Tag: Republican National Committee

Debt And Deficit: Who Knew?

When the news broke that the Dems would take back the House I wrote then that with that bit of news we would see a return of the GOP of caring about the national debt and the deficit…….and viola!……I am hearing the rumblings of such a switch.

May I see a show of hands if any of this makes any sense to you?

First, the debt and the deficit are two different problems…..this video can help understand the economics…….

https://youtu.be/3sUCSGVYzI0

The news has broken that the national debt for the US is $22 trillion…yep that is Trillion with a “T”…….most of us cannot wrap our heads around that many zeros….it is difficult to understand and as usual I want to help you understand…..

https://youtu.be/3ugDU2qNcyg

Hopefully those two short videos helped you understand the economics at work here….

Congress does not care about the deficit or the debt (at least for now but that can change over night)…..

Congress has stared into the abyss of debt, and the abyss has stared back. The national debt just topped $22 trillion for the first time ever, yet barely a peep was heard in the halls of the Capitol. The debt-to-GDP ratio has more than doubled in less than 20 years, rising from 33 percent in 2000 to 78 percent today. Within 10 years, it will reach 93 percent, the highest level since just after World War II.

 

While currently the federal budget deficit is around $900 billion, beginning in 2022, it will exceed $1 trillion per year, every year, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Over the next decade, deficits are projected to fluctuate between 4.1 percent and 4.7 percent of GDP, well above the average over the past 50 years.

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/ignoring-americas-abyss-of-debt/

Hopefully this will help when the yelling and the chest thumping begins again…..the GOP needs something they can champion to turn the conversation away from their cowardice in confronting the corruption of the Trump administration.

Re-Branding A Party

After the loss in 2012 the GOP said it would do some soul searching and find a way to start winning elections……personally, I think it is a good idea….while I do not support many conserv ideas……I do think that the process needs a good viable party to compete……

The RNC had its winter meeting and the re-branding has begun…..

“We must compete in every state and every region, building relationships with communities we haven’t before,” Priebus will say, POLITICO’s Mike Allen reports exclusively. “We must develop the best technology with the help of the best minds—and train activists, volunteers, and candidates with the modern tools of a modern party. … We can stand by our timeless principles—and articulate them in ways that are modern…relevant to our time and relatable to the majority of voters.”

Priebus will outline a number of steps the GOP should take to expand the base and get competitive in a broader swath of states. Among his suggestions: train “candidates, volunteers and operatives” on basic subjects like fundraising and campaign strategy — but through a variety of high-tech methods, including Skype sessions and Google hangouts; give the “next generation of organizers access to the brightest experts,” take the initiative on leading in the “digital space” and focus on being “welcoming” and “inclusive” without forgetting GOP “principles.”

“It means renewing those principles because only they can offer the solutions to the liberal induced problems of our time…” Priebus is slated to say. He will add, “And to those who have left the party, we want to earn your trust again. To those who have yet to join us, we welcome you — with open doors and open arms.”

And then there was the speech by LA. governor Bobby Jindal……….

Newser) – Bobby Jindal delivered the keynote address at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting last night, a speech billed as a “rebuttal” to Barack Obama’s inaugural address, but he took aim as much at his own party as Obama’s. Jindal said that while Republicans should stick by their “timeless” conservative principles, “we might need to change just about everything else we do.” He repeated his much-quoted line that “we must stop being the stupid party,” decrying the “offensive and bizarre comments” that have damaged Republicans. “It’s time for a new Republican party that talks like adults.”

Jindal said conservatives had become too wrapped up in thinking about Washington. “We seem to have an obsession with government bookkeeping,” he said. “If our vision is not bigger than that, we do not deserve to win.” He called for “re-thinking nearly every social program,” among other, radical moves. “What we are doing now to govern ourselves is not just wrong. It is out of date and it is a failure.” The speech was clearly intended to position Jindal for an expected 2016 presidential run, but according to Zeke Miller at BuzzFeed, it “appeared to be coolly received” by Republicans in the room.

Does Jindal believe what he says?  Not sure, but I am sure that he wants to run in 2016 and will say whatever necessary to make the case that he is qualified and a good option……..

These are pretty good words and sound like the beginnings of a plan…..but only if they are true and just not some talking points to make the 6 pm news……..I personally, have my doubts that the party will do much different than the last time they ran candidates……for one their quiet plan to game the electoral college……

(Newser) – Republicans in swing states that went for President Obama are pushing for a big change in how the Electoral College works, reports the Washington Post. The idea is to apportion electoral votes according to congressional district, instead of the winner-take-all system that most states employ. In Virginia, for example, the difference would be dramatic—Obama would have taken only four of the state’s 13 electoral votes in 2012.

“The last election, constituents were concerned that it didn’t matter what they did, that more densely populated areas were going to outvote them,” says the Virginia state senator sponsoring the bill. Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania—whose legislatures are controlled by the GOP—are also considering the change, but Virginia could vote on the measure as early as next week. Currently, only Maine and Nebraska use the congressional district system. Critics call the proposed legislation “sore-loser bills” and point out ending winner-take-all would greatly reduce Virginia’s importance as a swing state.

It appears that the voter fraud stuff did not do much to help win an election so we will try something else……..I would not be so suspicious if they chose states that were not the key swing states in the last election……or if they plan to do this is every state to include the South where they would not get all the electoral votes…..but I have a feeling that is not part of the plan…….

But beyond that…..look at all the Repubs not running for re-election…..why?  They are scared to death that they will be primaried and lose……….that is NOT re-branding!  That is running scared!

Let me see if I have a grip on this……..the party firers Steele, the guy who led them to a massive victory in 2010 and rehires the guy that oversaw their massive defeat in 2012……….What does this mean?  Sorry Bobby but STUPID is here to stay!

Here Comes The “Fear” Card (Again)

Once again the RNC will use the “fear” card as a draw for fund raising….they were outed by a dummie that left the material behind in a hotel room and it came into the hands of Politico…….

The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fear” of President Barack Obama and a promise to “save the country from trending toward socialism.”

The strategy was detailed in a confidential party fundraising presentation, obtained by POLITICO, which also outlines how “ego-driven” wealthy donors can be tapped with offers of access and “tchochkes.”

The presentation was delivered by RNC Finance Director Rob Bickhart to top donors and fundraisers at a party retreat in Boca Grande, Florida on February 18, a source at the gathering said.

In neat PowerPoint pages, it lifts the curtain on the often-cynical terms of political marketing, displaying an air of disdain for the party’s donors that is usually confined to the barroom conversations of political operatives.

The presentation explains the Republican fundraising in simple terms.

Once again the RNC and those who buy into this form of propaganda are NOT working in the best interests of the country….yes, Bush was a caricature many times….that does not make it right and I do not seem to recall those same caricatures used as a fund raising tool……this is just wrong on so many levels…and of course, no one contacted in the RNC knew anything about this smear campaign…..

It is a childish attempt to scare the living Hell outta the base……but maybe that type of immaturity plays well with conservatives…..after all they do HATE intellectuals or anyone with half a brain….

Honesty Is The Best Policy

I have been a staunch critic of the head of the RNC, Michael Steele, ever since his election to the post…..I have not thought the man had his stuff together enough to lead the GOP….but then he said this:  From the article in the NY Times:

Chairman Michael Steele thinks Republicans have ”screwed up” for the most part in the years since Ronald Reagan was president. And, he adds in an interview on the heels of his new book’s release, Republicans won’t win back the House in fall elections and might not be ready to lead even if they do.

Asked Monday by talk-show host Sean Hannity if Republicans can regain the House in November, Steele said, ”Not this year.” He added: ”I don’t know yet, because I don’t know all the candidates yet. We still have some vacancies that need to get filled, but then the question we need to ask ourselves is, if we do that, are we ready?”

In answer to his own question, Steele said: ”I don’t know. And that’s what I’m assessing and evaluating right now. Those candidates who are looking to run have to be anchored in these principles … because if they don’t, then they’ll get to Washington, and they’ll start drinking that Potomac River water, and they’ll get drunk with power and throw the steps out the window.”

Steele also has done some criticism of the GOP and its candidates:

–President George H.W. Bush for raising taxes two years after President Ronald Reagan left office, though Steele ignores the fact that Reagan raised taxes too.

–President George W. Bush for not vetoing spending bills during his first five years in office. He calls Bush and other Republicans ”enablers for big government” and derides the Bush administration’s Troubled Asset Relief Program as ”a massive government slush fund.”

–Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the party’s 2008 presidential nominee, for backing censorship of political speech through the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law. Steele says the GOP erred in allowing itself to be associated with ”a national political speech code.”

–Republican lawmakers in general, who allowed spending to rise from 2001 to 2004, went along with TARP and McCain-Feingold, and supported the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.

I may still criticize Steele in the future, but for now I applaud his honesty and his candor……he may just not be as ignorant as I first thought…..time will tell if this was just an isolated incident or that he may well have some good ideas to resurrect the GOP….

Addendum:  and then he makes a racist remark, like “honest Injun”……he could not let me praise him for awhile before reverting back to the BS……oh well I tried…..

Will The Purges On The Right Continue?

For months now, possibly years, the GOP and the RNC have been moving more and more to the extreme Right….,in 1994 the neocons got to take over Washington and the Congress and it has continued with GW and on to the present…..

The radical right has declared a war on the middle and the liberals of the party…..calling them RINOs, Republicans In Name Only, and in doing so they are purging as many of these people as possible….looking for a more “pure” conservative…..very few of the GOP have come to the defense of the liberals of the Party….the silence is an indication of the fear within the Party….FEAR?…you mean the GOP is playing the “fear card” on itself?….you betcha (he said with a wink)…..

The radical Right jumped into the election in NY-23 and backed a candidate, not the GOP candidate, but rather one that was on the Far Right……Now they are doing the same thing with Crist in Florida, these neocons are backing a far right candidate Rubio…is this the future of GOP politics?…..

Good question and there is an even better answer……..YES IT IS!

Why would I say that?  The RNC has issued a memo with a “purity” test enclosed and it reads like this:

(1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama’s “stimulus” bill;

(2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run health care;

(3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;

(4) We support workers’ right to secret ballot by opposing card check;

(5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;

(6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;

(7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;

(8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;

(9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and

(10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership.

There you have it…if you want the support of the RNC…you must have eight of the 10 on the checklist…..Jeez!  This is all too familiar….the Left did it back in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s until they were NOT even close in the elections even though they had some good ideas….they marginalized themselves out of relevance……

With members fleeing the GOP like rats from a sinking ship…is this a way to increase and strengthen the Party?  Sounds like wishful thinking….the GOP is steering the ship of conservatism into the rocks……..

Far Right Makes GOP Shiver

I was reading in Politico about what is going on in the ranks of the GOP, in an article written by Jeff Vandehei and Mike Allen:

Many top Republicans are growing worried that the party’s chances for reversing its electoral routs of 2006 and 2008 are being wounded by the flamboyant rhetoric and angry tone of conservative activists and media personalities, according to interviews with GOP officials and operatives.

Congressional leaders talk in private of being boxed in by commentators such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh — figures who are wildly popular with the conservative base but wildly controversial among other parts of the electorate, and who have proven records of making life miserable for senators and House members critical of their views or influence.

Some of the leading 2012 candidates are described by operatives as grappling with the same tension. The challenge is to tap into the richest source of energy in the party — the disgust of grass-roots conservative activists with President Barack Obama and their hunger for a full-throated attack on his agenda — without coming off to the broader public as cranky and extreme.

I would like to say that this is a good occurrence that the “real” conservatives are worried about their future in politics…I said I would like to…but that is not the way I see it…..people like the Mitt-ster has done a good job of lying low during the craziness…but that may hurt him in the long run in 2012…it will depend on if the party implodes…..and then there is the chairman of the RNC, Michael Steele….he is suppose to be the front man for the GOP and yet he is echoing the accusations, lies and misinformation that is flying around the conservative talk radio ….that does not bid well for “real” conservatives…..

Then we have Rep, Bachmann from Minnesota who are calling Repubs like Dole and Frist agents of Obama and are non-pro-freedom (her term not mine)…is this what will continue to happen?  The GOP eating their own?  I guess if you think that the people of the US need health care then you are anti-freedom (my term not hers).

I think that the off year elections could be the most telling indicator…..if the GOP cannot capitalize on the rift that the Right wing activists created, then they, the GOP, will be doomed in the 2012 election….unless they can find someone that appears to be more centered in reality than any of the mouths they have now.

Reach Out And Fall On Your Face

The GOP is trying desperately to rebrand itself…..(pause for laughter)……the RNC has launched a new website…..and it is amazing to say the least….I guess they are fed up with the label “the party of no”……go to http://www.gop.com and enjoy….

They are trying to reach out to the public for support….the site has heroes, Repub, from the past…a little history lesson….was a bit misleading when they offered they use an African-American who had stated many many times that he was NOT with any party…he did however support Nelson Rockefeller because they were friends…I guess in a stretch you could see that as a Repub hero…

They show Hispanics and African-American and women etc and say that YOU are our next leader…but sadly missing was the “REAL” GOP…old white guys…McCain, Romney, Huckabee or Pawlenty…I am sure that theywill correct this oversight as it is brought to their attention….but for now they appear to want only Hispanics, Blacks and women…..gee, how ill that play out?

The site falls well short of any inspirational message…..now that they have fallen on their face maybe they will go back to the drawing board and try again….this one is nothing but a trolling exercise for new wingnuts…

Putting The Country At Risk?

I have heard just about all the BS there can be on the Prez trip to Copenhagen.  That he is putting the country at risk by going to use his influence in the behalf of Chicago and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

First of all, this is a yawn and something that does not need 24/7 coverage.

Second, the chairman of the RNC, the moron Steele:

Steele began a brief telephone news conference by criticizing Obama’s lack of focus on the biggest problem facing the country: weakness in the economy, which Steele said is still in recession.

The former Maryland lieutenant governor said he had watched Obama push an economic stimulus plan, then “lurch into cap-and-trade, and then into health care,” and now he’s “pitching the Olympics in Copenhagen.”

In answer to a reporter’s question during a telephone news conference, Steele said it was “a noble idea for the president to pitch his home city, Chi-town,” but that “at a time of war” and recession, “this trip, while nice, is not necessary for the president.”

And then there is FOX News…..the newest political organization or should I say the “official” news media of the moronic Right?

In recent days, Fox News hosts, contributors and guests have used President Obama’s promotion of the United States bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics in Chicago as an excuse to attack him, while Michelle Malkin and Matt Drudge have baselessly linked the murder of a teenager in Chicago to the Olympic bid. Attacks on Obama’s efforts include Sean Hannity saying that “it sounds” like Obama “is more concerned about bringing the Olympics to Chicago than winning the war in Afghanistan,” Brent Bozell claiming Obama’s trip to Copenhagen to promote the Chicago bid “is evidence that this man just cannot stay away from the klieg lights,”

(Thanx to mediamatters.org for the info above)

Cute little swing in words…..the Prez is basically taking a day off and do something to help his town and possibly aid in its recovery.  Where is the crime?

I will give the GOP bullshit machine something to reply to:

Would you, the GOP and RNC, begrudge the Prez if he took a Sunday off and went to church?  Then would you say that the Prez was more concerned with his soul than winning the war in Afghanistan?   After all that is NOT the business of the nation?  Maybe you dipsticks should spend more time thinking of ways to save a party stuck in a MANURE pile and stop making up crap that has NOTHING to do with the reality the country faces in this time of global recession.

Maybe the RNC should look for someone who can expand the party’s membership, not shrink it.  Just a thought.