Month: December 2012
Majority of Americans Side with President on Fiscal Cliff
55%
Of Americans say President Obama is making a serious effort to work with Republicans when it comes to reaching an agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff, a new Pew Research poll finds. But just 32% say Republican leaders are making a serious effort to work with Obama on a deficit deal.
GOP Campaigners Proud of Their Voter Suppression
A lot of us are campaign officials — or campaign professionals — and we want to do everything we can to help our side. Sometimes we think that’s voter ID, sometimes we think that’s longer lines — whatever it may be.
— GOP campaign consultant Scott Tranter, quoted by the Huffington Post.
State of Scabs
In this economy, if you have a union job, that’s great,
Though maybe not so much on the shores of the Great Lakes.
There, there’s not much enjoyment
In the prospect of employment
Now that Michigan’s a right-to-work state.
Christie Claims He Didin’t Help Obama Win
First of all, I didn’t help him win. I was doing my job… The fact of the matter is President Obama won the election pretty comfortably. I was doing my job as I saw fit to do it. And I told the truth, like I always do. The president did step up and help tremendously in New Jersey.
— New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), insisting to ABC News that his praise for President Obama’s handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy didn’t hurt Mitt Romney’s chances in the final days of the campaign.
Astounding Majority Says Not to Cut Medicare Benefits
It’s hard to get three out of four people to agree on anything but that’s how many Americans say they do not want Congress to jack up copays on Medicare benefits in order to pay down the deficit.
A new bipartisan Public Policy Polling (D)/Fabrizio Ward (R) survey finds registered voters overwhelming oppose increased fees on seniors’ Medicare services, indicating that burdening beneficiaries with additional out-of-pocket expenses is not the preferred approach among Americans for reducing federal spending in Washington. The survey results further indicate that charging seniors additional copayments for accessing Medicare services is among the least favored options for cutting Medicare costs.
Among registered voters, 75 percent of respondents disapprove of making seniors pay higher fees for their Medicare services as a means to reduce federal spending.
Are the Republicans listening to this thundering majority? Or do they still love the idea, espoused most famously by failed vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan, to give us a coupon toward the purchase of whatever insurance we can find when we reach that age and letting us figure out how to cover everything else? Members of the GOP have proven so far to be very slow learners.
