American Politics Thread 2013: I'm a cool Rodham grandma in the USA

Mcconnell's shorthand phrase for cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security: "mandatory spending reductions"

“There is an openness on our side for trading mandatory spending reductions for sequester spending relief. So far, the Democrats’ view is no mandatory changes without taxes,” McConnell said.

Inside the Beltway and in mainstream and right-wing media everywhere one is not allowed to suggest that there are alternatives to cuts for addressing federal government expenditures for Medicare, Medicaid and Socila Security. Also, if cut supporters were asked how cutting government spending on these programs will address the problem of rising US healthcare costs what would they say? Just the standard cliche that promoting competition between private insurers across state lines and tort & malpractice law changes will somehow improve things (or that people just have to work harder and pay the higher bills)?

tax hikes pay for themselves. say it majority leader reid

Pobrecitos

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/us/from-the-right-despair-anger-and-disillusion.html

Give'em hell, Harry!

I liked that NYT piece, showing how out of touch the conservative rantosphere is even with many hardcore Republicans. The sheer lunacy of still thinking this could ever have been a winning strategy.

I try to be sympathetic for them somehow and you know, no.

Meantime, this'll be entertaining

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/senate-conservatives-fund-endorses-mcconnell-primary-challenger

All of this helps Alison Lundergan Grimes, right?

I also just saw a headline that said Palin was going to involve herself in the KY race, in support of Bevin I'd imagine.

Pretty sure she won the KY race in "Who's Nailin' Palin."

"Ted Cruz is smart," Reid said. "He has always been able to talk down to people. He is now in the Senate. People are as smart as he is. He can't talk down to anyone anymore. But he has still not accepted that in his own head. He still thinks he's smarter than everybody else. He might be able to work a calculus problem better than I can. But he can't legislate better than I can."

reid gettin salty

What's up with all these smug Republicans with some mysterious reputation as super geniuses? Cruz, Ryan, Gingrich ... it's like the party is one part chumps like them and several parts chumps like Issa or Vitter, who are outright morons but don't give a fuck.

well, "brilliant" is the Beltway's favorite adjective

well, 'brilliance' can imply either genius or a shining glory, or a combination of the two.

fluency with received ideas

cruz s universally described as super intelligent by everyone whos ever met him starting way before he became a politician, he was the youngest person to ever argue before the supreme court and hes been generally just immensely successful even tho pretty much everyone whos ever met him hates him too

i imagine hes got an incredibly quick and logical mind, the sort that makes a super impressive debater, even if hes nowheresville on the self awareness scale, theres all sort different intelligences out there

if you look at the failure of the shutdown in legislative terms he doesnt seem too bright, but if you look at it as an attempt to brand himself as the last true conservative and seize political power based on that he was wildly successful, not to mention that his meal ticket is punched from here to infinity on the conservative think tank speaking fox news etc circut if he ever feels like retiring into a life of luxury and adulation

But really, aren't there like a hundred different ways to get on the nutty circuit. Surely, this was not one of the smartest ways...

...OR WAS IT?

i'd say it was a pretty good calculation on his part. we've all seen so much heinous shit go down that has destroyed peoples lives and hurt our entire society, and people got rich from it, and absolutely nothing happened to them... except that person getting to live a life of luxury. and, that's probably what's going to happen with him. fame and luxury after nearly wrecking the world economy ... not a bad deal all around.

But he's a us senator, fame and luxury is hardly scarce commodities? Just seems dumb to me to wreck the economy to get something he could have easily gotten without making such a fuzz.

A PARLIAMENT OF WHORES AND TRAITORS

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/10/did-the-gop-establishment-just-curb-stomp-liberty/280680/

I agree that Cruz wants something more than just notoriety and money, he wants power. He probably thinks he wants power for admirable reasons, but basically he wants very badly to be the guy who calls the shots.

"These 81 whores curb-stomped liberty and defecated on the Constitution yet again tonight."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrbSy6XZvZ4

Pretty sure she won the KY race in "Who's Nailin' Palin."

― Josh in Chicago, Friday, October 18, 2013 4:30 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

If this is a reference to a porn production, how about a) fuck you and b) hey can we stop using references to actual or presumed or even "satirical" sexual themes to discredit women.

"Who's Nailin' Palin" is a political documentary produced by the Victory Foundation for American Values, an evangelical think tank, and distributed through a network of mega-churches nationwide. It purports to identify "the modern Pontius Pilates and Neros, who crucify the servants of the Lord. These Satanic hucksters and frauds, whose mouthes are full of lies and minds are full of rot, nail the Good and the Lordly to the unholy crosses they erect in the lamestream media." It has been seen by over 300,000 people according to press releases from the VFAV.

some of y'all need to get yr mind out of the gutter imo

I thought I was just making a "Who's Nailin' Palin" joke. I'll get right to work thinking of some other way to discredit her. Hmm ...

Okay, I apologize--when I googled "who's nailin palin" the top results were for a porn spoof with 1 letter different in the spelling. Sorry I came at you, JiC.

Guys, all this happened because it's gonna raise more money for Tea Party candidates and keep Cruz, Lee" et al in office. No one on the right is chastened; they applaud their guys for doing the Lord's work.

All these cable news going waaaah why did Cruz and Boehner go through the trouble? The trouble -- the battle -- IS the point.

But he's a us senator, fame and luxury is hardly scarce commodities? Just seems dumb to me to wreck the economy to get something he could have easily gotten without making such a fuzz.

― Frederik B, Friday, October 18, 2013 1:58 PM (58 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

he became one of the most powerful senators in his first year with his influence reaching almost into the house, the government shut down on his command, so he got power in the senate and is guaranteed not just a slot in the wingnutosphere but prime spot, hes aiming for the wingnut mt rushmore, now it could be hes overplayed his hand but hes already by his own terms achieved more than most wingnuts ever do

Cruz should filibuster his way to an amendment that lets him run for President as soon as next year. For the sake of the country!

These guys don't believe in legislating -- that's not what they're in DC to do.

theyre there to chew bubblegum and kick ass

and they're almost out of ass

Further from the big fart brigade

http://www.redstate.com/2013/10/18/to-each-his-own/

I don’t expect to persuade you all. I expect to see all sorts of passive-aggressive and outright aggressive complaints just like in 2010 and 2012. Just understand I don’t care.

way to go pre-emptively passive-aggressive, dude

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/10/19/us/CRUZ/CRUZ-articleLarge-v2.jpg

on NPR's post-shutdown story yesterday afternoon, the head of a local Tea Party group in Ohio said he was in the middle of recruiting school board candidates. That's where the battle is: councils, commissions, state senators and reps. This is where progressives need to concentrate.

he became one of the most powerful senators in his first year

did I miss something, or are you confusing actual power with a media-orgasming circus act?

morbs he shut down the whole dang government

and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.

HE didnt, people who indulged him and his ilk did. But keep buying that MSNBC line, they can hire more Ronan Farrows with the dough.

you ppl really are the silliest form of sports fan

you have absolutly no idea what youre talking about, but still manage to put some good effort into condisending, kudos

de nada

omg TEDS CRUZ TED CRUZ SO POWERFUL MY GOD THERE'S NOTHING THE MIGHTY PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CAN DO TO STOP HIM HE'S RELENTLESS!

yes because that exactly what i was saying, if you care to explain why masterminding a government shutdown doesnt represent power im all ears

"masterminding" seems a stretch to describe what Cruz actually did.

no him and mike lee really were instrumental in coming up with the whole idea

and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.and if i didnt see the news i'd never have noticed.

My impression is that this terrible idea mostly originated from the House.