via Chuck Todd, we get a peek at an invitation to all the wingnuttiest's finest (read: worst) to President Obama's Tuesday health care town hall meeting in New Hampshire:

BTW, here's one invitation NBC News has gotten their hands on from a group rallying against the president. This is from the New Hampshire Republican Volunteer Coalition:

NHRVC members and others,

Barack Hussein Obama will be arriving in Portsmouth on Tuesday to hold a STAGED "Town Hall Meeting", where he will essentially hand pick who the guests will be and what types of questions will be asked of him.

A MASSIVE protest rally is being organized just outside of the facility where Obama will be holding his "Town Hall Meeting" to promote his plan for a government takeover of your healthcare decisions.

There will be news media from all over the world at this event and it will be the ideal opportunity for us to tell the rest of the country exactly how NH voters feel about Obamacare (taxed/rationed healthcare). It will be the most important pro-liberty event of the year in NH and it is critically important that every one of us attend.

If you can, bring a sign that says something like, "OBAMACARE=TAXED/RATIONED HEALTHCARE", etc.

Come anytime between 8am-4pm (peak time will be 11am-4pm)

See you there!!

Here's what Chuck Todd had to say about that whole "staged" thing:

And as much as some might want to believe the White House will be staging the questions, don't believe that hype. The White House knows the political price for being caught doing that is MUCH higher than having to deal with a confrontation or two at the meeting itself. If anything, I'd bet some inside the White House are hoping for a confrontation since they believe the president's demeanor alone will politically play well with the folks the White House cares most about right now, ACTUAL independents.

I'll be glued to my Tee Vee Machine Tuesday. Hopefully, it will be televised live, and the president will make these lunatics look like the cowardly, mouth-breathing obstructionist nutballs that they are.... in that nice, polite way he has, of course.

Obama Repeatedly Reminds House GOP Of Their Zero Stimulus Votes

Sweet, sweet truth. Booman has a great analysis here.

In a meeting with House Republicans at the White House Thursday, President Obama reminded the minority that the last time he reached out to them, they reacted with zero votes -- twice -- for his stimulus package. And then he reminded them again. And again. And again.

A GOP source familiar with the meeting said that the president was extremely sensitive -- even "thin-skinned" -- to the fact that the stimulus bill received no GOP votes in the House. He continually brought it up throughout the meeting.

Obama also offered payback for that goose egg. A major overhaul of the health care system, he told the Republican leadership, would be done using a legislative process known as reconciliation, meaning that the GOP won't be able to filibuster it.

Congress has until October 15 to pass health care or student lending reform under the normal process. If it doesn't, reconciliation can be used to eliminate the 60-vote requirement.

Democratic aides said that Obama made clear to the GOP leadership that he would continue to work in a bipartisan way, but that they didn't have veto power over health care policy.

Tim Kaine responds to Michael Steele's neutering

By GottaLaff

Dontcha just love it when Republican geldings are made really, really public? But we're not gloating. Psh! We'd never do that:

Just out from Gov. Tim Kaine, Steele's counterpart at the DNC ...

"I was briefly encouraged by the courageous comments made my counterpart in the Republican Party over the weekend challenging Rush Limbaugh as the leader of the Republican Party and referring to his show as 'incendiary' and 'ugly.' However, Chairman Steele's reversal this evening and his apology to Limbaugh proves the unfortunate point that Limbaugh is the leading force behind the Republican Party, its politics and its obstruction of President Obama's agenda in Washington. Just this weekend, Rush Limbaugh repeated his claim that he is rooting for the President to fail. The last time Rush Limbaugh said he wanted the President to fail, virtually every single Republican in Congress followed his lead and voted against the President's plan to create or save 3.5 million jobs.

"As Congress works to pass the President's budget, Republicans need to stop following divisive figures like Rush Limbaugh, stop apologizing to him and put aside the failed politics of the past so we can put our economy back on track, reform our health care system, break our dependence on foreign oil, improve our schools, and lay the foundation for long-term growth in the 21st Century."

Translation- Republicanese to English

Just so we're all on the same page, in Republicanese "Loyal Opposition" translates to "Obstructionist Dicks Wrapped In The Flag". More here.

Republicans Party Like 1994

Let's take bets on how this will work out.

"Republicans are hatching a political comeback by dusting off a strategic playbook written nearly two decades ago," Politico reports.

Three key themes: "Unite against Democrats' economic policy, block and counter health care reform and tar them with spending scandals."

In 1994, Republicans used this same strategy to complete a historic takeover of Congress.

I want Eric Cantor To Be King Of The Republicans

Pretty please? From Cantor's YouTube channel via John Cole.

VIDEO: Crankypants GOP leader Boehner throws stimulus bill on House floor

By GottaLaff

Whiny little NoNo Repubabies throw things when they're mad:

A simple "nay" vote wasn't enough for Republican Congressman John Boehner this afternoon, as the $787 billion stimulus package headed toward passage: While speaking before C-SPAN cameras, the House leader had to toss all 1,073 pages of the bill onto the august chamber's floor in disgust.

Holding a massive white stack of paper in his hand, Boehner registered his disdain -- shared by every other Republican House member, all of whom voted against the bill -- by noting that no one has read it. [...]

"Our [Republican] ideas weren't considered," Boehner said. "We weren't allowed in the room. We weren't allowed to participate at all. And all the talk about bipartisanship that we have heard over the last several months went down the drain."

Waa-a-ah! Someone go get the Boehner his wittle Boehner Binky.

Oh, and I guess Baby BoehnHead forgot about this.

No thy neighbor: First Gregg, now dreg

By GottaLaff

Crawl back under your rock, Newtie:

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich yesterday promised to avenge Gregg by holding up the Commerce Department completely:

“The idea they would have U.S. Census [controlled by the White House] is such a terrible idea that Republican senators should announce that no member of the Commerce Department will be cleared and approved until they put the census back in the Commerce Department,” Gingrich said.

As Gregg himself has admitted, this issue didn’t play a big role in his decision and these claims are overhyped. “The way it was explained to me is that the Census would still report to the Commerce Secretary, but the White House wanted to have a major interest in the census process also,” he said on CNBC.

While taking a break trying to disprove evolution, Newtie McNoNo wants to avenge Gregg... via more obstructionist tactics. Good move.

I have a feeling it's the American people who are about to become the avengers, and it's not going to be Judd Gregg they're avenging. It will be their president.

BREAKING: House passes recovery bill + Where's the GOP's better plan? Thom Hartmann sounds an alarm

By GottaLaff

BREAKING: House passes economic rescue bill 246-183.

UPDATE: Not one House Republican voted for the bill.

Nancy Pelosi just gave Prez O credit for passing an economic package faster than any president in history.

Via the L.A. Times letters to the editor:

Where's GOP's better plan?

Re "Centrists over the line," Opinion, Feb. 10

Letter #1:

I would like Jonah Goldberg to tell me where the "fiscal conservatives" have been the last eight years. So far, all I hear from the Republicans is that they have a better plan.

The only thing they mention is more tax cuts, and the rest of this better plan is practically a state secret known only to Republican insiders.

Letter #2:

If, as the saying goes, art "feeds the soul," and if, as right-wing pundit Goldberg writes, the National Endowment for the Arts is a "liberal priority," my suspicion that conservatives have no souls would appear to be well-founded.

Meantime, I'm listening as Thom Hartmann sounds the alarm about how the Republicans are doing everything they can to push the claim that the Democrats and their recovery package are a complete failure. They will rant right into 2010, about how we've squandered trillions, knowing full well the recovery would take a couple of years to have any real effect. They will say the Democrats' plan was an utter disaster... prematurely, in order to win elections. It's a P.R. war, and they've already started it.

Hartmann:

"They will distract us with petty squabbles." [He also repeatedly refers to this post at Think Progress, re: Grover Norquist.] "A power play is being played by the conservative economic elite, that has been conducted in push-back against the New Deal since the election of '46, preventing Truman's single payer national health care deal."

"The economic royalists were brought back by Ronald Reagan, and they are getting fat and rich while destroying our economy. The 'impartial press' (see this post) are Twittering together with Rove, and Norquist is saying, “This is the bill that the Republican Party will be running against in 2010 and 2012 and 2014.”

Team Obama needs to push their message loud and clear, and drown out these obstructionist, elitist wingnuts. And they better win the P. R. war or this country is sunk.

Republicans Speak Out On The Economic Recovery Bill

Spot on. h/t Babzter.