Month: April 2011

Triumph of American Socialism: 70% of Tea Partyists Oppose Republican Plan to Kill Medicare

Jon Ponder

chart-tea-party-oppose-medicare-kill

One provision in the 2012 federal budget that was passed by Republicans on a party-line vote in the U.S. House last week is so unpopular that even 70 percent of tea baggers — a group formerly known as the “Bush base,” whose existence is solely based on its hatred of Pres. Obama — agrees with the president that Medicare and Medicaid should not be cut, according to a new poll from McClatchy-Marist [PDF].

To the question, “Do you support or oppose doing each of the following to deal with the federal budget deficit: Cut Medicare and Medicaid?” 23 percent of tea partyites answered that they supported the cuts, 70 percent opposed and 2 percent were not sure. Among all Republicans, 25 percent supported the cuts and 73 percent opposed.

Among all voters, the response was 18-80 percent in support. Among Democrats, it was 5-92 percent; independents: 23-75 percent.

The Republican approach to Medicare, which is now the party’s official position, is to convert it from a single-payer system into a voucher program that would force seniors to buy health insurance on the open market. The plan, which was developed by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), would, in effect, kill Medicare as we know it.

It is not news that tea baggers claim to hate socialism while simultaneously clinging to Social Security and Medicare, the crown jewels of American socialism. During the debate on health-care reform, for example, their demand that the government keep its hands of Medicare was a constant theme.

But while tea baggers may agree with the president that Medicare should be preserved, their hatred for him has not softened. In the same poll, a whopping 80 percent of tea partyites said they disapprove of his job performance.

Don’t Forget to Take Your Receipt, and Thank You for Shopping with the IRS

Trish

taxreceipt

Just in time for tax day, the White House provides this interesting little widget to make us feel better about whatever our tax return said.

On my own receipt, I’d like to see more than $20 toward science and space programs, and way less toward agricultural subsidies. Recent visits to the grocery store checkout line do not convince me of the need to prop up agribusiness, which seems to be doing all right for itself.

It’s also funny to see that I’m paying more than three times as much toward Social Security benefits as I am toward Medicare, in light of the fact that Republicans want to ax the latter.

Check it out for yourself and see how much you’re spending where.

Video: Palin, Breitbart Drowned Out By Middle-Class Counter Protesters at Tea Bagger Rally

Jon Ponder

Watch racist Andrew Breitbart go into a rage fit. See Palin squirm as she is publicly confronted with mass opposition for the first time.

Via Raw Story and hat tip to Bamboo Harvester.

Here are videos from the event:

Breitbart booed —

Palin drowned out —

More from the crowd —

The Progressive:

It was fun to be at the Madison capitol today to protest Sarah Palin and the tea partiers.

There were about 1,500 tea partiers, many bused in by Americans for Prosperity, the rightwing group funded by the Koch brothers.

The tea partiers were surrounded by about 3,000 or more pro-labor supporters, who let their presence be felt with raucous chants and boos and cries of “Shame, shame, shame!”

“Recall Walker,” the protesters chanted over and over again, as well as, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, Scott Walker has got to go.”

Another chant was “Tax, tax, tax the rich!”

As with all the historic Madison protests this year, creativity marked the signs of the pro-labor activists.

“I Can See Waulkersha From My Sign,” one of them said, playing off of Palin’s gaffe about Russia, as well as governor Walker’s name and Waukesha County, where highly irregular vote counting occurred during the recent Supreme Court race…

The tea partiers waved their usual “Don’t Tread on Me” flags and held signs that said “Walker for President,” “Walker/Palin,” and “Economic Freedom.”

One tea party sign seemed anti-Semitic: “Give It Up, Kloppenstein!” It was referring to JoAnne Kloppenburg, the candidate who ran for the Supreme Court against David Prosser. Kloppenburg is Jewish…

Rightwing provocateur Andrew Breitbart stirred up the tea party crowd.

And when Sarah Palin was announced, the tea partiers gave her a big ovation, and the protesters booed heartily…

You Know You’re a Racist If You Find Yourself Saying Something Like This

Jon Ponder

racistemailOh, come on! Everybody who knows me knows that I am not a racist. It was a joke. I have friends who are black. Besides, I only sent it to a few people — mostly people I didn’t think would be upset by it.

– Marilyn Davenport, an Orange County, Calif., tea party activist who emailed a photo of Pres. Obama depicted as a chimpanzee to her associates, proving that she is indeed a racist and inadvertently saddling the beleaguered California Republican Party with a scandal it did not need.

Another Tea Party Birther Republican Exposed as Racist

Trish

racistemail

It’s deju vu all over again during the Obama years, as yet another Republican party official has been caught sending blatantly racist emails about the president. Marilyn Davenport, a tea party activist and member of the central committee of the Orange County, Calif. Republican Party, sent the image shown with the caption, “Now you know why no birth certificate.”

Davenport defended the email, as have all her predecessors that we know of, by saying it’s not really racist, it wasn’t meant to be seen by you, and it’s the fault of the press for blowing up a minor matter into something bigger.

I actually kind of agree with Davenport on that last point. The only reason these stories continue to be publicized is because so many members of the media deny that the tea party Republican movement is racist at its core. If we could all just acknowledge that and move on, there would be no need to keep proving it by showing direct evidence.