| Aug 4 @ 8:01 PM |
Dirty Republican tricks.
|
|
burnslikethesun
Posts: 13,027
|
All over the news, did ya catch it?
Mass emails complete with instructions on how to interrupt, intimate and plan holigan tactics. Sad republican very sad.
Dems' break looking like a bad trip
Angry protesters shouted down Democrats at public events from Texas to Pennsylvania over the weekend, leaving the party only one real hope for getting its message out over recess: a backlash.
In Austin, Texas, Rep. Lloyd Doggett was drowned out by a group of noisy, sign-waving demonstrators who shouted, “Just say no” as he tried to talk about health care reform.
In an e-mail to POLITICO Monday, Doggett called the group a “mob, sent by the local Republican and Libertarian parties” that “came not just to be heard but to deny others the right to be heard.”
In Morrisville, Pa., Rep. Patrick Murphy was forced to scrap plans for a one-on-one meet-the-congressman session when people in the crowd started shouting. Murphy switched to a town hall format mid-event and even then had to ask the audience at times to “be respectful.”
And at a health care event in Philadelphia, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius were repeatedly interrupted by booing and heckling. “We can shout at one another, or we can leave the stage,” Sebelius said at one point. “It’s up to you.”
For Democrats, that’s precisely the problem: Their ability to make their case on health care at public events during the August recess is mostly in the hands of the people who turn out for the events. And if those people want to be disruptive — especially en masse — there’s not much the Democrats can do about it.
“Town halls have become town hells,” said Mark McKinnon, a former adviser to President George W. Bush. “Special interests and opponents have figured out how easy it is to disrupt town halls and get their own message out. The days of the truly free-form town halls may be over.”
Democratic leaders aren’t quite ready to say that yet. Doug Thornell, a spokesman for Assistant to the Speaker Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), said House leaders are urging their members to continue holding public sessions, even if it means they’ll be shouted down and have it all replayed on YouTube.
“We have encouraged our members to use everything in their arsenal to communicate with their constituents,” said Thornell. “They know what works best in their districts. More than anything, they have to stay on the offense and not get distracted by stupid Republican gimmicks.”
The Republicans aren’t exactly apologetic.
“As some members of Speaker Pelosi’s party are already learning, it’s hard to heed her orders to ‘go on offense’ when you’re busy defending such unpopular policies,” said Paul Lindsay, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Lindsay said the NRCC would begin circulating a regular e-mail to reporters highlighting the protests at Democrats’ town halls. The title: “Recess Roastings — Washington Democrats Feel the Heat at Home.”
Democrats are trying to push back, casting the town hall disrupters as right-wing extremists affiliated with anti-tax “tea parties.”
“The last place Republicans ought to be moving their party is even more to the fringe of the political spectrum,” said Eric Schultz, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Added a senior Democratic strategist: “It may be out of necessity, but for Republicans, relying on the fringe elements of the party to be the face of opposition on health care is a dangerous game. The birthers and the tea party folks aren’t controllable, come off as angry and out of control and couldn’t care less about the issue at hand.”
But communications experts say it would be a mistake to demonize the protesters.
“The more intelligent alternative is to take the extensive network the Obama campaign developed and send all of those people to town halls,” said University of Pennsylvania political scientist Kathleen Hall Jamieson. “If this comes down to vocal individuals, the Obama campaign ought to be able to always outnumber their opponent. And if they’re not, then that’s a problem.”
Democrats aren’t the only ones taking town hall heat. Republican Rep. Mike Castle was smacked down by the crowd at a town hall in Delaware last month when he wouldn’t agree with an angry inquisitor who insisted that President Barack Obama was born in Kenya.
McKinnon suggested that lawmakers handle noisy crowds by asking “the rabble to provide a spokesperson, and give them the microphone for one question and comment.”
“Just give them a platform to have their say and let the air out of the balloon,” he advised. “If they continue to harass, then they really look like partisan hacks.”
One thing on which everyone agrees: The protests are likely to continue.
The insurance lobby has urged the public to turn out for town halls, as have members of the tea party movement and the group Conservatives for Patients’ Rights, which is providing a list of upcoming public events on its website — together with videos of events that have already been disrupted.
“I think that it’s going to happen at a lot of the town halls,” said Rick Scott, chairman of Conservatives for Patients’ Rights. “What you’re seeing is a change.”
Specter, who was booed in Philadelphia over the weekend, told The Associated Press that it’s “highly likely” other senators will soon meet the same fate. Grow up, you all look childish.
|
|
  |
|
| Aug 4 @ 8:26 PM |
Dirty Republican tricks. |
|
Nightowl001
Posts: 7,498
|
The greatest danger to the Republicans right now is that people actually WILL understand the health care reform bills being proposed. Because the Dems WILL then get credit for moving ahead with something over 2/3 of the people in the nation say they want. That's 66% of the voters who, next time they go to the polls, will remember who stood in the way of what the voters wanted. The Republicans' only hope is preventing the lies from being debunked, preventing the people from finding out that there really is nothing about "suicide training" or government access to your bank accounts or any of that other crap in these bills. The Republicans love ignorant voters. Like these: "And I got a letter the other day from a woman; she said, 'I don't want government-run health care, I don't want socialized medicine, and don't touch my Medicare.' And I wanted to say, well, I mean, that's what Medicare is, is it's a government-run health care plan that people are very happy with. But I think that we've been so accustomed to hearing those phrases that sometimes we can't sort out the myth from the reality."
This, apparently, is fairly common. Rep. Robert Inglis (R-S.C.) recently hosted a town-hall meeting, at which a man insisted, in all seriousness, "Keep your government hands off my Medicare." The constituent, apparently, didn't appreciate the irony. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2009_07/019271.php
Every single senior who is satisfied (or even happy) with their Medicare coverage, is an endorsement for the health care reform bills currently being considered.
|
| |
|
| Aug 4 @ 8:39 PM |
Dirty Republican tricks.
|
|
Angel54214
Posts: 18,195
|
v v v Grow up, you all look and act childish v v v
Liberal Democrats Protest Health Care Deal, Threaten to Fight It
July 30, 2009
Fifty-three lawmakers have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and key committee chairmen formally opposing the deal that House leaders struck with a group of fiscally conservative Democrats known as Blue Dogs. The letter calls the agreement "fundamentally unacceptable."
Party leaders are quickly finding out that you can't please all Democrats all the time, as they try to reach an accord on health care reform.
One day after House Democratic leaders struck what was seen as a breakthrough deal with a handful of key moderates, the liberal wing of the party lined up Thursday against the compromise.
Fifty-three lawmakers from the Congressional Black Caucus, the Progressive Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and key committee chairmen formally opposing the deal that House leaders struck with a group of fiscally conservative Democrats known as Blue Dogs.
The letter, written to express their "opposition" to the negotiated deal, called the agreement "fundamentally unacceptable" and a "large step backwards."
"We're going to fight this with every effort that we have," CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee, D-Calif., told reporters Thursday.
"We're not obstructionists. ... We're not here to embarrass or divide our party," said Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz.
But he and other liberal Democrats, who have voiced objections to the deal since it was announced Wednesday, said that without a meaningful public plan included in the final bill, they cannot support it.
The threats and the letter Thursday only amplified their criticism and were an indication that the deal with the Blue Dogs could cause more problems than it solves.
Under the agreement, the bill would steer away from using Medicare as the blueprint for a proposed government insurance option. It would reduce federal subsidies to help lower-income families afford coverage and would exempt additional businesses from a requirement to offer health insurance to their workers.
Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas, a leader of the conservative Democrats, said the changes agreed to by the leadership in the House bill would cut its cost by about $100 billion over 10 years.
The agreement, though, was hardly a broad-based deal. It was only struck between party leaders and four Blue Dog Democrats, who sit on the critical House Energy and Commerce Committee.
That committee is the only House panel that has not passed a version of health care reform legislation. Though a total of seven Blue Dogs sit on that committee, the four who signed on to the deal would give the committee's chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., enough votes to pass the bill out of committee if the rest of the party stays in line.
But the fractures continue. Many in the Blue Dog Coalition, which has 55 members in the House, still have concerns over the deal, saying it doesn't go far enough to cut costs. Republicans certainly aren't appeased. And now liberals are peeling off.
After Wednesday's announcement, the legislation advanced slowly Thursday in the Energy and Commerce Committee.
The panel plowed methodically through a stack of proposed changes to the bill. Waxman, presiding over the session, warned lawmakers against offering amendments that make the bill more expensive, and he agreed to a Republican suggestion to limit the time allowed for debate. He said he hopes to finish the bill sometime Friday, and House leaders have promised to bring it up for a vote in the full House in September, after the congressional August break.
Pelosi expressed confidence the committee would approve the bill, and she said the full House would follow suit in the fall. She also signaled flexibility on key issues, saying that despite her own backing for abortion rights, she would not allow the issue to torpedo legislation.
But Waxman's shaky majority was on display early, when the committee voted 29-28 to defeat a Republican amendment to strengthen ID requirements designed to prevent illegal immigrants from getting Medicaid benefits.
Another controversial Republican amendment passed by voice vote, over Waxman's objections. Backed by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., it would bar the federal government from using research comparing medical treatments' effectiveness to deny or ration care.
Already, Congress is running behind a timetable set by its leaders and the White House for a health care bill, and one veteran senator warned of additional slippage.
"The president wanted to have it on his desk in October," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. "He'll probably have it in November now. But I'm very hopeful we'll get it done at least by that time."
Senior aides and lawmakers said privately they thought Harkin was being overly optimistic, and they warned of work spreading late into December on the highly controversial issue.
On the Senate side, three Republicans are still negotiating with Democratic members of the Finance Committee toward a bipartisan bill.
Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., one of six lawmakers involved in bipartisan talks, said the legislation wasn't "ready for prime time." http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/30/liberal-democrats-protest-health-care-deal-threaten-fight/
|
|
| |
|
| Aug 4 @ 9:04 PM |
Dirty Republican tricks. |
|
Paralegal_at_Law
Posts: 5,868
|
Obama's popularity is in a power dive, the people are thinking we are on the wrong path, and the Liberal agenda of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid and the gang comprising the congressional majorities are building a one-term presidency, like Jimmy Carter's for President Obama.
The gloves are off, the jerks are getting their noses bloodied, figuratively speaking, at each and every turn.
Expect Republicans to pick up some seats in both the House and Senate in 2010.
YAY!
|
| |
|
| Aug 4 @ 9:09 PM |
Dirty Republican tricks.
|
|
SweetNapaGuy
Posts: 8,496
|
Obama's approval ratings are still high, compared to several previous presidents at the same point in their tenure.
And there's 3.5 years until the next election, so there's still plenty of time for the Republicans to continue their screw-up.
|
|
| |
|
| Aug 4 @ 10:52 PM |
Dirty Republican tricks. |
|
budo13
Posts: 3,609
|
Is not freedom of speech guaranteed under the constitution?So telling our elected official want we really want are repub dirty tricks?All of these people are just repub puppets?I have watched several of the videos of these meetings and all i see are regular ordinary folks just like us speaking out against this plan heck maybe I'm wrong and there is a vast right wing conspiracy.BTW it's not just the repubs.
|
| |
|
| Aug 4 @ 11:11 PM |
Dirty Republican tricks.
|
|
Angel54214
Posts: 18,195
|
From the Gallup Polls, Obama's been slipping straight down hill since May...
http://www.gallup.com/poll/121934/Obama-Approval-Slips-Three-Points-Past-Week.aspx
By the numbers: 
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/scoreboards/by_the_numbers2/by_the_numbers
Who cares! I don't...They are based on surveys of approval classifications.
|
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 12:17 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks. |
|
MotownManiax
Posts: 9,737
|
What the Democrats need to do is spell out "specifically" what their plan is and how it will be paid. If they need to do that by buying TV time and using more targeted approaches to get their message to the public, then do it.
The Republicans are doing whatever they can to derail Dem-driven health care reform based almost entirely on partisan politics. They have stated repeatedly their wish to "destroy" Obama and make national health care his Waterloo. The Dems do themselves no good by being so sketchy and wanting the plan done in a hurry.
My take is the best plan is probably a combination of both the Republican and Democratic ones. At the very least there should be lawsuit/insurance reform, interstate insurance competition, and limiting or excluding the tax exemption on benefit plans (in order to partially raise the money needed). A viable process to pay for national health care still needs to be formulated, and should be open to debate, with the best one winning, regardless of which party originated it.
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 12:54 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks.
|
|
Josuha
Posts: 1,121
|
Looks like the honeymoon is over.
It looks like they don't want it.
Looks like the 'silent majority' is getting vocal.
US Soldier Demands Apology From Senator Claire McCaskill at Town Hall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y98HxYbsdBM
Crowd Explodes When Arlen Specter Urges That We "Do This Fast"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Bpshk5nX0
TIM BISHOP PROTEST, SETAUKET, NY (part one)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOLs7Cybnqw
McCaskill's Office Locks Doors, Pull Blinds & Calls Cops on Protesters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCedFnmUPIs
Lloyd Doggett's meeting on Obamacare in south Austin, TX, 1 Aug 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8UjY3YDlwA
Obama in his own words.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-bY92mcOdk
[Edited on 8/5/2009 12:56 AM]
|
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 12:55 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks. |
|
lefthandedluckie
Posts: 6,386
|
Real Clear Politics still shows Obama riding the high horse! He is still above 50% nation-wide! Real Clear Politics Latest Polls
Must be a republican dirty trick? Just to show how they can tell their lies through republican mouths! Boy, those Democrats will use those conspiracy theories to get their way....won't they? 
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 1:22 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks.
|
|
Josuha
Posts: 1,121
|
A viable process to pay for national health care still needs to be formulated, and should be open to debate, with the best one winning, regardless of which party originated it.
Health coverage is not in the Federal purvue under our Consitution.
If there is such a purvue, then it would fall under the State government, not Federal, under State law and need, not Federal mandate.
10th Amendment:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
By the way, how do you pay for this?
We're broke and it's going to get worse..
Time to wake up.
"Toto, your not in Kansas anymore."
Federal tax revenues plummeting
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090804/ap_on_go_ot/us_plummeting_taxes
[Edited on 8/5/2009 1:27 AM]
|
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 1:25 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks. |
|
Gallows_Humor
Posts: 13,649
|
or to the people."
nuff said.... 
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 1:28 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks.
|
|
Josuha
Posts: 1,121
|
or to the people
Then that would take a vote by the people.
Works for me..
But then you would still have the problem of the soverntry of the states under the 10th amendment and a purvue not under the Constitution by the Federal government.
A State could refuse a federal mandate.
The people of the state could certainly vote for Health care, but that is an issue to each state.
[Edited on 8/5/2009 1:35 AM]
|
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 1:34 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks. |
|
Gallows_Humor
Posts: 13,649
|
nope..as the people elect representatives to pass laws...
a state could refuse....( appeal).. but think of the repercussions..
remember the 55 mph national speed limit??
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 1:39 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks.
|
|
Josuha
Posts: 1,121
|
nope..as the people elect representatives to pass laws...
a state could refuse....( appeal).. but think of the repercussions..
remember the 55 mph national speed limit??
Only if they accept any monies.
During the 55 mile an hour limit, Montana for example refused monies and kept their limit.
Another reason why the states should refuse.
It is a state issue, not a federal one.
This is a Constitutional Republic, not the politburo of the old Soviet who has all power.
The division of powers of the states and federal government was so that one entity would not be all powerful.
It's a bad idea finanically (we're broke.) and Constitutionally.
|
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 2:09 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks. |
|
burnslikethesun
Posts: 13,027
|
The pres popularity always dips when sh!ts getting done. Children dont always like to do the work they have to do. Besides the recessions slowed stock are climbing three months of housing ups, yep yep. It always dip when the cash flow is good. Always, so save the spin, ya self proclaimed pp thinker. 
The Republicans love ignorant voters.
I would agree with that. They seem to prefer the fear loving ones the most.
Liberal Democrats Protest Health Care Deal, Threaten to Fight It Your point?
Budo, free speech to the point of physical intimation? That's how you want to roll?
I'm always game though.
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 2:12 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks.
|
|
burnslikethesun
Posts: 13,027
|
The division of powers of the states and federal government was so that one entity would not be all powerful. And is still in power to even this day.
Mods, Thanks for the quick clean up.
|
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 2:21 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks. |
|
southernlass
Posts: 2,225
|
Expect Republicans to pick up some seats in both the House and Senate in 2010.
YAY!
I agree. And I agree because I don't like all the power being in the hands of liberal Americans and their politicians. Either level the playing field or get a true Independent in there running things.
Still, Republicans better wise up and put someone who can win the election into the primary. If they run some total fuddy duddy or dimwit without charisma and appeal, we are seriously in trouble in this country.
RON PAUL
2012
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 6:43 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks.
|
|
arieann
Posts: 2,078
|
Obama's approval ratings are still high, compared to several previous presidents at the same point in their tenure.
Polls
Fifty-seven percent of Americans surveyed approve of the job Obama's doing as president, according to a CNN Poll of Polls compiled and released Friday, with 36 percent disapproving.
Former President George W. Bush also drew a 57 percent approval rating six months into his presidency, in July 2001.Bill Clinton stood at 48 percent in July 1993.Two-thirds of Americans polled approved of George H.W. Bush's job as president in July 1989, and six out of 10 gave Ronald Reagan the thumbs-up in July 1981.
|
|
| |
|
| Aug 5 @ 8:36 AM |
Dirty Republican tricks. |
|
budo13
Posts: 3,609
|
Burns not sure what you mean by physical intimidation.i saw no one in any of the videos assault any of these Government stooges.I hear them loudly voicing there disapproval of this Bill.Let me add that if any of them do actually get physical they should be arrested and charged with assault.I no time would i condone any violence (it would be against my Martial teachings).Suggestion you could always organise a counter protest.
|
| |
|
|
|
|