Month: August 2011

House Republicans Finally Found Taxes They Are Eager to Raise

Jon Ponder

Charles Babbington, Associated Press:

News flash: Congressional Republicans want to raise your taxes. Impossible, right? GOP lawmakers are so virulently anti-tax, surely they will fight to prevent a payroll tax increase on virtually every wage-earner starting Jan. 1, right?

Apparently not.

Many of the same Republicans who fought hammer-and-tong to keep the George W. Bush-era income tax cuts from expiring on schedule are now saying a different “temporary” tax cut should end as planned. By their own definition, that amounts to a tax increase.

The tax break extension they oppose is sought by President Barack Obama. Unlike proposed changes in the income tax, this policy helps the 46 percent of all Americans who owe no federal income taxes but who pay a “payroll tax” on practically every dime they earn.

More evidence, if any was needed, that Republicans are out to sabotage the economy, even if it hurts their constituents, in order to ensure the election of Mitt Romney or Rick Perry next year.

Next up: Complete and utter silence from Republican Party boss Grover Norquist when these House Republicans vote en masse against extending these tax cuts, thus breaking their oath to him that they would never vote for a tax increase in any shape or fashion.

‘Liberal Media’ Ignoring Liberal Outrage at Republican Congressional Town Halls

Jon Ponder

Remember the summer of 2009 when the “liberal media” rushed to broadcast every shaky, homemade video of tea baggers having hissy fits at town halls held by Democratic members of Congress in their districts?

Now, two summers later, when it’s the liberals who are showing up at Republican House members’ town halls, not a single clip from one of these outbursts has been shown on either of the two legitimate cable news networks or treated as a top story by a news magazine or major newspaper.

But that doesn’t mean the outbursts are not happening. The Hill newspaper reports on several of these incidents, none of which has made it into the national news:

[…]

How to Talk to Republicans

Jon Ponder

Watch a young California liberal go off on GOP Rep. Dan Lungren during a town hall meeting in his district last week. Lungren, a former state attorney general, is widely unpopular in the state, and was one of the few Republican House members who had a tough reelection in 2010, only managing to pull out a win after Karl Rove came in with a big ad buy at the end.

Hey, yelling at congressmen eventually put the tea party in charge of the government, so you can’t say it doesn’t work.

Two Ricks, Both Slick, Both Thick as Bricks

Trish

I’m pretty sure he has a man-crush on Rick Perry.

Scott Maxwell, Orlando Sentinel columnist, about Florida Gov. Rick Scott (Tea/GOP). Scott submitted to an editorial board interview with the paper as part of his “Reinventing Rick” tour, brought on by recognition that his poll approval numbers are, according to Maxwell, “just below head lice.”