The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

[Kepler]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Recreation trumps procreation.

The "remember to use a condom" gene is an evolutionary fail.

*****http://www.demotivation.us/media/demotivators/demotivation.us_Evolution-A-gradual-change-in-populations-of-organisms-in-response-to-their-environment_129962591443.jpg******

[Handyman]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Wow...The Daily Show ripped Congress (again) for their actions towards 9/11 First Responders. Apparently, to get any relief, the sick fireman and cops need to be cross-checked against the terrorist watch list. As John Stewart intimated, we are arming Libyan rebels and they don't get checked against the watch list, we give money to the banks and they don't get checked, we subsidize oil companies and don't check them against the watch list...but man those guys that got cancer trying to save people FROM A TERRORIST ATTACK, they seem friggin shady.

The amendment was put forth by an R and seconded by a D...it continues to amaze me how out of touch these dumbphucks are.

[Bakunin]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

But in the long run the solution is for liberal college graduates to each have 6 kids. Demography is destiny, and right now we're doin it wrong.

Recreation trumps procreation.

[bronconick]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-poli...ns-923921.html

King & Spalding, one of Atlanta’s most prestigious and high-powered law firms, dumped a Republican-driven defense of federal marriage law Monday, yielding to protests from gay rights groups.

King and Spalding partner Paul Clement, the former U.S. solicitor under George W. Bush, immediately resigned in order to continue fighting for the federal Defense of Marriage Act, on behalf of Republicans in the U.S. House.

LOL.

[joecct]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

There have been lots of articles about how the unhealthiest states are also the most conservative. So, in the middle run, we kind of win either way.

But in the long run the solution is for liberal college graduates to each have 6 kids. Demography is destiny, and right now we're doin it wrong.

La Dolce Vita vs. Kids. Liberals choose La Dolce Vita every time.

I'm not a Liberal -- I have 4 kids.

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Guess the GOP members may catch a break at future town halls. Don't let ordinary citizens ask questions that might be difficult to answer. Get lobbyists to ask softballs.

As members of Congress return to their districts and conduct town hall meetings with constituents, lawmakers who voted for the Republican budget are facing a backlash from their constituents. The budget, written by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), effectively ends Medicare, severely cuts Medicaid, cuts taxes on the rich, and lowers corporate tax rates. As ThinkProgress has reported, everyone from Ryan, to Rep. Pat Meehan (R-PA), to Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA), to Rep. Charlie Bass (R-NH), and others have faced heated questions about the GOP plan.

Slate’s Dave Weigel reports that American Action Network, a relatively new conservative front group founded by a group of Wall Street bankers, is loading up conservative activists with softball questions and talking points to bolster Republican lawmakers on the Ryan plan:

Meanwhile, the American Action Network, the think tank and campaign shop run by former Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, is making Ryan budget talking points and questions available for conservatives who want to buck up their members.

American Action Network did not return ThinkProgress’ request for more information on the budget talking points. As we reported last year, the group was founded by investment banker Ken Langone, former Goldman Sachs executive Robert Steel, and investor and former Nixon official Fred Malek.

As the Wonk Room’s Pat Garofalo has explained, the Republican budget also contains provisions to unwind new regulations imposed on major financial services corporations. The Ryan plan repeals provisions in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law that allow “the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) to designate some firms as systemically significant and subject them to stiffer regulation” — a major reform Wall Street has lobbied aggressively to stop. The American Action Network board features a number of executives and lobbyists with a potential interest in rolling back financial regulations:

– American Action Network board member Fred Malek is chairman of the investment firm Thayer Capital Partners.
– American Action Network board member Isaac Applbaum the founding General Partner of Opus Capital.
– American Action Network board member Dylan Glenn is the Senior Vice President of Guggenheim Advisors.
– American Action Network board member C. Boyden Gray is a director of FreedomWorks and founder of a lobbying firm called Gray and Schmitz. Gray recently penned an article calling financial reform unconstitutional.
– American Action Network board member B. Wayne Hughes Jr. is the founder of American Commercial Equities Inc.
– American Action Network board member Ken Langone is the chairman of investment banking firm Invemed Associates LLC.
– American Action Network board member former Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) is an executive at JPMorgan Chase.
– American Action Network board member Vin Weber is a lobbyist for a number of banks and insurance companies.

During the debate over health reform legislation, health insurance companies contracted a number of lobbying firms to bring people to congressional town halls and ask industry-friendly questions. Similarly, banks like JP Morgan and Bank of America worked through fronts like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to battle financial reform during the legislative debate last year.

[Kepler]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

The comments were kind of interesting. My favorite was the one about collecting how many of the tea partiers were fat, old, smoking and complaining about the healthcare thing (or someting to that effect.)

There have been lots of articles about how the unhealthiest states are also the most conservative. So, in the middle run, we kind of win either way.

But in the long run the solution is for liberal college graduates to each have 6 kids. Demography is destiny, and right now we're doin it wrong.

[leswp1]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

The best part is a fair number of people were probably in both crowds -- the ones who sent these idiots to Congress in 2010 and now the ones who are shocked that they're the ones who are the recipients of all those dirty entitlements. If for no other reason, who the heck else has time? The rest of us have jobs, kids, and responsibilities.

The comments were kind of interesting. My favorite was the one about collecting how many of the tea partiers were fat, old, smoking and complaining about the healthcare thing (or someting to that effect.)

[Kepler]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Well seeing as they are the real americans they are just being real americans by voicing their opinion. But they're confused, they're too close to the problem to realize just how much they can and need to sacrifice for the country.

The best part is a fair number of people were probably in both crowds -- the ones who sent these idiots to Congress in 2010 and now the ones who are shocked that they're the ones who are the recipients of all those dirty entitlements. If for no other reason, who the heck else has time? The rest of us have jobs, kids, and responsibilities.

[Foxton]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Wonder if we'll hear GOP members of Congress complain about unruly crowds...

Well seeing as they are the real americans they are just being real americans by voicing their opinion. But they're confused, they're too close to the problem to realize just how much they can and need to sacrifice for the country.

[Kepler]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Wonder if we'll hear GOP members of Congress complain about unruly crowds...

These citizens aren't carrying signs that read "We came unarmed (this time)."

[joecct]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Reports are that John Ensign (R-NV) will resign tomorrow.

Hoist the Ensign, Harry and Beat to Quarters!

What are the rules in NV? Governor appoints or do they have a special election?

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Earlier this week, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) held town halls across his district to defend his budget’s plan to end Medicare and extend tax cuts for the wealthy. During a stop in Milton, WI Ryan’s constituents made their feelings apparent, booing down the seven-term congressman when he defended tax breaks for the rich, as ThinkProgress first reported. Yesterday, Rep. Lou Barletta (R-PA) received the same hostile reception from his constituents for voting to end Medicare.

This town hall backlash is now spreading to other districts across the country. As Huffington Post reports, freshmen Reps. Robert Dold (R-IL) and Charlie Bass (R-NH) got an earful from their constituents for voting in favor of the Republican budget this month. During a Buffalo Grove, IL town hall, Dold caught a lot of flack for supporting corporate tax breaks and voting to end Medicare:

But Dold couldn’t even get to the end of the presentation before audience members began peppering him with questions about the Ryan budget, named after House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a Republican from Wisconsin. It began with audience members telling Dold they don’t believe chopping 10 percentage points off the highest corporate tax rate will create jobs. A handful of people in the audience identified themselves as business owners and accountants who said their effective corporate income tax rate is already lower than the lowest rates proposed in the Ryan plan. They pointed to companies such as GE that pay almost no taxes despite billions in profits as evidence. [...]

Some in the audience then told Dold they don’t like the idea in the Ryan budget plan of Medicare becoming a voucher program that makes senior citizens buy private health insurance about 10 years from now. Audience members said buying private insurance is a shell game where no one really knows what costs a company will cover or to what degree.

Wonder if we'll hear GOP members of Congress complain about unruly crowds...

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

Reports are that John Ensign (R-NV) will resign tomorrow.

[Bob Gray]

Re: The 112th Congress - The first Orange-American to be elected Speaker

http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/20...-doma-clement/

Yah, it is a shame that the executive branch bailed on this one, so the House had to step in.