Eric Cantor

Republicans Want my Vote???

Posted on by Bobby Broadway

After President Barack Obama was re-elected, the RNC did a post-mortem on the corpse the current Republican Party. What they discovered was the world’s worst kept secret…

The current Republican Party is the ‘Old White Man Party’; if you don’t believe me checkout the voting demographics.

http://www.ropercenter.uconn.edu/elections/how_groups_voted/voted_12.html

So weeks after the 2012 elections many Republicans talked about expanding their base. Talking more about immigration reform and focusing on the middle class.

Well, that was at least a good thought.

In a move that really should not shock but it still has, Republicans seem to have boycotted the 50th Anniversary March On Washington celebration. At first many took notice of the absence of former Presidents George H W Bush and George W Bush; both reported declined the invitation due to health reasons (Dubya had surgery recently and Herbert is really old).

Yes the Bush’s absence was very noticeable but for me the was not the most shocking for me. The absence of elected Republican officials like Speaker of the House John Boenher and others like Rep Eric Cantor (House leadership) and Senator John McCain rang much more loudly. And this was not a case of an oversight, it has been reported Republicans were invited to the ceremony (Even Bill O’Reilly backed up that report) but just decided not to go.

SMH…

And Republicans want my vote???

As always….

If there is something to be said, “It’s On Broadway” to step up and say it!!

The House will NOT vote on Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill

Posted on by Bobby Broadway

Breezy Point

Breezy Point

House Republicans decided to NOT take up the Hurricane Sandy Relief Bill tonight after an all day back and forth over the bill to avert the Fiscal Cliff.

Republicans promised to work on the supplemental disaster aid bill for Northeast states affected by Hurricane Sandy.  Apparently this is House Republican payback for having to vote on the Senate-passed bill to avert the Fiscal Cliff.  Lawmakers from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania (Democrats and Republicans) took to the floor of the House to voice their disappointment.

This is the disgusting side of politics that makes me sick, to think House Republicans like Eric Cantor would go back on a promise they made.  A lot of work has been done to get this disaster bill together, that work will have to be re-done as the new 113th Congress will be sworn in on January 2nd.

This is why congress has some of the lowest approval ratings, SMH!!!

Representative Peter King (R-NY) called this “indefensible” for Congress

“It is disgraceful. It even makes it worse being a Republican.”

 

As always….

If there is something to be said, “It’s On Broadway” to step up and say it!!

House Republicans Oppose Senate Bill to Avert Fiscal Cliff…

Posted on by Bobby Broadway

According to Politico….

House Republicans are overwhelmingly opposed to the Senate’s bill to avert the fiscal cliff, making it nearly certain that Speaker John Boehner’s chamber will amend the legislation and send it back to the Senate — a potentially serious blow to a package that appeared well on its way to becoming law. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the No. 2 House Republican, told GOP lawmakers that he was opposed to the legislation in its current form. Republicans are chiefly concerned with the lack of spending cuts in the tax bill.

Payroll Tax Cut Extension Deal, did Pres Obama back down?

Posted on by Bobby Broadway

President Obama

It was only a short time ago that President Obama said he would veto any Payroll Tax Cut Extension bill if the Keystone Pipeline XL was attached to the bill.

Well…..

This morning the president touted the Payroll Tax Extension Bill albeit a temporary extension (2 months); but what was missing from the presidents short address concerning the extension was that the bill he praised had the Keystone Pipeline XL attached to it.  Yup, that same Keystone Pipeline that he said would bring about the veto of any bill.

I am of the opinion that when you use the threat of the veto you better use it; at this point the GOP already have made up their minds that they can challenge Obama without any repercussions.  And this is exactly what this was about!  I realize the president values the payroll tax cut extension but why talk about using a veto if you’re not going to use it???

Maybe President Obama has something up his sleeve….

Fox News reporter Ed Henry posted on his twitter today:

If Henry is correct nothing REALLY changes as the this bill is not forcing the president to do anything but say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to Keystone sooner than later.  Obama can still say ‘no’ to the pipeline, the question now is what will he decide.  All the facts are not in concerning Keystone Pipeline as there have been many questions surrounding the job creation numbers; Glen Kessler of the Washington does a good job detailing some of the questions about the numbers in his Washington Post Fact-Checker.

Another sign that this is not a ‘cave-in’ by Pres Obama is the reaction from House Republicans who have voiced their displeasure with this deal.  It has been reported that House Republicans let Speaker Boehner know that they do  not feel this is a win for Republicans and that this deal may set the stage for Pres Obama to bash Republicans for not passing a long-term Payroll Tax Extension (year-long extension) during his State of the Union Address.

There is still a chance the House Republicans may revolt against Boehner and not sign-off on this deal; Republican leadership like Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Majority WHIP Kevin McCarthy are not completely sold on this latest deal.

If this deal falls apart it will without a doubt show how weak Speaker Boehner actually is in the House!

As always….

If there is something to be said, “It’s On Broadway” to step up and say it!!

Speaker Boehner breaks off talks with Pres Obama on debt ceiling

Posted on by Bobby Broadway

Once again Republicans have basically walked out of discussions concerning reducing the deficit and raising the debt ceiling; this time instead of it being Eric Cantor this time it’s Speaker Boehner.  Pres Obama in latest talks offered Speaker Boehner $1 Trillion in cuts plus $650 Billion more in cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security; this latest offer was more “Generous” than what the Gang-Of-6 plan was offering.

With this latest walkout the president has asked Congressional Leaders to show up to the White House 11am tomorrow morning and that everyone should come with some kind of plan to avoid default.  Obama indicating that we have reached a point where the debt ceiling HAS to be raised now through 2012 and that talks would continue after debt ceiling is raised on reducing the deficit.

If Pres Obama manages to get a clean vote raising the debt ceiling (meaning no stipulations for the raise) he may have pulled off one of the greatest bluffs ever.  Many Republicans (Tea Party kats including Rand Paul) ran on the platform that they will not raise the debt ceiling without significant cuts to the deficit.  If the debt ceiling is raised with specific reductions agreed upon, Republicans will lose what leverage they had in this fight.  The GOP Congressional Leadership should have challenged the president and taken him up on his offer on the cuts and entitlement reforms.  1st Republicans turned down an initial grand bargain deal that would have had $4 Trillion cuts and possibly significant reforms to entitlement programs.  Instead Republicans declined the deal because it included eliminating many Corporate Tax Loopholes that would have raised revenue.

And now Republicans are rejecting an offer by the president that is more “Generous” than what the Gang-of-6 were proposing; WTF!  Most analyst agree that what the Gang-of-6 was offering was more than fair to the GOP an would have hurt the hardcore Liberal.

Instead Republicans want no parts of a balanced approach to reducing the deficit, they would prefer deficit reduction be done by hurting the middle class and poor.  Polls favor Pres Obama in this debate, #1 the American believe the debt ceiling should be raised and#2 they favor a balanced approach to reducing the deficit; meaning not only cutting spending but also raising revenue to reduce our national debt.

Republicans may have squandered a GREAT opportunity to not only reduce the deficit but also a chance to reform entitlements.  If the debt ceiling is raised with no stipulations, the momentum swings back in the favor of the president and the Democrats.  They can play hardball in defending Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Hey Republicans, You Know You Done Fucked Up Now, You Know That, DONT YOU!!!!!

As always….

If there is something to be said, “It’s On Broadway” to step up and say it!!

Takeover Thursdays – Republicans resume control of the House…

Posted on by Bobby Broadway

Nancy Pelosi hands over Majority Speaker of the House to John Boehner

So here we go folks, “The Boys Are Back in Town”…

Republicans are once again in control of the House Of Representatives and this time things will be different!

Seriously, Boehner and the Republicans promise this will not be a repeat of 1994 when they took control of the House during the Clinton presidency.  They will not make the same mistakes that was made back then as they understand that the House is for the people and not a toy for career congressmen.  Yesterday (1/5/2011) Speaker Boehner officially became the Majority Speaker of the House and during his address to the House laid down a framework (Rules Package) for a “New Congress”.

“No longer can we fall short… No longer can we kick the can down the road… The people voted to end business as usual and today we begin to carry out their instructions.”

“The American people have humbled us; they have refreshed our memories to just how temporary the privilege of serving is.  They have reminded us that everything here is on loan from them…”

Boehner focused on the following key points:

  • An emphasis on ‘REAL’ transparency
  • Greater accountability
  • A renewed focus on the constitution
  • Legislators and public will have 3 days to review bills before they come up for vote
  • Implement Cut-as-you-go; in order to introduce any spending you must first make cuts in other areas to pay for the spending
  • A fair an open process
  • You will always have the right for a debate to make your case and offer alternatives on legislations

Hmmmm, I have to admit at first glance the above framework for running the House SEEMS to be impressive… BUT it took Republicans less than a day for them to already break one of their “RULES”.  During Boehner’s speech he made sure to point out that a Nancy Pelosi run House did not allow for real debate and that would not be the case under his watch.  Well I guess Eric Cantor must have missed the memo; Cantor has already stated he will put forward a repeal bill (repeal health-care law aka Obamacare) but he will not allow amendments from the Democrats.

Um, that doesn’t sound like a…

fair an open process or a debate allowing everyone the chance to offer alternatives on legislation!!

This is the “New Congress”?

I am more than willing to give the Republicans a chance to do their thing but come on guys, at least let the dust settle before you start breaking your own rules.  It’s still early but the GOP is not showing me anything; they rather work on repealing Obamacare as they call it instead of focusing on the deficit and creating jobs.  Speaking of deficits, I thought Republicans and the Tea Party were serious about controlling spending and running a fiscally responsible government?

If that is the case, why would they not include tax cuts as part of their Cut-As-You-Go program?  Republicans made sure that tax cuts were exempt from Cut-As-You-Go; this will allow the House to present tax cut legislation that could be unpaid for and add to our already $14 Trillion dollar National Deficit.

I don’t know John Boehner this looks a whole lot like “Business As Usual”

but I guess “We can disagree without being disagreeable….

As always….

If there is something to be said, “It’s On Broadway” to step up and say it!!

Talking Points Tuesdays – Once again, Unemployment Benefits…

Posted on by Bobby Broadway

Today Republican leadership (Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. John Boehner, Rep. Eric Cantor) met with President Obama to begin discussions on an agreement/compromise concerning the extension of Bush Era Tax Cuts.  More specifically extending tax cuts for the upper wealthy 2%. 

I’m not writing this to once again exhaust the tax discussion; I want to shed light on the disdain Republicans seems to have for the working class.

While wealthy Republican congressmen fight to protect their fortunes as well as the fortunes of their millionaire/billionaire buddies; 2 Million Americans will potentially lose their unemployment benefits at the end of the year as congress was unable to workout an extension.  Those Americans struggling to find work will once again be slapped in the face by the government they voted.  At the same time they will be labeled as lazy folks looking for a hand out.

REALLY??

I don’t understand how anyone could call the majority of Americans on unemployment lazy.  If you ever been on unemployment you would know going from a $60K (annually) job to receiving $405 (before taxes) a week is NO lap of luxury. 

Weekly unemployment benefits by state (2/2009)
State  Maximum State  Maximum
Alabama $255 Montana $407
Alaska $370 Nebraska $308
Arizona $240 Nevada $362
Arkansas $409 New Hampshire $427
California $450 New Jersey $584
Colorado $475 New Mexico $455
Connecticut $519 New York $405
Delaware $330 North Carolina $494
District of Columbia $359 North Dakota $385
Florida $275 Ohio $372
Georgia $330 Oklahoma $392
Hawaii $545 Oregon $482
Idaho $362 Pennsylvania $539
Illinois $385 Rhode Island $528
Indiana $390 South Carolina $326
Iowa $443 South Dakota $285
Kansas $423 Tennessee $275
Kentucky $415 Texas $378
Louisiana $284 Utah $444
Maine $496 Vermont $409
Maryland $380 Virginia $378
Massachusetts $628 Washington $541*
Michigan $365 West Virginia $424
Minnesota $566 Wisconsin $363
Mississippi $230 Wyoming $387
Missouri $320    

Who can feed a family and pay bills on $628??

The economy is SLOWLY recovering but there is not enough job creation to support the amount of unemployed Americans on the market. 

It is time for us to do the right thing and help those who NEED the help and not worry about tax cuts for RICH MOFOS!!

As always….

If there is something to be said, “It’s On Broadway” to step up and say it!!!